Has anybody tried Hackuba carbon fiber tripods?

Has anybody tried Hackuba carbon fiber tripods? They cost half as

much as Gito and seemed just as good. This is just a first impression

in a store. Has anybody tried them in practice?

if carbon fiber you must have, the hakuba carb pods are superbly built and do indeed cost half as much (or thereabouts) as a gitzo. i scrutinized the gitzo and hakuba products carefully, side by side, set them up, etc. and could discern no significant differences. they got a full review in shutterbug during the past 12 mos (too lazy to go upstairs and poke through back issues).

Yes, I have one of these tripods and it is really nice. I take it with me when I am doing wedding photography as it is light and strong. And the price was right too! Its also great for hiking. I use mine with a Rolleiflex 6008 camera and a Manfrotto ball head.

They sound great. The B&H site doesn't give the maximum height w/o column extended. Can anyone help? TIA

They had two styles available when I bought mine--with either 3 or 4 sections. The 3 section one went higher and was more sturdy than the 4 section one, so I bought that one. It is called the HG-6230C and it is a great tripod and probably the best of its kind for the money. Great adjusters on the legs for extension, well designed leg spread adjusters, super light weight and good sturdiness. I use mine with a Velbon PH 163Q ballhead that is also a fine piece of hardware for the money.

 

It 51 inches high to the thread where the ball head screws in without any extension. I'm 5 foot 9, and without the center column extented at all, a camera mounted on my ballhead is only a slight stoop down to view though the eyepiece. Hakuba supplied a short center column along with the standard one, and this allows you shoot 13 inches off the ground with an average size ball head with the legs spread to their widest postition. I have used mine for over two years now and would buy another one if this one was lost or stolen.

Thanks, Andrew.

Interesting, has Hackuba got a webpage? I like to see if they have any Swedish importers/suppliers.

 

/Erik

Not sure if the spelling of "Hackuba" is correct, but...

 

<p /><a href="http://www.hakubaphoto.co.jp/">http://www.hakubaphoto.co.jp/</a>

It is spelled "Hakuba", and it is the parent company of Velbon.

I'm responsible for the product specifications for B&H's site. Hakuba doesn't provide the load ratings for their carbon fiber tripods, and I don't know why. I've changed the site to now say "not specified by manufacturer" rather than leave it blank and seem that we're not doing our job. This tripod is essentially the same thing as the Velbon Carmagne 630/640 tripods, but with different mechanisms for independent leg angles and aluminum instead of lighter magnesium. I personally called Velbon & was told that the 630 supports 25 lb.<p> If Hakuba/Velbon is using the same standards to determine these numbers, that would put it in the class of the 1348 Gitzo. But a better barometer of sturdiness is the maximum diameter of the largest leg tube, and in this respect the Velbon/Hakuba seems a more fitting competitor for the 1227/1228 Gitzo. Hakuba or Velbon, they both are fine for all but the biggest of medium format applications and are a fine value. <p>When comparing the 3-section or 4-section versions of essentially the same tripod, the only thing to consider is the size of the tripod when folded. The 3-Sections are cheaper, sturdier, taller, generally a hair lighter, and quicker to put up and down. But they're also about 5 inches longer than their 4-Section counterparts when not in use, and for many this is the deciding factor.

Here's another vote for them. I have the HG6240C 4 section version. They're quite similar to the Gitzo 1227/8, though <em>Slightly</em> heavier and shorter. For 2.4 oz and 4" I thought it was worth it to save 55% of price. It's a joy to work with in all weather conditions. Quite stable and rigid. Comes stock with Normal AND short center columns. Since I normally use the short column the Gitzo would have cost me even more. I haul it with me whenever I don't want to take my Gitzo 410. Note that it has 1/4" thread though. Be sure to buy some 1/4 to 3/8 adapters if your tripod head is 3/8".

Has anybody tried them extensively outdoors? In snow, dust, rain. I have Gitzo G226 which is pain to use, although it was pretty good when it was new. Locks became too tight, legs jam. Cleaning does not hel. Is this a problem with aluminum material or it's design issue? Any of such experiences with Hakuba?

Boris, while I cannot say that I've shot with the Hakuba, I do own the Slik 803 and have exposed it to tons of abuse in the time I've had it. In dusty and precipitous climates, the leg locks become less positive in their locking and the smoothness of extending/compressing the leg segments decreases as well. This happens every trip. However, cleaning and relubricating the shims(<i>I use lithium grease for the lubrication</i>) has always restored them to 100% as-new operational function, & it only takes about 10-15 minutes to do all 6 shims on the 803. It is a relatively simple process and the Slik's shims are nearly the mechanical twin of the Velbon/Hakuba ones.

Hakuba is the importer of Velbon carbon fiber tripods, and the tripods

with the hakuba label are made especially for hakuba by Velbon.

they are the same as comparable Velbon tripods, but with 2 differences:

The non-carbon parts of the Velbon Carmagne tripods are magnesium.

that's where the name comes from, CARbon/MAGNEsium. The Hakuba

equivalent models use aluminum. Second, the Hakuba models are less expensive.

<p>

One other point is that there are some lighter duty velbon carbon

fiber tripods that are not imported into the US, but the hakuba

equivalent models are.

<p>

Generally, I think the Velbon carbon fiber tripods are a better buy

than the Hakuba's. this is because they are lighter weight for a given

level of sturdiness. After all, the whole point of forking out the $

for carbon fiber is light weight. If you want relative economy,

light weight, and sturdiness, the Velbon Carmagne 630 is the way to

go. it uses 3 leg sections. If you want more compactness folded up,

the carmagne 640 is also good. Keep in mind that these tripods are not

as tall as the Gitzo G1227 or G1228, so if you are over about 5'4"

tall and want a tripod that will hold a camera at eye level, then,

the gitzo's are worth the extra money.

<p>

I use a Velbon Carmagne 640 with a Mamiya C220F with waist-level

finder and it is rock solid. I don't extend the smallest legs

as with a WLF it doesn't have to be very tall. the tripod is

solid enough with the smallest legs extended to support this camera

though if need be.

<p>

For eye level work I prefer a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod.

Ffords photographic in the Uk have the Velbon Sherpa Pro 6400 and 6300 on offer for £189 and £179 respectively(£5 postage in Uk).Unfortunately,this tripod is a little too short for me(i`m 6`4),so it looks like a Gitzo for me.

There is a better website to go to than was mentioned before. The latter was all in Japanese characters.

 

www.hakubausa.com