Do you use/need >$1000 tripod?

[LocalHero1953]

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30 minutes ago, Donald M said:

Here https://thecentercolumn.com you can read all about tripods, center columns, heads, and also vibrations

Thank you - a valuable resource which will keep me quiet for a while!

Edited April 7, 2021 by LocalHero1953

[pgk]

I have a number of tripods, all but one (a Gandolfi😀) are Gitzos. My largest is a 1548 MkII CF which I have had for a long time. Solid, robust and capable of carrying everything from Leica M to 10" x 8" and larger. At the other end of the scale I have a G126 aluminium which will usually support an M in not too windy weather. In between are several others including a Reporter I bought s/h in 1980ish and which I've lent somone as it still works perfectly well.

I don't understand two things; the reticence to use an M camera on a tripod and, since Leica did provide a tripod screw hole, it was evidently assumed that they could/would be used on tripods. And why all the fuss about tripods. There are only two types; those which hold the camera steady and those which don't. This depends on how, where and in what conditions you use them. My suggestion is to always buy the most stable you are able to carry around and fits your purpose.

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[Ingo]

I find it difficult to find a 'one fit's all' tripod. Depending on the use case (city trips, nature, long exposure, group photos  ...)  I 'puzzle' my tripods together from several parts. So I always have a good compromise between weight and stable. 

 

Base units:

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/triopod-products/triopod-base-units/triopod-tripod-base-single.html

https://www.novoflex.de/en/TrioPodMTripodBase/triopodmen.html

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems//quadropod-products/quadropod-base-units/quadropod-basis-with-center-column.html

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/triopod-pro75-3-bein.html

Legs:

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/triopod-products/triopod-legs.html

 

Ballheads/Gearheads:

https://www.arca-shop.de/en/tripod-heads/gearheads/d4-series/d4/

https://www.arca-shop.de/en/tripod-heads/ballheads/p-series-monoball/p0-hybrid/

https://www.arca-shop.de/en/tripod-heads/ballheads/p-series-monoball/p0/

https://www.novoflex.de/en/products-637/camera-support-systems/ball-heads/magicball-series/magicball_50_-_the_universal_one.html

I also use the Arca Quick-Link system to connect the heads to the tripods. 

 

The PeakDesign Travel Tripod is okay but I prefer to use the Novoflex TrioPod because it is more stable and even a little bit smaller than the PD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Slender]

I have been using my Dad's gitzo (TataLux made in France) from the 60/70ies for 10 years when I learned until I eventually got my own Gitzo when I switched to SL2.

Extremely happy with my Gitzo Traveller GT2545. I even use it with a video head from time to time. You can select the feet to your liking, and accessorize it a lot (not as much as a Systemactic, but it works very well for my in hybrid use) or leave as is "vanilla". I look forward to it supporting Leica SL2....3....4.....5..... 😇

Edited April 7, 2021 by Slender

[thighslapper]

Really Right Stuff TVC-3X, levelling base and Arca Swiss d4 geared head for rough conditions and critical landscape work.

Really Right Stuff TQC 14 C and an Arca Swiss P0 monoball as a lighter hiking alternative.

Both combos will probably survive longer than I will. In terms of rigidity, stability and ease of use RRS+Arca Swiss takes a lot of beating. 

[pippy]

2 hours ago, pgk said:

..There are only two types; those which hold the camera steady and those which don't. This depends on how, where and in what conditions you use them. My suggestion is to always buy the most stable you are able to carry around and fits your purpose.

This is also my thinking. The most important purpose of a tripod is to offer as stable and solid a shooting-platfom as possible relative to one's needs.

For thirty years or so my #1 tripod has been an old 3-section Series 5 Gitzo with series 5 pan / tilt head and geared centre column. Heavy as a carthorse, of course, so 'portable' it most definitely is not but there's nothing more stable short of a Cambo Studio Stand or suchlike. It's the tripod which I always use when in the studio.

For location trips I use, in the main, a Leitz Tiltall. Fairy light, Fairly compact (a cinch to carry over a shoulder) and yet remains stable enough for almost all my location needs. I will always take the Tiltall with me on location and will use it when possible. The Gitzo comes along, too, and is used when it's the appropriate choice.

Philip.

[Einst_Stein]

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My son has a Peak Design and he likes it very much, but I found its head is a weak link. it cannot precisely hold the heavy long lens that has no tripod mount at the right place,  Also, compare to my FOR short tripod, it feels no where as solid in the build. That is just a feeling, there is no real damage yet.

[Einst_Stein]

I am not  looking for suggestions of any particular tripod. i am only looking for feedbacks about whether or what good is to look for from the high priced tripod. Gitzo happens to be an example since I owned several in the past and I am not impressed.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Einst_Stein

[Franky]

Yes, I use tripods like this.
two Carbon Gitzo, one at home (15 years old and in excellent condition) and one on the road (€ 800 and 1000)
For me, the best there is; and I also have a Novoflex Carbon Quadro

 

F

[Eclectic Man]

I use a tripod for astrophotography.  When using a long lens I use a ball head 'sideways', and it is relatively easy to locate stars and planets (if you know where they are in the sky) like this, as it is equivalent to an alt-azimuth mount using the pan feature for horizontal alignment and the ball head for vertical :

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

For rigidity, I have found that using all the sections in the leg a bit, is more rigid than using only some at full extension.  In the picture below, the middle leg is the same length as the other two but more rigid as there is more overlap between the sections:

So if you do not need the full height of your tripod, experiment with maximum overlap of the leg sections to see which is the most stable setup.

[cheekz4dayz]

Honestly, this is a subjective question so each forum member will have a different answer. Most things I buy today I think of for the long-term, I also like to think of branding. I'm in the market for a tripod right now and even though the PD tripod is within 'impulse-buy' price range for me; I'm just not a fan of the brand, it's over-hyped imo. So I'm saving up for the RRS Ascend 14 tripod instead as I think it'll fit my use case better. Am I crazy for spending ~1400USD for a tripod, that I'll only use a couple times a year: to some yeah, but I don't care as long as I'm spending responsibly. I like to use things that make me excited and this is a hobby so I might as well have fun with it 😅

 

 

[oldwino]

As you alluded to in your original post, @LocalHero1953, using a tripod with a Leica seems overkill at best, and a gross transgression of "The Leica Way" at worst.

I'll admit that I DO own a tripod, which is used solely for transferring film negatives into the digital realm. 

Please refer to the Book of Barnack, par.5, verse 7: "Thou shalt not attach any device foreign to the Leica, including grips, tripods, monopods or other devices which to cause photographic encumberment, unless such device is actually made by Leitz." 

So let it be written...

[Michael Markey]

I have an old Manfrotto 190 which I used when birding with a scope.

Recently added a RRS ballhead BH-55 PCLR .

[Ko.Fe.]

Gitzo? It is no name in the broadcast world, where camera and lens could easily cost more than  SL and bunch of lenses.

Manfrotto is the name in the tripods world. And they aren't expensive for photo cameras, vloggers. 

For no name like Gitzo I have Slik tripod and Horusbennu head. I have it for something like 15 years now and used it for Leicas and even 4x5 metal view camera. 

[Slender]

2 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Gitzo? It is no name in the broadcast world, where camera and lens could easily cost more than  SL and bunch of lenses.

Manfrotto is the name in the tripods world. And they aren't expensive for photo cameras, vloggers. 

For no name like Gitzo I have Slik tripod and Horusbennu head. I have it for something like 15 years now and used it for Leicas and even 4x5 metal view camera. 

 

Gitzo is a BIG name whether you like it or not for still. Broadcast is an entirely different business and well, its all owned by Vitec anyway:

• Gitzo
• Manfrotto
• Vinten
• O'Connor
• Sachtler
• Joby
• Avenger...etc

And so much more its astounding.... From amateur (joby) to super high-end feature film (o'connor).

[FlashGordonPhotography]

I don't know who started this crap about Leica and tripods but I do wish they'd just stop. I use tripods every day. Including on my M's if required. Which muppet thinks that you don't use one with an M10R at 1/2 a second? "The Leica Way"? Give me a break.

I have a bunch of decent tripods and a few great ones. I do like the Gitzo legs, for the same reason I like Leica cameras. They may not do the job better, ultimately but I like using them and I appreciate the build quality and craftsmanship that goes into them. I think most Leica shooters would get this. I have some Surui legs which work really well but they're not as polished as the Gitzo's.

Choosing the right tripod head is more important than the legs, IMHO. I prefer geared heads for their precision. I don't need the speed of a ball head as I'm on a tripod. Speed is the enemy of tripod work unless you're gimbal shooting I have a few geared heads. A cheaper Sunway Foto one I have on the Surui legs for when I don't want to forget 3K of tripod (I've left tripods behind all over the world but never actually lost one. They always come back). Mostly though my go to is my D4 geared head and a slider plate to keep the weight over the centre of the head.

I still have the first *proper* tripod I ever bought. An old beat up aluminium Manfrotto 055 and three way head that's 35 years old. Still gets used in studio but I don't want to carry that beast around any more. I have three *travel* set ups. 1.8kg, 2.9 and 4. Which I carry depends on how far I am from the car. Mostly it's the middle one.

Gordon

[dritz]

21 minutes ago, FlashGordonPhotography said:

I don't know who started this crap about Leica and tripods but I do wish they'd just stop. I use tripods every day. Including on my M's if required. Which muppet thinks that you don't use one with an M10R at 1/2 a second? "The Leica Way"? Give me a break.

I have a bunch of decent tripods and a few great ones. I do like the Gitzo legs, for the same reason I like Leica cameras. They may not do the job better, ultimately but I like using them and I appreciate the build quality and craftsmanship that goes into them. I think most Leica shooters would get this. I have some Surui legs which work really well but they're not as polished as the Gitzo's.

Choosing the right tripod head is more important than the legs, IMHO. I prefer geared heads for their precision. I don't need the speed of a ball head as I'm on a tripod. Speed is the enemy of tripod work unless you're gimbal shooting I have a few geared heads. A cheaper Sunway Foto one I have on the Surui legs for when I don't want to forget 3K of tripod (I've left tripods behind all over the world but never actually lost one. They always come back). Mostly though my go to is my D4 geared head and a slider plate to keep the weight over the centre of the head.

I still have the first *proper* tripod I ever bought. An old beat up aluminium Manfrotto 055 and three way head that's 35 years old. Still gets used in studio but I don't want to carry that beast around any more. I have three *travel* set ups. 1.8kg, 2.9 and 4. Which I carry depends on how far I am from the car. Mostly it's the middle one.

Gordon

Spend the money on the head and an integrated plate on the body. I have RSS plates for my SL, and Arca Swiss head.

[LocalHero1953]

2 hours ago, oldwino said:

As you alluded to in your original post, @LocalHero1953, using a tripod with a Leica seems overkill at best, and a gross transgression of "The Leica Way" at worst.

I'll admit that I DO own a tripod, which is used solely for transferring film negatives into the digital realm. 

Please refer to the Book of Barnack, par.5, verse 7: "Thou shalt not attach any device foreign to the Leica, including grips, tripods, monopods or other devices which to cause photographic encumberment, unless such device is actually made by Leitz." 

So let it be written...

I wasn't the OP and I have no problem with a Leica on a tripod - getting my defence in before drawing fire from @FlashGordonPhotography😁

[aksclix]

I have a few tripods.. 2 main ones below.. both were purchased used for BIG discounts.. so check used market.. and you don't need a 1000 bucks for a reliable tripod.. 500 is good enough IMO  

1. GIANT https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1328234-REG/gitzo_gt5563gsus_systematic_tripod_ser_5_6s.html
2. GT2543L https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1034914-REG/gitzo_gt2543l_gt2532l_mountaineer_series_2.html

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[RMF]

I’m happy to invest the necessary $$$ to purchase a quality tripod as it’s something that tends to outlast all of your other gear. Invest in a quality tripod and it can last a lifetime. I have an aluminum Gitzo Studex that I’ve used for 35 years and it’s still going strong, but just recently bought a RRS 24L for the weight savings that carbon fiber allows.  From my old film school days I learned one rarely claims that a tripod is ‘too’ big once you are on location, you just don’t want to be the person that has to carry it there (we used Sachtler Fluid heads and sticks with our Arriflex’s).

Edited April 8, 2021 by RMF