SL Tripod and Head

[elwyn]

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Hello All,

For the last few years I been using a Leica branded (Made in Germany) Carbon Tripod and a small-ish ArcaSwiss Ballhead and its served me fine when it's use was infrequent and mainly Leica M based.

However, now that my full-time Camera and Lenses are the SL Zooms and Primes, and find I'm using a tripod much more often and would feel more secure with something a bit sturdier than I have at present - I'm looking for any reccomendations.

Can anybody help, please?

Kid regards

[Leicaiste]

I would recommend RRS tripods. 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/298263-what-tripod-for-leica-sl-merged/page/5/?tab=comments#comment-3759779

 

[Per P.]

RRS, Gitzo, Manfrotto, Sirui. All good, take your pick. And include Arcaswiss as an alternative for heads and baseplates. If you don’t like any of them there are a bunch of niche manufacturers and an even larger bunch of lower cost alternatives.  In this particular case Google is your friend.

[darylgo]

3 hours ago, elwyn said:

For the last few years I been using a Leica branded (Made in Germany) Carbon Tripod and a small-ish ArcaSwiss Ballhead and its served me fine when it's use was infrequent and mainly Leica M based.

Your current tripod sounds like the FLM of a few years ago and they make many variations from tiny to large legs and heads.  The FLM heads have a rather complex mechanism to adjust tension for that delicate combination of movable/hold position, they call it friction with memory lock.  It is the best I have used for that feature.  The head that I use lately is an Arca Swiss D4, a ballhead that has micro adjustments for roll and pitch, set the camera up and in live view move the controls until the leveling or composition is as desired.   All the rest of the ballheads (my opinion) are good at somethings but none are really that far ahead of most other good heads.  Re: legs - take your pick of any of the Carbon Fiber today, I base my choice on specs such as size, weight, convenience and sturdiness.   

[Jk1002]

Rrs is a bit tricky with spares in Europe I understand. For the US I would consider it, in fact I have 2 models on my bhohoto wishlist.

I’d look at Gitzo, there is a peak design in kickstarter but that maxes out at 20lbs which is probably not enough.

[SrMi]

Gitzo GT2532 with RRS BH-40 head.

I have switched from RRS to Gitzo as I had too many issues with loose legs. I like to have a center column, in case I need to adjust height for macro shots (quicker than changing the leg length).

[darylgo]

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Thanks for the info on rrs tripods,  I've intended to purchase one because of all the praise heaped on them by reviewers and Lloyd Chambers but have very few issues with Gitzo legs despite all the mud and challenging conditions I put them through.  

Re: the center column, I find it indispensible  and have done extensive testing with it, the myth that it compromises image quality is unfounded.