Do you use/need >$1000 tripod?

[Ko.Fe.]

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5 hours ago, Slender said:

 

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).

 I don't care who owns Gitzo and how big it is for some.

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[aksclix]

4 hours 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

I agree, having a good head and using it is recommended for tripods and humans 😂

jokes apart, legs can’t be overlooked though.. it has to be reasonably sturdy.. and what’s good for regular shooting may not be for a windy evening.. a little bit of common sense and care can save the day (or at least save your gear  )

[beewee]

5 hours ago, RMF said:

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.

Don’t tell that to the vintage M and LTM lens owners. 🙂 

[Slender]

6 hours ago, Ko.Fe. said:

 I don't care who owns Gitzo and how big it is for some.

The same in return, I suspect, about your bowling bowl comment about broadcast tripods and how different it is there: I imagine most of the middle age hobbyist crowd here don't care much about 20 000$ Cartoni Tripods for TV cameras....  or Big'Ole cheaper, heavy mettallic Manfrottos.

Same goes about the 45 000$ Arri Head + 15 000$ GFM column sitting on a Dolly worth about a million bucks.... all of that supporting a Panavision camera and lenses you can only rent from Pana.... that I use as a Cine-Camera operator. So yeah, Gitzo tripod are cheap, mass produced things relative to that... but are very nice at what they do in their Traveller or Systematic form. Sure, cheaper (sometimes better for specific things) alternatives had the time to copy and make those utilities more accessible to the masses... so they can have the miracle of slavery in China enabling them to buy cheap support for their treasured cameras... Check this Rip-Off of Really Right Stuff (https://www.leofoto.com/). (FLM outsources to China as well now for their legs....)

We are on a men-jewlery forum, and so yeah, Leica (Hasselblad, Alpa, Sinar, Phase One, Schneider.... if you want Still Cameras and Tripod as expensive/bulky as your ENG stuff) and Gitzo - RRS - FLM - Novoflex - Arca Swiss - ProMediaGear - UniqBall - Foba - Linhof...etc go nicely together and if you can afford these, you should give it a try life is short. Most of all tripods gather dust at home anyway.

My dad's Gitzo is twice older than me (I'm 30); sports the "made in France" with TataLux steel and is still the most compact and sturdy little thing I use alongside my own, bigger, fancy plastic (carbon fiber is fancy plastic) "Made in Italy" (in the Manfrotto factory) GT2545. So yeah, its personal love, but I am aware of what exists out there in terms of "camera" support, from dirt cheap to crazy exotic... My choice happen to remain with Gitzo (Pro Media Gear seems real nice, but hard to source in Europe like RRS)
 

[pgk]

7 hours ago, Ko.Fe. said:

 I don't care who owns Gitzo and how big it is for some.

I believe that Manfrotto own Gitzo. Apparently (according to a friend who visited the two factories) Gitzo were a French maker but when Manfrotto bought them production was moved to Italy. They have (or certainly had) separate production factories with Gitzo being the 'premium' brand.

In storage I have a 1960s Miller newsreel tripod, still usable although the head is long gone, if it is of interest to any cine people ..... Miller (Australian) are still producing tripods I think.

[Slender]

Yes, still owned and made in AUS I really dig their products as well for Solo video operator, they are great IMHO.

[Herr Barnack]

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For my M camera gear and my Q2, I have a Gitzo 1545T (22 pound maximum load capacity) topped with a Novoflex MB50 (15.4 pound maximum load capacity). 

This set up is sturdy enough for my M camera gear and it is small and light.  The two pieces are not exactly bargain priced, but are not an unreasonable expenditure given the cost of M cameras and lenses.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[cirke]

Quote

 

I use a PeakDesign Travel Carbon tripod

[Einst_Stein]

The most favorite tripod I have is a Berlebach wooden tripod. My daughter got it from a garage sale as a lamp stand, $10. It is soooo nice made, just look at it is a joy. I checked B&H catalog, I think it is reporter 843. It has a very humble speced 19 lbs load capacity, but I think it is much more than that if used the load capacity measurement stand of other brands. It is dedicated for the monster GX680. I does not need extra head, the center pole is movable to adjust the horizontal level. That is only needed for Gx680.  

It is sooo heavy too. Another quality required for the heavy GX680.

My newly acquired set is Field Optics Research 6233A, it's the aluminum version of the 6229C carbon tripod, bout 65" high and 18" if folded. The load capacity is 26lbs, weight 3.4lbs, only 0.5lbs heavier than the carbon model. It is very strong and stable, definitely no less than the old Gitzos I have, but no comparison with Berlebach. Here the weight does matter. I will pair it with either Sunwayfoto M44 (load cap 66 lbs) ball head that can accept both Arca and Manfroto quick lease plate or Ulanzi U70 (Load cap 44 lbs) (still trying and comparing).  The tripod and head combination costs less than $300. Compared to other tripod sets I have, and according to my experience with the shorter model of Field Optics Research, this set up seems to have the least elements to go wrong. --- will see if it is true.   

On and on, thanks for so many feedbacks, it gives me strong confidence that there are many far cheaper tripods below $1000 that work fantastic.  The expensive ones have the value of more durability or more professional features perhaps one would appreciate when getting there. 

For Leica M or CL or TL, in most situations, a tripod (except perhaps a tiny table pods) should not be essential. That's what Leica is really about. 

 

 

[BernardC]

2 hours ago, Einst_Stein said:

The most favorite tripod I have is a Berlebach wooden tripod.

I love Berlebach tripods too. Why don't you just get a smaller one?

[Einst_Stein]

2 hours ago, BernardC said:

I love Berlebach tripods too. Why don't you just get a smaller one?

Good suggestion, didn't think of it before.

If I need the best stability, I would use the existing Berlebach, but I also need something lighter to backpack and smaller to fit in carry-on. I found Field Optics Research 6233A more favorable. 

[ravinj]

Induro tripods are good too. I use a now discontinued Induro carbon fiber tripod model that is similar to (currently in production) Induro CLT303. RRS BH-40 ballhead on that. A solid and stable combination under $1k.

For long mountain hikes where tripods are not always practical, I have the Really Right Stuff TFA-01 Ultra with BH-25 ballhead. A surprisingly strong and steady combo and I always seem to find a rock, a branch or an edge to rest it on. It is the little engine that could.

Edited April 10, 2021 by ravinj

[Simone_DF]

10 hours ago, ravinj said:

I have the Really Right Stuff TFA-01 Ultra with BH-25 ballhead. A surprisingly strong and steady combo and I always seem to find a rock, a branch or an edge to rest it on. It is the little engine that could.

I have the same setup and I second this little tripod that fits in a pocket. I haven't used it with a SL, but I used it extensively with a Sony A7III and various lenses and it's really great.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Simone_DF

[Einst_Stein]

2 hours ago, Simone_DF said:

I have the same setup and I second this little tripod that fits in a pocket. I haven't used it with a SL, but I used it extensively with a Sony A7III and various lenses and it's really great.

If you want pocket pods or table pods, you should try Leica's table top. I am yet to find anything to be even close in strength and convenience. 

I can't remember how many pocket pods I have tried. Before the local camera shops in Palo Alto and San Francisco were out of business, I had tried everyone they carried. I don't remember Lei'ca table pod load capacity, I think it is not specified because practically the limit is on the head anyway. The nicest thing about it is adjustable leg spreading. It does not need to fix to120 degree. This makes it very adaptable to almost any standing places.  For example, when I use it at Yosemite Glacier Point, it can stand on the 4 inches wide wall-top with 60-150-150 degree spreading.  This would not be possible with any 120-degree equally spread tripods. I think Kirk has a similar one but much more expensive. --- and you can get used Leica table pods for much lower price. Leica has a matching ball head,  They are perfect fit to each other, but you can use other light, stronger and much cheaper ball head.

[LocalHero1953]

As mentioned in earlier posts, I was mulling over a new tripod - I have just ordered a FLM CP-30 M4 II plus FLM levelling head. Not >$1000, but not at the cheap end either.

FLM came late into consideration when I realised that they were light, compact when folded, and unusually tall for a tripod with no centre column. The tipping point for buying was finding that my Gitzo GT0545T was actually more rigid than my much larger Benro; grasping the lower end of the unextended centre column gave a very clear demonstration of how deficient the tripod top assembly was - easy to bend, and quite a lot of springy vibration.

The final choice was between the Gitzo GT2545T and the FLM - the latter is lighter and taller, so good for hiking with a (light) large format camera; take a FLM levelling head instead of a normal head and I save over a kilogram on the much shorter Benro plus Gitzo 3-way fluid head.

I thought about the CP-30 L4 II, which is taller and not much heavier, but I'd need to carry a set of kitchen steps as well.

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by LocalHero1953

[malbooth]

On 4/7/2021 at 10:29 PM, Donald M said:

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

Thanks so much for this it was really helpful in deciding which travel tripod to buy. I read so many posts and reviews and was just getting more confused. The review and ratings on this site are so comprehensive and they explain everything very well.

[Shawn30]

So I picked up a SLIK carbon fiber tripod and Sirui VA-5 Fluid head for my Televid. At the time my concern was quality and weight because I was back packing everything in above timberline. I'm guessing with shipping, and tax it was around 500.00. IMO the fluid head works very well with the SL2 and something like the Sigma 150-600, although I use it mostly for the R 80-200. I hear but can't confirm that the aluminum tripods dampen vibration better. Anyway for me, no I don't need a $1000.00 tripod. 

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Edited October 22, 2021 by Shawn30

[The_darter87]

On 4/9/2021 at 12:57 PM, cirke said:

I use a PeakDesign Travel Carbon tripod

How do you find it? Think it can last a few years? 
I’m torn between this and the travelled one

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[cirke]

5 minutes ago, The_darter87 said:

How do you find it? Think it can last a few years? 
I’m torn between this and the travelled one

I find it beautiful useful and very well done, i dont see a reason not to last many years

[malbooth]

On 11/15/2021 at 6:47 AM, cirke said:

I find it beautiful useful and very well done, i dont see a reason not to last many years

Me too and I used it recently with the SL2 and a Canon 100-400mm lens, mounted with the Sigma MC-21.

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