Is a Bogen 3021 a Heavy Enough Tripod for a Pentax 67II or a Mamiya RZ ProII?

[steve williams]

Is the Bogen 3021 tripod big enough/heavy enough for a Pentax 67II

or a Mamiya RZ67 ProII? I've read that the Pentax needs a HEAVY

tripod because of it's heavy shutter vibration, but how heavy?

 

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

 

Steve

[bob_cook]

Steve - I have used both systems with a 3021, but I think it is marginal. With

the understanding that I'm not an engineer of any kind, I think that the weight

of the tripod and head are not very important in taming the shutter vibration in

a P67 at speeds from 1/15 down to 1 second. Damping the vibration by "hand

holding" the camera attached to the tripod is far more effective. The method

has been discussed in the forum on many occasions. If you need details let

me know and I'll send them separately. My standard tripod for my P67, and

for an RZII that I used to have, is a set of Gitzo 340 legs with just a top plate

and the biggest Bogen 3-way head. Rock solid. Slow to set up and use, but

fine for my style. I have used my 3021 with an Acratech ball head when

hiking; the big Gitzo/Bogen combo is a load. In those cases I really

concentrated on damping the camera, or avoided the problem shutter speeds.

[lee_shively]

I've never used either camera mentioned but I used a 3021 with a 4x5 metal field camera for a number of years and it could handle the weight and bulk of that camera fine. Up until I got a heavier Gitzo, I also used the Bogen with a Canon EOS and 400mm lens plus 1.4x extender. Again, no problem but the bigger Gitzo seems even more stable.

 

Dampening the vibration of the shutter and mirror slap is not totally dependent on the weight handling capacity of the tripod. You can help matters by simply laying your free arm over the top of the camera you are using.

[rick_sikora]

Have used a Bogen 3021 with the 3030 head for my P67. I was disappointed on several occaisions using longer lenses (200mm). Have since switched to a Gitzo G1325CF with the B1 and have had no problems. I agree with Bob on the hand dampening technique,I am also of the opinion that there is a learning curve involved and the quick release plates for the B1 (Really Right Stuff and Kirk) make a big difference. The quick release plates seem to attach to the camera and the head more securely and as a consequence there is less chance for movement. I have often wondered how the B1 would do on the 3021 legs. Have not tried that, so I can not comment. Good shooting! Rick

[everitt]

It depends on what focal lengths you want to use as well. I use the 3021 legs

with a manfrotto 329 RC4 head with my Pentax 67 with the 55mm and

105mm lenses, and my pics are tack sharp within the slower shutter speeds

(1/30-1 sec) where the shutter vibration can be a problem. However, I don't

know if this combo would work for longer lenses (i.e 200-300 etc.). As Bob

said, it's good to hold the camera even on the tripod (I tend to place my palm

on the pentaprism top and softly push down), and a cable release will help a

lot as well.

[t chamberlain]

I don't think 3021 is stable enough for the Pentax. I have a 3021 and a 3033 Manfrotto/Bogen and the 3033 with a big BallHead is definately the way to go. I shoot with a big heavy Koni-Omega and for real slow shutter speeds the 3033 just seems to be more stable. The down side is the weight of that thing. the tripod is just very inexpensive. You could go carbon fibre or even with a Riess wood tripod (which are really nice) but very expensive..

[joey]

I use a Bogen 3021 with a super-heavy 3038 ball head. It's definitely sturdy enough to support an RB67, prism, bracket, and flash. Sometimes it would be nice to have a heavier tripod in the studio, but in the field, this setup works just fine. Use mirror lock-up, always! It also helps to hang something from the yoke or center column (I have a carabiner attached to mine, from which I can hang a heavy backpack). As long as the tripod is on level ground, and you're using a solid head, the 3021 should have no trouble supporting these larger cameras.

[maylon_roberts]

Try the Bogen 3221 and a sturdy 3-way head and you'll be doing great. This shutter/mirror vibration is WAY overrated (completly bogus, IMO), but you do need a very solid tripod just to provide adequate support for these cameras so the whole setup isn't so top-heavy- these cameras weigh a ton!. I had a Pentax 67 not too long ago and presently have a RZ67- the Bogen 3221 is just right.

[always_wanderlust]

Have you thought about about getting a wooden tripod? It's better at dampening vibrations than carbon fiber or aluminum not to mention better at extreme temperatures. I bought a Berlebach 8023 and it weights around the same as a Bogen 3021(well a pound heavier) but can hold up to 23lbs.

[jonathan_bundick]

I have been using the 3021 and an 3047 head for a few years with a 4x5 Super Graphic. The weight of the camera is not an issue, and it is stable enough for a 10 inch lens set in an Ilex #3. The leg set is fine, your choice of head will have a greater impact.

[severi_salminen]

I'm using Bogen 3021BPRO (Mafrotto 055PROB) with the low profile 329RC4 3-way head. The setup works flawlessly with my Mamiya RB67 Pro-S (90mm and 180mm lenses). The key is to not extend the center column at all. Also the legs can be spread further to give more stability in wind, for example. The low profile head helps to keep the center of mass as low as possible to improve stability.

 

Don't buy TOO heavy tripod that you don't want to carry around...

[tony_clark]

I have a Bogen 3221 with a Canon ballhead that I use with my RZ67. Before the RZ, I

owned the Pentax 67II and had very few signs of vibration. Anything from 1/15 and

below is not recommended without a weight hung from the head. The RZ is easily

balanced while the Pentax is awkward in the vertical orientation. Perhaps something a

little heavier would be prudent. I admit that I do not use a tripod very often, but I am

a bit of a rebel;) Good luck, Tony

[akajohndoe]

I have 3021 legs but prefer my 3036 legs with a Maymita RZ Pro II.

 

I use a B1 with thw 3021 and a B1G with the 3036.

[scott_jorgenson1]

I have used the Pentax 67II with the Bogen 3021 tripod and 3030 head. Without additional dampening (ie, hand pressure, sandbags, suspended deadweight, or similar), I would not recommend that particular tripod/head configuration with any P67 lens longer than 135mm. At 135mm the troublesome middle range of shutter speed (1/8 or 1/15) begins to record a soft image when seen under a 7X or 8X loupe. As focal length increases, eg to 200mm, the problem just gets worse: image softness grows, and the range of susceptible shutter speeds also stretches, to about 1/4 - 1/30 inclusive. Strangely, all this softness only occurs when the camera is mounted in a horizontal orientation; swing it to vertical and the softness goes away. And below 135mm (eg, with the 55-100mm zoom), I never noticed a problem at those lower magnifications.

 

Applying extra dampening helps the problem somewhat, but I got tired of the gymnastics involved in weighting-down the camera. I switched to a sturdy carbon-fiber tripod with similar pan-tilt head and have not had any problems since.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Scott