Which lightweight tripod to use with a TLR?

[audidudi]

Since I'm going to start spending more time using my Autocords, I've

been thinking about buying a lighter tripod than my present Slik 700DX

as it's a bit heavier (okay, a LOT heavier) than necessary for cameras

that weigh only two pounds and don't have a moving mirror assembly.

 

I plan to use one of Gitzo's magnesium heads (unless anybody can point

me in the direction of something lighter still) but their carbon-fiber

tripod legs are beyond my budget at present.

 

Any recommendations?

[peter_free]

I may be off-base, since I don't know what the Slik weighs. However, I use a Bogen 3001 with a Rolleiflex TLR. It's pretty close to perfect, since it will fit inside a day pack when I take the head off. Occasionally, I use the smallest steel Gitzo. I don't know the model number. The legs have 3 sections, and it collapses to 15 inches without a head. Fully extended, it's 31 inches tall. It's handy when space or weight are at a premium. I have a tiny Gitzo ball head on it. The head adds 1 3/4 inches in height.

[sergio_ortega]

Jeffrey,

 

I often use the same two tripods mentioned by the previous poster with my Rollei. The small Gitzo (Model 126 Total Lux), with a Giotto ballhead and Rolleifix attached, is perfect for extended walking. The larger Bogen 3001 with Bogen medium ballhead is less expensive, a bit heavier and more solid.

 

One of the good things about Rollei TLRs is that they use a waistlevel finder and do not require the usual eye-level height tripods. A shorter tripod is all that's needed with Rolleis, and it's usually smaller, lighter and consequently stiffer since it's not extended to eye-level.

 

Good luck, Sergio.

[paul_chuah]

Jeffrey,

 

IMO and through my own experience, the cheapest, lightest and resonably strong tripod for the TLR would be the Manfrotto 190B with a Manfrotto Pro Ball head(medium size).

 

If you like Gitzo, try the Tatalux Performance compact tripod.

[audidudi]

I appreciate all of the responses but think I've answered my question ... for now, anyway. Yesterday, while cleaning out some boxes that I left at my parent's house for the past two decades, I found a Soligor THT-38 tripod that I'd purchased in the mid-to-late '70s. Although I quickly replaced it with another tripod because it was too flimsy for the long lenses I was then using on my SRT-101, I decided last night that it might be stable enough for a TLR. Besides, the price was definitely right!

 

With a little work, I successfully removed the cheap panhead that came with it, which I will replace with a decent quality ballhead. I also removed the leg braces and other hardware that I don't think will be necessary when shooting with an Autocord. I have also removed the geared center column and will shorten it later today using a neighbor's bandsaw. (My plan is to leave it just long enough so that I can crank it up and down 1-5/8" to compensate for the parallax error between the viewing and taking lenses and thus not have to carry my Parajuster around with me all the time.)

 

As it stands now, the tripod legs alone weigh 2lbs 4oz as compared to 5lbs 5.1oz for my 700DX legs. Add 12oz or so for a good quality head and the total weight should be just over 3lbs, which is a substantial improvement over the 7lbs 6.1oz my 700DX weighs complete. If after I've used it for a while, I decide this is an effective combination, I can trim a few more ounces off the leg assembly with my neighbor's mill and bring the final weight down to well under 3lbs. And if it doesn't work, then I'll just throw it away and buy a small Gitzo or Manfrotto instead! :^)

 

(BTW, my local Post Office has a 24-hour lobby with a scale that reads up to 75lbs with .1oz resolution. In addition to the tripods, I also weighed my non-metered Autocord III (2lbs, 2.4oz), my Autocord L w/selenium meter (2lbs, 6.1oz) and my Autopole and case (4.1oz). Out of curiosity, I'm planning to go back today with some more of my photo gear and see how much some of this stuff _really_ weighs.)

[audidudi]

I appreciate all of the responses but think I've answered my question ... for now, anyway. Yesterday, while cleaning out some boxes that I left at my parent's house for the past two decades, I found a Soligor THT-38 tripod that I'd purchased in the mid-to-late '70s. Although I quickly replaced it with another tripod because it was too flimsy for the long lenses I was then using on my SRT-101, I decided last night that it might be stable enough for a TLR. Besides, the price was definitely right!

 

With a little work, I successfully removed the cheap panhead that came with it, which I will replace with a decent quality ballhead. I also removed the leg braces and other hardware that I don't think will be necessary when shooting with an Autocord. I have also removed the geared center column and will shorten it later today using a neighbor's bandsaw. (My plan is to leave it just long enough so that I can crank it up and down 1-5/8" to compensate for the parallax error between the viewing and taking lenses and thus not have to carry my Parajuster around with me all the time.)

 

As it stands now, the tripod legs alone weigh 2lbs 4oz as compared to 5lbs 5.1oz for my 700DX legs. Add 12oz or so for a good quality head and the total weight should be just over 3lbs, which is a substantial improvement over the 7lbs 6.1oz my 700DX weighs complete. If after I've used it for a while, I decide this is an effective combination, I can trim a few more ounces off the leg assembly with my neighbor's mill and bring the final weight down to well under 3lbs. And if it doesn't work, then I'll just throw it away and buy a small Gitzo or Manfrotto instead! :^)

 

(BTW, my local Post Office has a 24-hour lobby with a scale that reads up to 75lbs with .1oz resolution. In addition to the tripods, I also weighed my non-metered Autocord III (2lbs, 2.4oz), my Autocord L w/selenium meter (2lbs, 6.1oz) and my Autopole and case (4.1oz). Out of curiosity, I'm planning to go back today with some more of my photo gear and see how much some of this stuff _really_ weighs.)

[Bill Bowes]

Hello everyone. Some of the above tripods sound great, but if one is looking for a budget travel tripod, why is everyone suggesting (thinking of?) a ball head, a tilting head, etc for a TLR? Does someone want pictures in a diamond format? I use an Ambico 554 (about 56 inch extended) with my TLRs. Put a bubble level on the pop hood. You can level the camera in less than 20 seconds with just one leg adjustment. When the person (idiot?) behind you drops his "suitcase" on the tripod in the overhead carry-on bid, you won't have that gut feeling of doom looking at your new modern sculpture. Enjoy, Bill