CHOICE OF TRIPOD

[sai_kit_ng]

Hi everybody out there.

I want to buy a tripod for my hasselblad with mostly

a wide angle lens, and I do a lot of landscape shooting,

which will be the best choice? Gitzo G1227/1228

(what's the different between them?),Ries H600/C600?

Or any other suggestion? Thanks.

[chris___10]

If you have the money, the Gitzo is a good tripod. Personally, I can

think of better things to spend over $500 on. I have a Bogen 2021

with a 3047 head, that I use with my blad. I find it perfect, not to

heavy, but plenty stable with everything from a 40mm-250mm. I wrapped

some foam pads around the legs for feild cary, and it is great. The

gitzo is probably a little lighter, but is it worth the money?

[lennart_estrvm]

Hi!

Check out Manfrotto tripods at www.manfrotto.com. They have tripods of high quality and the prices are OK. I4ve used two of them the last ten years, the 055 and the 028. I recommend Arca Swiss Monoball together with them.

[paul_wilson2]

The difference between the 1227 and the 1228 is that the 1227 only has

3 leg section and is a little taller. The 1228 is smaller when

collapsed. Both are equally stable.

 

<p>

 

Is a 1227/1228 worth the price? I think they are. In fact I've never

heard anyone who actually owns a carbon fiber Gitzo say it wasn't.

[jim_chow]

I have the gitzo 1228 with a Linhof profil 2 head and RRS plates.

Although the tripod's expensive, it is worth the money. The setup I

have will easily hold my 6x6 body w/ 180/2.8 lens. I sometimes

even use mine w/ a 4.5 lb., 300/4 lens, but it's pushing it. I had a

bogen 3021s before (stable but heavy/bulky)...it just collected dust

after I bought the gitzo 1228, so I sold it.

[s_p]

I have some exercise ankle weights ($10.00 US or so at a department

store) with velcro straps that I can use to weight my tripod. They

have velcro straps that I can use to fasten them onto the tripod.

The Bogen 3021 tripod is okay; with the weights it works great for 6x6

or even a small 4x5.<p>

I have (and dislike) the 3055 head with hexagonal QR plates. After 2

1/2 years of frequent but gentle use, the locking catch came apart. I

can still use the tripod and it is secure, but it is now less

convenient to use. I think is is a bad design; only a small flexible

plastic part held the locking catch in place.

[roy_l._jacobs]

I have 2 Gitzos, a 225 and a 320 both with NPC Pro heads with the

Arca type quick release plate. A also have a Bogen 3036 with a Gitzo

head modified with an Arca type quick release plate. The Bogen is too

heavy for field use, although it would make a good studio tripod

since it can go quite high. It is well made. I use the 225 and the

320 in the field with a Pentax 67. I highly recommend Gitzo, since

they are relatively light and very strong. Combined with a good ball

head, they are very reliable, and don't break.

[peter_hughes]

For medium format (Hassy) I use a Bogen 3021 w/3055 ball head.

Contrary to the post by Stefan, I find the 3055 head quite reliable:

mine is four+ years old and has seen a lot of use with no problems at

all. I have a bunch of hex quick release plates and use them on all

of my cameras. They also fit on the 3047 tilt head, which I use on a

3036 'pod for large format. The 3021 'pod is wonderful too. Believe

it or not, I have actually shot with my 8x10 Deardorff on it, many

times, with fine results. I like the leg locks on the Bogen much

better than those on the Gitzo, which I feel are just too expensive

anyway. BTW, I don't baby my 'pods: the Bogens get really beat in the

field: I do a lot of shooting at the beach in Big Sur and they get

(1) ground into the sand, and (2) soaked with sea water on a regular

basis. Then they're thrown into the back of my Jeep and are usually

forgotten about until the next shoot. About once a year (maybe) I

clean and lube them, and after a particularly hard shoot I might hose

them off in the back yard, just to get salt off them.

[irving_greines]

Although the Gitzo 1227 is less compact than the 1228, I find it to

be a better tripod in two respects. First, its lower legs are wider

and therefore more stable. Second, the fact that it has one fewer

leg extension means there is less fussing in the field--less twisting

and turning to get a given extension.

 

<p>

 

I LOVE the tripod and believe it is worth every additional penny I

paid for it. Remember, we're talking a lifetime investment here and

the reduced weight, coupled with the wonderful stability, place it

among the best photographic investments I've ever made.

[guy___]

I use a Cullman CT 100 with a CT 50 ball head. It is a very easy,

fast tripod to use for any camera up to a 4-5 lb 4x5. It has an air

cushined column which adjusts faster than any drank column. It also

has two sectioned trapezoidal legs which adjust from just below the

column collar. I had to use another tripod recently which made me

appreciate how easy to use & how sturdy the Cullman is.

 

<p>

 

It does have a couple of things which limit it somewhat. First, the

maximum height is about 70 inches at the camera plate. Second is

that the legs are two sectioned so it can't get as low as some

tripods. Third is that it is not a "performance" tripod. Its' legs

do not extend way out like some of the Gitzo's do. Fourth is that it

is a little hard to get. I am ordering a new xy head & it will take

a couple of weeks to get. Fifth is that it is fairly expensive.

Mine was around $475.00 It was, however, worth every penny of it for

doing weddings, portraits & some commercial work with light 4x5 &

medium format. I previously owned a fairly large Gitzo & xy head.

The Cullman is much, much easier to set up, use & take down. All you

do is pull the camera off with the flip of a lever & pull on a spring

safety catch to remove the camera & QR plate. Then you loosen a

large collar to lower the column & press an air release valve on the

lower end of the column. The column is lowered by gravity in less

than a second-you then tighten the collar to secure the column. You

then flip open one of the three large levers at the top of the tripod

and then flip open the other two & let the weight of the tripod

retract the legs. This all takes under 10 seconds. Setting up also

takes less than 10 seconds. I actually just timed myself & it took 7-

8 seconds. Try that with any other tripod where you have three

sectioned legs & collars to twist to tighten or loosen.

 

<p>

 

The Cullman is also built to last. The ball head is just about solid

aluminum & keeps medium format cameras steady for long exposures.

Hope this helps in your decision.

[kornelius_j._fleischer]

Oh yes, a tripod is important and it is - or can be - a lifetime investment.

<p>

Maybe my demands are somewhat above average: The core of it is: I want sharp pictures and want my tripod to enable this. All photo tripod seem to make this promise, but sadly, no photo tripod seems to keep it. They all just allow you to position your camera somewhere in space and orient you lens toward your subject. Thats it. But they all lack one important thing: They do not absorb the vibrations that the camera shutter induces. All photo tripods without the one exception of the very large and heavy Linhof Doppelrohr Stativ are too elastic to cope successfully with the vibrations. Wooden tripods claim to absorb vibrations, but they, too, don4t really deliver.

<p>

However, there is a neighbouring field of imaging with high demands, high budgets, and excellent products: television. Have you ever used one of their tripods? Once you have used such a thing like a "Sachtler HD ENG" carbon fiber tripod with "Video 18 +" fluid head, you consider any photo tripod clearly inferior.(Sachtler of Munich/Germany, just a few kilometers north of Linhof, were the ones who introduced carbon fiber legs for tripods two decades ago.) As I indicated, these products are engineered for tv, where money is made and perfect tools are expected. I find a Sachtler tripod goes very well with a high quality medium format camera, such as Hasselblad and Rolleiflex. And those who have a lifetime perspective when purchasing goods are often aware that an expensive product may prove cheaper in the long run.

<p>

Sachtler is in Berlin/Germany, Munich/Germany, somewhere in New Jersey and somewhere on the internet.

<p>

<i>[Kornelius is an employee of Zeiss]</i>

[brian_c._miller]

Hmm, you could go to <a href="http://www.edsci.com">Edmund Scientific</a> and buy some Sorbothane sheets. Sorbothane is a vibration dampening material. At the moment I can't find it in my "Scientifics" catalog, so it must be in the industrial catalog.

 

<p>Anyways, I think that it would be easy to fabricate a couple of plates with Sorbothane inbetween them. If the tripod's mass doesn't sufficiently dampen the shutter/mirror, then perhaps the Sorbothane would do the trick.

[lbi115l]

I'm one for the Cullmann Titan 200.

 

If I could pick any tripod, regardless of price, it would be a Majestic and a Reis.