Will my tri-pod handle a Pentax 67

<p>Hello,<br>

I am thinking of getting my hands on a Pentax 67 after the christmas period to replace my Mamiya 645. My current tri-pod set up is a Manfrotto 55Pro (2.10KG and max weight of 7KG) and a 115(max weight of 5KG) Super junior head.</p>

<p>I have been reading a lot about the 'mirror slap' found with this camera, just wondering if anyone can shed any light on wether or not my tri-pod is sufficient.</p>

<p>Many Thanks<br>

Andy</p>

<p>When I first got a P67 system, I tried various tripods, using a laser pointer attached to the camera. I was surprised at how well certain rigs did vs similar weighted rigs. I would inspect the film as much of the shutter/mirror commotion actually is happening after the exposure ends. You may hit it lucky and your combo may be acceptable for your purposes (I think it may be on the light side, though). It seemed that some combos tamed the unique vibrations of the P67 and others didn't, even though logic was telling me that it would work. I ended up with a Bogen 3040 rig (3046 w/3047 head), a Gitzo 1320 Reporter with the same head (for some reason, this worked better than the Rationale 3 with the P67) and a Bogen (the larger one....forget the number) monopod with a Bogen 3025 compact head. I tried at least 15 rigs at stores and borrowed, pretty much all price points, weights, etc. The on-film performance varied more than I would have expected and I was glad that I spent the time and some old out-dated b&w film to check things out. This was many years back with MLU bodies and lenses ranging from 45 to 200. I've never had any real long lenses so that may add additional complications, too.<br>

There have been many new ideas and products introduced in the mean time, so there may be more to pick from these days. You will get many varied opinions on the P67 vibe issues.... My guess is that some of this is due to the support systems that people adapt to it. I found that heavier wasn't always better, though in general, this is true. You will also find that lens to lens variations are apparent in this system. I don't know if they start out that way or if hard use contributes...? I was buying complete systems, culling and keeping the best glass and found enough variation to matter as I built my system initially.</p>

 

<p>Andy, the short answer Imo is yes. I use a tri-pod far less substantial (below) which i originally used for 35mm cameras, but which i found works for my P67. I rarely use tri-pods, but for certain situations its nice to have. As long as the legs are spead out evenly it works for me. And its light weight - easily portable. But yours is better and i think will be fine.</p><div></div>

<p>Is the 55PRO the same as the 055XPROB? I ran a few rolls through a P67II on a 055XPROB + 3-way + RC4. I thought the combination might work because the tripod and head are so heavy. Ha! The 67II literally rocked the tripod. Just a little, but still. I did the pressure-on-the-prism trick and the results looked fine, at least to my lazy examination, but the very next day I ordered a 5541LS and put the 055XPROB back in the closet.</p>

<p>If you always shoot at high shutter speeds (1/125th and above). Then tripod choice doesn't matter so much.</p>

<p>I was always taught to use tripods that handle at least double my intended weight load. This seems to assure stability, over using a tripod at it's rated weight capacity. Especially with a camera known for its shaking shutter and mirror (Pentax 67).</p>

<p>In fact with LF cameras I've often used tripods rated for 4X's my camera's weight. At slow shutter speeds, you can never have too much tripod.</p>

<p>The P67 is a great camera, but get a later model that has mirror lockup. That will certainly lessen your concerns about the adequacy of your tripod.</p>

<p>I have been testing with my 67 recently in preparation for a trip that I want to use it without tripod. Seeing if it can be done. What I have learned is that the shutter itself is not a very big impact when opening. So I have been doing hand held shots down to 60th of a second by locking the mirror up after framing the picture and then not changing my position while looking at nothing but blackness in the finder. Then releasing the shutter. I have also found that while doing that it is very helpful to grip the camera tightly and push it up against my forehead. I am getting very acceptable sharpness even with my personal high standard for it. With that in mind I think even a light tripod can be used with mirror lock up and holding the camera tight. Of course that won't work with slower than 30th second.</p>

Overall, I find 1/125 or faster to be fine even with no tripod or MLU, as long as we're talking medium- to wide lenses at least. I still happily handhold it at 1/60, but prefer to use MLU if I can in those cases, and there's going to be a bit of visible blur at times. I use a fairly dinky el-cheapo tripod - much lighter and flimsier than what you suggest - that's really too lightweight for a substantial 35mm camera, never mind a P67, but the results are good enough for me. Thing is, even a bad tripod is a major improvement on no tripod at all. So try using your current setup and see if it's sufficient for the way you shoot. If not, then you can go shopping for something larger.

 

From what I've gathered, it's really speeds from 1/30 up to 1/1 or so that's sensitive to the mirror slap. Shutter shudder is (reportedly - no personal experience) mostly an issue with long lenses that unbalance the entire setup and make it into a large pendulum. That is apparently best solved with an extra arm so that both lens and camera body are stabilized, or a second tripod if you have no such arm (though that sounds like a hassle).

<p>What sold me on the other sumo-class 6x7, the Mamiya RB67, is the rotating back which eliminates that scary weight transfer when a Pentax 67 flips to portrait orientation.</p>

<p>back when I had a Pentax 67, I used the 055 almost exclusively. Mirror lock-up should be used religiously and add a short(10 sec) delay before shutter release. Putting the camera on a tripod and not locking the mirror up, you might as well hand hold it. ps. now my 055 has a Fuji gx680 on it.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I used a totally insufficient lightweight tripod that fits in a carry-on case with my 67. MLU + cable release, and I haven't seen any issues in most conditions. Sometimes, and rarely, I wish for a sturdier one.</p>

<p>Andy, <br>

Another vote for the P67 and Manfrotto 055 combination. But, I don't use the 055 with longer lenses. A 200mm is the max, with longer lenses I go to a Gitzo 1305. <br>

Also, I use Kirk "L" brackets and a RRS ball head (BH-40) so that the mass of the camera stays centered over the tripod when shooting verticals.<br>

As Harvey suggests, you do need to be sure and use MLU when at all possible. I would add that a cable release is also a good idea. </p>

<p>Joe D.</p>

<p>Agree with Joe D. on this. Most P67 shooters have two tripods; one for the shorter lenses and one for the longer ones. I use a 7 lb Gitzo for lenses between 35mm and 200mm. For the 300 to 600mm range, I use a 10 lb Bogen 3036. Even with a large tripod, the 600 can't be shot in the high shutter shake range of 1/2 to 1/30 sec. Two tripods are needed to do this; one for the lens and another for the camera.</p>

<p>What you need is this: <a href="http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/offonce/pid/3217">manfrotto long lens support</a> or something similar.<br>

What this does is basically construct an other triangle between the camera and the triangle of the legs of the tripod.<br>

As a triangle is fundamentally rigid it can not move as by contrast a square can(try it with the outer shell of a matchbox). On top of that because you now have two differently sized triangles that each will have a different vibration frequency so that it will effectively eliminate the vibrations introduced by the shutter and give you a much more rigid system than that any tripod on it's own can give you.</p>

 

<p>I am planning to buy a Pentax 6x7 in order to use it with wide lenses (45, 55, 90) for landscape photography. I have a Manfrotto 190 xb with a 486 ball head. Is this setup stable enough or I have to change the head and the legs?</p>

<p>Erwin, the situation concerning the 600mm on a single tripod with a long lens support is still not the solution, becuase the horizontal motion of the shutter causes the whole rear section to rotate around the pivot point ( of the tripod head). A vertical support below the camera body does not provide the lateral support needed to stop the motion completely. A Wimberley head or two tripods work better.</p>

<p>Vlasis, that will work fine. Those lenses are all relatively small, and being wider-angled helps as well.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone for their kind replys, very helpful! As I will be using it for landscape photography I think you have all assured me that it will be fine. I rarely shoot beyond a 110mm on 5x4 is that 90mm on 6x7?</p>

<p>Leo,<br>

the 55PRO is quite an old tripod, well the model I have is anyway. All the fittings are metal and there is no plastic on it at all; apart from the adjuestment handles that control the head. I could never understand why they did that. But yea it is the same tripod in many ways, I think the newer model is slightly lighter.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>And,<br>

I have used P67 and 67II for many years. Mirror slap is not the issue. As Steve Rasmussen noted, it is the shutter travel that is the culprit with longer lenses and shutter speeds from 1/2 to 1 second. The solution, regardless of tripod, is to weight the camera. My technique was to put the camera on a tripod, and then use my hands to put slight downward pressure on the body. I released the shutter with my right index finger, not a cable release. The use of your hands will dampen the effect of the large shutter curtain traveling across the film plane. This technique was recommended years ago by a retired Kodak photographer who frequented the forum, and many others on the forum have used the same technique successfully.</p>

<p>excellent, thanks!!!</p>

<p>Andy,<br>

I should also have mentioned that I always use mirror lock-up, and wait a few seconds for any vibration to die before releasing the shutter.</p>

<p>Neal thank you very much for the information.</p>

<p>I am not seeing any problem with Manfrotto 190XPROB with 804RC2 head - as long as I do not shoot with a longer lens (200 mm). I always use mirror lock-up. With the 200 mm lens, however, the vibrations from the shutter result in ghost pictures, if exposure time is between 1/60 - 1/2 seconds. My solution to this is to stop the lens down and/or use a filter to prolong the exposure over 1/2 seconds, if the scene permits this. I have not yet tried to put weight on the tripod.</p>

<p>I think it's sufficient. I think a little heavier tripod would be better. I really like the 115 head- I have the Bogen 3028 which is the same identical thing. One of the things I like best about it is the ability to work the sections around so the camera can be centered or almost centered over the tripod, unlike with ballheads or most 3-ways.</p>

<p>I am also looking at the Manfrotto 055 series with the P67 but I have some problems understanding the models. Is the Manfrotto 055 the same tripod as the old Bogen 3021? What model in the current line-up corresponds to the old 055? Is it the 055XB? And what about the 055Pro? I somehow get the impression the older Manfrotto 055 series were more robust than the current ones. I would be very grateful if someone could shed some light on the older vs newer models.</p>