Suggestions for tripod for 8x10 Deardorff?

[aaron_rosenstreich]

I have finally decided to rid myself of my antique wooden tripod for my 8x10

Deardorff. I have no knowledge of modern tripods, but would like something

light, adjustable, and fairly cheap (without sacraficing quality of course). I don't

need any fancy gizmos, just a solid, manuverable tripod support for my

camera. Any specific suggestions from Deardorff or 8x10 users? Thanks.

[john_kasaian1]

Aaron,

 

For field use or in the studio?

 

For field use, take a look at Ries if you prefer rock solid stability over wieght savings. Mine can handle stuff all the way up to my 12x20.

 

Cheers!

[ellis_vener_photography]

A Gitzo 1410 or a Majestic.

[jeffrey moore]

". . . fairly cheap (without sacrificing quality of course)."

 

When considering tripods, these are mutually exclusive desires.

[todd_schoenbaum]

Hi Aaron,<br>I agrgree with Jeffery and Ellis. You cant have both, you get either cheap and crappy or pricy and sturdy. For a no frills, strong tripod I too recommend the Gitzo 1410. Its a simple, strong and tough. No fancy gizmos or levers, just does what a tripod should. The Bogen 3047, 3039 or 3057 heads should all do the trick at a good price.

<p>

If you are patient, you may find a nice gitzo for sale used. A friend of mine picked up a used Gitzo 1504 with the long geared center column for $350 at MPEX.com. Best of luck. <p> Todd Schoenbaum<br><a href ="http://www.celluloidandsilver.com">Celluloid and Silver</a>

[jim_landecker]

My suggestion would be to look at the German Berlebach tripods - high quality, sturdy, and consiberably cheaper than the Ries. http://www.berlebach.de/

[neal_shields]

Majestic or Ries

[peter_galea]

Ries. Buy the best, buy it once.

[michaelging]

I had a majestic which you could rise up to 9 ft high or shoot on the ground. The geared head was was built like a tank. I carried it up and down mountians ,but its pretty heavy.It was perfect for a studio,or near the car shots.I see them at camera shows for around $75 to a $100 dollars.They are solid as a rock.

[Troll]

Using anything besides a Ries with an 8x10 Deardorf is a crime against nature.

[brian_ellis3]

With my Deardorff I use a Bogen 3046 tripod that costs about $150. As long as you don't need to extend the second set of legs (which you don't need to do unless for some reason you want to raise the camera above eye level) the tripod is very solid and sturdy. It weighs about 8 pounds. I use it with a Bogen 3057 head, which is a large head (the quick release plate is 4" x 4") that costs about $120 and weighs about 4 pounds. The combination of the 3046 tripod and 3057 head may not meet your criteria for "light" but the cost of about $270 (less used, both tripod and head appear on e bay fairly often) for a rock solid tripod set-up that's also portable is pretty reasonable.

[User_503771]

If you can hold out for awhile, you could probably blunder into a used Davis and Sanford. (I think that's the make.) Pretty light-weight, with a helluva platform on the head for the camera, and air-driven "pneumatic" lift which comes in handy when dealing with a heavy camera.

 

You gotta watch it with those and not unclamp the center post while bending over the tripod, because it can spring up and hit you in the face.

 

Meanwhile, keep your current "antique" tripod! You might someday find it more useful than you presently think.

[chad_jarvis1]

Bogen 3021/3221 legs with 3047 head. I've used mine for six years with no issue. Extending the second leg section fully causes splaying, but I generally don't extend them beyond halfway. This is probably the best bang for the buck combination when looking for something economical and fairly lightweight.