[LargeFormat] Tripods

[philip Lambert]

You make a very good case in favour. How much does a tripod  like yours
cost?  Philip
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Brick" <jim@visualimpressions.com>
To: <largeformat@f32.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 11:19 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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