[LargeFormat] Tripods - the way forwards? (was Re: Large Format in Rome)

[Brock Nanson]

Carbon fibre is an interesting material all right.  The rear swing arm on my
mountain bike is made of the stuff and I can't say I've ever really trusted
it.  Too light to be strong is what your instinct tells you.  However when
airborne I usually don't have time to reflect on this luckily... ;-)

Having done some surveying from time to time I'm always impressed with how
secure the typical wooden or fibreglass survey legs are.  They don't have
the center stabilizing supports that the larger photographic tripods do, but
they always have very solid pointed feet with a step area to really sink
them into the ground.  The optics in the typical instrument are amazingly
long... they really are telescopes... (Uncle Dick, you can contact me
off-list to learn more about non-surveying use of this equipment, especially
on beaches and university campuses).  But the vibration doesn't affect them
very much, unless someone is running a large vibratory roller next to you...
One of these days I'll rig up an adapter screw to let me try them with a
camera.  I suppose they are basically the same as the very expensive Rees
legs?  Best suited to travel with a pack mule.

I think the ability to sink them into the ground is also of great benefit...
maybe I should put some spike on the 190 and see if that makes a difference.

Brock

| Friend of mine uses a carbonfibre tripod with his monorail and he treats
| it v carefully.  The high price is one reason, also the vulnerabity of
| carbon fibres to sharp or gritty substances like sand in the tubes. Once
the
| resin is engraved this way there is a weakness there which makes
carbonfibre
| tripods essentially shortlived in the field.  Replacement legs evidently v
| expensive.
| Just how much weight will you save over an alloy tripod at half the price
| and twice the life? You perhaps have the same 3way or b&s head on either
and
| the same carrybag, it's only the legs that weigh less.
| Does anybody think wooden tripods  give light weight and adequate support?
| Two I looked at were massive - looked like surveyors' tools.  I did have a
| black wooden Gandolfi tripod but it was a bit limited and unsteady when
the
| ground glass was at shoulder height.  Recently I had a Benbo Trekker which
| just accepted my little Linhof but when carrying the outfit round a
building
| exterior I had to move each leg separately back to vertical and to set up
| again . My conventional tripod weighs more but closing and opening its
legs
| when moving round the site is v quick.  The whole outfit is too much to
| carry round Rome or Florence though.
| Philip