[LargeFormat] Tripods

[Achal Pashine]

Jim, that was very interesting commentary on tripods.
As a  beginner, I have Bogen 3246 legset; the whole legset with 3247 QR head
cost me around ~$200. My questions is, besides the low weight that CF
tripods offer, what are the advantages that these high end tripods offer
over the low end (if you call 3246 that, since in K-mart you can get $25
tripod too!) tripods. In other words, at what level of enlargement will I
start seeing a difference of tripod use, if everything else was same.
would CF tripods respond better in windy conditions with a fully extended
bellow than a cheaper Bogen? Since the CF tripods cost many times more is
the (little) improvement in stability worth?
I have not used CF tripods, so question may be a naive one.
thanks,
achal



Achal Pashine
Pediatric Immunology
Center for Clinical Sciences Research, Room 2120
269 Campus Drive,
Stanford, CA 94305-5164


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Brick" <jim@visualimpressions.com>
To: <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 3:19 PM
Subject: Re: [LargeFormat] Tripods


> I've been in the professional photography business for the better part of
> fifty years. I started making money from photography at age 12 (1950) and
> bought a Rolleicord ($149.50) with my photography money. This was my first
> real camera.
>
> I went to Brooks Institute of Photography 1959-1961. I used a Majestic
> steel tripod and a Graphic View II for 90% of my Brooks Institute work. I
> worked as a commercial and illustrative photographer for many years after
> Brooks. 8x10 Deardorf, 4x5 Graphic View II, Hasselblad, Leica cameras.
> Majestic, Davis & Sanford, Tiltall tripods.
>
> Over the years I learned by experience, how to keep a camera quiet during
> exposures. There is more to this than the average photographer realizes.
>
> Over the past twenty years, I carried my 8 pound Gitzo 1346 four section
> Inter Pro tripod and head everywhere. Along with LF and/or MF gear, the
> total weight is significant.
>
> Then carbon fiber tripods appeared. They received a lot of flack. "They
> could not possibly be better than the Biggee Cranes that we all pack
around."
>
> Then some of the big names in photography started testing them. And the
> fine art folks that all had woodies (wooden tripods) started testing them.
> And the film/video tripod manufacturers started testing carbon fiber as a
> viable material.
>
> And Carbon Fiber won out in all tests for being the best material
> discovered so far, for tripods, stating that it dampened vibrations
quicker
> than wood or metal thus killing any ringing effect. I sought this
> information back when the CF tripods were introduced and unfortunately
have
> neither the time nor energy to research this again. But it is out there.
> Actually, I found one of my references. OConnor film/video tripod
> manufacturer http://www.ocon.com/brochure/b-08.jpg at the bottom of the
> page discusses carbon fiber. Their home is
http://www.ocon.com/oconnor.htm .
>
> As a result, I sold my Gitzo 1346 and iron Rational 3 head and bought a CF
> Gitzo 1349 and a Gitzo 1371M (magnesium) head and have never looked back.
> My back and arms are happier and my photographs certainly have not
suffered.
>
> It is my opinion, from all that I have researched, and the fact that I
have
> been using CF tripods since early on, thus having a track record using the
> things, and using all formats on my CF tripods including focal plane
> shuttered Hasselblads, that the Carbon Fiber tripods that I own are the
> best tripods I have ever owned. And believe me, I've owned/used
everything.
>
> So folks can believe what they wish, but the physics of CF as a tripod
> material is being proven, from both research and practical use, to be the
> best tripod material so far.
>
> FWIW,
>
> Jim
>
>
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