Tripod for Hasselblad

[stefano_buricchi]

Hello, I have just about decided to buy either a Gitzo 1410 or 1500 tripod. I

use Hasselblad 501CM equipment (mostly) and my current longest lens is the 250mm

f5.6. I've become more interested in landscape photography lately and I can see

some big glass in my future.

I have read the postings and Gitzo is universally considered a more stable and

rigid platform than the Manfrotto. I am not interested in carbon fiber. While I

favor the 1500 for it's reputation for strength, the 1410 is lighter and would

be easier on the back. Would the 1500 be overkill?

Has anyone had experience with both these tripods?

[BrianS1664879711]

I don't agree that Gitzo is universally considered a more stable and rigid platform than Manfrotto. It depends on which tripod you are using and which camera you are using the tripod with. If you prefer Gitzo (for whatever reason), that is fine... pick one and enjoy!

[Ed_Ingold]

Manfrotto has nothing as sturdy as a G-1500. The tubes are 1-3/4" in diameter and it weighs as much as 12.5 pounds (G-1504).

 

In response to the post, I think a Series 5 is overkill for an Hasselblad, and a back-breaker to boot. I find that a series 3 Gitzo is more than adequate for an Hasselblad. The lenses are not really long by 35mm standards, and the MLU feature takes care of mirror slap at slow shutter speeds (1 to 1/15 second). I find that the GT3540 (6x CF) is nearly as stiff as my G-1504, and adequate for an heavy video camera with a 600mm equivalent lens. In case you haven't tried it, video requires a sturdier tripod than a still camera for steady results when panning and tilting.

[BrianS1664879711]

I'd agree with Edward on both his comments - the specific example of a Gitzo tripod that is likely bulkier than any of the current Manfrottos and his assessment that the 1500 is overkill. I guess I was reacting to the OPs statement as made in the generic.

 

I use 501CM and 150 (but not 250 or greater) on a very light Manfrotto - 3001 - and find it stable enough IF MLU is used with slow shutter speed. If using 250 or greater I'd likely want a beefier tripod, too. I've also used the 501 and 150 on a very stable Bogen 3051 and found there to be no additional advantage; in fact, the disavantage was sore back and arms.

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

Hi Stefano, have you ever seen a land surveyor with a metal tripod? They all use mainly wooden tripods for a weighty reason! I recommend the BERLEBACH wooden tripods for heavy photo equipment.

 

Cheers

[q.g._de_bakker]

Surveyors using wooden tripods have not updated their equipment for a while. They are all using plastic tripods, or plastic tripods with metal tubes now.

[jean-louis llech]

<i>"I don't agree that Gitzo is ... a more stable and rigid platform than Manfrotto"</i><br>

Probably not, as stable and rigid as Manfrotto is probably more adequate. But Gitzo's tripods are undoubtedly much lighter. And the Gitzo line of products is much more standardized. Some very recent accessories can be mounted on older and no more produced tripods.<br>

Gitzo off center ballheads and low profile heads with three independent axes are among the best products.<br>

You say that you are not interested in carbon fiber. Why ? For a medium format format camera with a Sonnar 250 as heaviest lens, series 3 carbon fiber tripods are IMO the best choice.<br>

A tripod is always a compromise between rigidity, weight and maximum load capacity. I use a rather old G-1329 carbon fiber tripod for a 6x6 camera with the same lenses, from a large Distagon 40 mm to the Sonnar 250 mm without any problems.<br>

[oskar_ojala]

I use a Manfrotto 055 with a 250 mm lens and it's easily enough. I saw some recent test that showed this legset to be better tahn the Gitzo equivalent (13?). This would need more testing, but stability has not been a problem for me. Of the options you mention, I think that the 14 would be better than the 15, due to weight. The head and using MLU matter a lot too.

 

Q.G. is right; I haven't seen a surveyor with a wood tripod in a long time and I know people in the business. Here they tend to use quite heavy metal tripods, though.

[q.g._de_bakker]

Gitzo and Manfrotto 'both' (it's one and the same company) produce tripods that are more than good enough. The trick is to choose the one from either line that suits you best, avoiding the ones that are best left to people who don't really care about stability and such.<br><br>And speaking of which: many people appear to prefer lightweight tripods, ignoring the fact that mass is the most functional part of such a thingy.<br>So get one that's heavy! (And find someone to carry it for you.) That's always the best thing to do.

[Ed_Ingold]

While a more massive tripod may be better in some respects, it is not the only consideration for stability. A truly heavy tripod, like my 12+ pound G-1504 or an 18 pound wooden Reis, is a disincentive to actually carrying the tripod where you need it. An aluminum tripod is much heavier than a CF tripod of similar capacity, yet more flexible and more subject to wind. Adding mass to a tripod by hanging a weight or camera bag on it helps keep it from blowing over in the wind, but adds little to the stability because of the weak mechanical coupling.

 

The camera must be coupled firmly to the mass of the tripod for stability. A weak or flexible mount/head does little to control camera shake. With good coupling throughout the mechanical system, the tripod mass acts as an whole to minimize shaking. The distribution of mass and the lever-arm effect does more than mass alone.

 

In short, you want the stiffest tripod you are willing to carry. A tripod resting in the car won't help you much.

[q.g._de_bakker]

True.<br><br>The conclusion i'd draw from that however is not that you should find one you would be prepared to carry, but that if you want to use a tripod, you better be prepared to use a tripod! None of those fashionable lightweight excuses for being lazy!

[norris_lam]

u know u won't need a tall tripods for Hasso camera, because mostly u need to look at waist level. So, you may use a short tripods to leverage the weight. I m using the old gitzo carbon G1127 and i only need to extend one section of the leg for most of the cases. As for most of the cases, u will lock up the mirror before u fire the shutter, so, i even use the small gitzo carbon 1027 as well to do the job, sure u need a good ballhead.

[BrianS1664879711]

"A tripod resting in the car won't help you much."

 

This is why I did a lot of soul-searching and testing prior to buying a tripod for my Hassy. I wanted the best balance I could find of weight, stability, ease-of-use. The tripod I use for LF started spending more time in the trunk when I was shooting MF - just because of the weight and size. With a more suitable tripod I use it about 70% of the time I shoot MF now.

 

Same situation with heads. I always favored 3-axis heads for LF and 35mm SLR work. It didn't work with WL viewing of MF in a really convenient manner. The same soul-searching and testing led to the perfect combination, for me at least, of tripod and ball head.

 

It really helps to live near a well stocked photo shop so the tripods can be "palyed with" prior to purchase!

[Ed_Ingold]

The "inconvenient truth" about tripods for medium format is that something both effective and portable translates to "expensive" - carbon fiber that is. It's not so much that MF is more demanding, but that we demand much more from medium format. The same angular displacement of camera shake will occur as in 35mm, but will include twice as many "grains" or "pixels" as the smaller format - wasting the MF advantage.

 

The moral of the story is that we pay three prices in practically every aspect for the pleasure of using an Hasselblad.

[ilkka]

4-series Gitzo is overkill for leaf chutter Hasselblad, especially for landscapes where mirror can be locked up before exposure. I would choose a 2-series Gitzo for that purpose, at most a 3-series. I have a 4-series Gitzo and it is essential with Pentax 67II with 300mm and longer lenses. But even the big Pentax is okay on the 2-series Gitzo with shorter lenses. It is much more stable to have a 2-series tripod with you when you need it than a 4-series that is back in the car or studio because it is just too big and heavy to schlep around.

[stefano_buricchi]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

I have chosen a tripod Gitzo 1340, now I need to select a tripod head (for my hasselbald equipment). I am curious to hear other's experience regarding ballheads. What brands and models, and do they perform to their advertised maximum loads? Thanks in advance.

[ilkka]

I have Gitzo, Foba, Kaiser and Linhof ball heads. The only one of those I would not recommend is the Gitzo. Arca Swiss would be nice if money is no concern. In USA they have some good heads as well, made by Acratech, Kirk and RRS. I would not pay too much attention on any load ratings. Get a big enough head for your tripod, from a quality manufacturer, and you are fine.

 

If you are going to be a dedicated Hasselblad user, you may consider using their own quick release system instead of the universal Arca-Swiss system. Many heads nowadays come with an A-S clamp so you need a separate camera plate to fit the blad on it.

[ymages]

a Benro with a ballhead RRS BH-55

[david_smith35]

<p>"An Hasselblad"? surely it's <em>a</em> Hasselblad?</p>

[david_smith35]

<p><em>None of those fashionable lightweight excuses for being lazy!</em><br>

So, what exactly is a light weight tripod? Be precise rather than making vague comments about what is light and heavy.</p>