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  #1  
Old 18th August 2009, 11:19 AM
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Default Tripods

For all its perceived shortcomings (bulk, weight etc.), my Mamiya RB67 is firmly establishing itself as the weapon of choice for out and about photography. There is not much I can do about the weight of the camera itself, but in order to make the carrying process more comfortable, I’m looking at the accompaniments to see where I can shed some weight.

One obvious area seems to be the tripod. My current tripod is a ‘one size fits all’ model that can take anything up to my Horseman 5x4 monorail. Consequently, it has a pretty substantial head that weighs in at around 1.5kg. A quick trawl of the web throws up several lighter heads (e.g. ball heads) that claim to be able to support my RB but for less weight. Has anyone else been down this particular road? If so, have you managed to find a head/tripod that does the job without being too hefty? As a corollary, are ball heads more trouble than help with big cameras?

All ideas/experiences gratefully received.
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Old 18th August 2009, 11:32 AM
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The tripod I favour these days is a carbon fibre Gitzo systematic, I have a 3 section one for greater stability. They can be used without centre column to help keep the weight and cost down. One of the heads I use is a Manfrotto 410 jnr. geared head which is very compact and weighs 1.2 kg and will take a load of 5kg.

I also have a carbon fibre Manfrotto 444 tripod which is light and compact but compared to the Gitzo it's so flimsy (you get what you pay for). I'm thinking of selling this on so I can get another Gitzo but this time from the Mountaineer series 1 range. These are said to be light but very strong and stable.
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  #3  
Old 18th August 2009, 12:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trevor Crone View Post
The tripod I favour these days is a carbon fibre Gitzo systematic, I have a 3 section one for greater stability. They can be used without centre column to help keep the weight and cost down. One of the heads I use is a Manfrotto 410 jnr. geared head which is very compact and weighs 1.2 kg and will take a load of 5kg.
Thanks for the suggestions Trevor, although I think the Gitzo option may be a little out of my league for the time being! Some seriously scary prices.
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Old 18th August 2009, 12:21 PM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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One point with cameras such as the Mamiya RB67 is that you generally look down into the viewfinder, so do not need the tripod height that you do with a field camera where you look through the body to compose and focus. I have a Manfrotto 460Mg three way head which is very light, but not geared. I have used this head in conjunction with a Benbo Trekker tripod which I found adequate to support my RB67.
I also have a Manfrotto 458B tripod fitted with a 410 head, which I prefer for use with my 5x4 and 10x8. This tripod is more stable than the Benbo at anything approaching maximum height. Manfrotto make a carbon fibre version of it which weighs about ½ a kilo less, but costs about £100 more.
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Old 18th August 2009, 01:15 PM
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I'd endorse Trevor's comments about the Gitzo. I've used the 1349 carbon fibre since Gitzo first introduced it without having any problems at all. I also use a Gitzo G1276 ball and socket head which is relatively light and excellent in use. This combination serves both medium format and 5 x 4 in the form of m ancient Mk VII MPP. They were not cheap but I think it's worth pushing the boat out when purchasing a tripod. The price paid for cutting back on cost is to purchase an item that is less sturdy and consequently less stable.
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Old 18th August 2009, 02:00 PM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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I have an RB67 and use it with a lighter ball & socket head than the one you describe. Mine is a very old Bilora, weight 12 oz. with a 1" ball. This is mounted on an old Manfrotto 441 carbon tripod, weight 3.25 lb.
If I place a sherry glass filled with liquid on the ground glass screen and fire the shutter for 1 second I get no vibration in the glass if the mirror is locked up. This test, which works equally well with water, sherry, whiskey, red wine or Black Sheep bitter, has shown me how big an effect the cable release can have on vibration. With a bog standard release, even a long one, the liquid vibrates for the whole of the time you are holding it. The best release I have found is the bulb type, with a soft, flexible rubber tube.

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PS. If you try the sherry glass test and it goes wrong please don't send me the bill for having the camera dried out!
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Old 18th August 2009, 03:31 PM
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I've had two Manfrotto's (alluminium & CF), a Benbo but finally found my dream tripod and head combination in the Gitzo 3541 and a 410 geared head. The price was eye watering but I believe I have found a tripod that will outlast me. As the old adage goes 'you get what you pay for'

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Old 18th August 2009, 04:46 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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I have a manfroto, with a Grip head, but I admit I don't use it very often,I mainly use old 6x6 folders,nice and light,and I can hand hold them down to a 15th with no problem, I use the tripod mainly when doing studio work with my Bronny etr,Richard
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Old 19th August 2009, 12:17 PM
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Thanks for the suggestions. Perhaps I should spend my money on some weights to train with until I can afford a Gitzo set-up, or just buy a MF rangefinder!

Curiosity got the better of me and I foolishly weighed my kit last night. My RB67 kit bag weighs in at approx. 9kg and my tripod and head a further 4kg (as judged by my bathroom scales).
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Old 23rd August 2009, 05:47 PM
John51 John51 is offline
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I would always be the first to say you get what you pay for. I recently took back a £35 tripod to Jessops, thankfully I had good reason, but it was one of those with struts to limit leg movement and these were flimsy, I settled for an (ahem) Chinese copy of a manfrotto, at least it used a similar mechanism, and substituted the half-decent pan head with a manfrotto 116 (adjustable table type) and this seems a good combination, and looks more the business with my Mamiya 645 at least for a beginner.
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