Best Tripod??

Superdan138

Superdan138

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Wuts the best tripods out there for my Leica M6? I know theres $20 ones to $1,000s....what the best bang for buck thats sturdy and quality made....no China made stuff....more like German made quality...I wanna do time lapsed stuff mainly....

-Daniel
 
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It depends a lot on how big and heavy the camera is, and what weight you are willing to carry. For me the best compromise is a Manfrotto carbon fibre 055MF4. I use it with 35mm, medium format and light 4x5 cameras, with an Acratech ball head.
 
I have a manfrotto - not sure which model but it's alloy and not too expensive. Had it for 3-4 years now and it's been absolutely brilliant. Had the crap thrashed out of it on hikes etc. Lost most of the paint on the head. Still works perfectly.
 
> Wuts the best tripods out there for my Leica M6?


With its tripod socket part of the removable baseplate rather than the camera body and way over to the side of the camera, I don't think an M6 would be my choice of camera for timed exposures on a tripod...

That said, any decent tripod (Manfrotto, Gitzo, Slik, Velbon etc.) should do the job.
 
I have a 30+ year old Leitz Tiltall that does everything I want it to do. It is quite basic and also repairable. A leg got wobbly several years ago and I reattached it with JB Weld.

The price has stayed the same, around US$100, since I bought mine back in the '70s.
 
For a Leica a light carbon fibre from Gitzo, Manfrotto, Velbon, Feisol. Look at the smaller ballheads from Markins or Kirk, and use an Arca-Swiss quick-release system on it. That will also center the camera over the ballhead.

BTW a lot of very high quality camera gear is made in China.
 
For a Leica M on a tripod, a grip helps by centering the tripod socket.

In a full-size tripod, I like the carbon fiber, Velbon 540, it carries well and I use it with my 35mm RF's, my DSLR, spotting scope and even my 4x5 Crown Graphic.

Of course, the "best" tripod, like the "best" camera, is the one that you have with you. The tripod that I use most is a Manfrotto 209 table-top w/ micro ball-head and extension. Broken down into its components, it fits in the front inside portion of my Domke F-5xb bag.
 
Gitzo carbon fibre if price is no object. Staggeringly expensive -- and staggeringly good.

For economy, Slik Snapman or its descendants or Velbon 343-series ($150 or under).

Or look out for old tripods. MPP...

Cheers,

R.
 
What I actually use is a 25-year-old Tiltall modified with a Gitzo center column, the original Acratech ballhead, and a Really Right Stuff plate that centers up the body and makes handling easier. (Acratech makes a lighter-weight Leica plate. The RRS was a bargain buy for me)

But it's much more tripod than necessary and also works for a DSLR and 300mm lenses.

One of the smaller Manfrottos or the Velbons would be enough and easier to haul around.
 
Like many, I've owned a few tripods, including small Bogen, Tiltall (very good), and the past two yrs a Gitzo G-1228MK2 fibre tripod, with a Giotto MH -1002 and Bogen 3262 ball heads. On the road, the Gitzo is compact and light. I use the Giotto ball head w/ my Leica, and the Bogen ball head w/ my Hasselblad.

Without a doubt, the Gitzo is one of my best investments. If memory serves me (?) I bought it used for about $265.
 
I bought my Gitzo Studex with the two way tilt head back around 1978. The smaller and older Gitzo Reporter with the large Leitz ball head the wife got in the divorce. Once when the rubber gripper rings got dried out and started to crumble I called the importer (Carl Heitz?) and they told me that Gitzo rings aren't supposed to do that. A few days later UPS brought a new set gratis. Another 20 plus years have gone by and they're still like new.
 
original.jpg
 
sahe69 said:
If you think that is funny think again.
Click to expand...

I did, and I still do.

This is our greyhound, "Zoomer", a survivor of osteosarcoma. In addition to the many names he has had over the nine years of his life (Captain Z, Z-man, etc.) he has been awarded some new names, such as "Tripod", "Hop-a-Long", "Lean-to", among others.

Now, 6 months after his amputation and chemo treatments, he is about as mobile as he as ever been. He is still the silly greyhound that is inherent in this breed.

Yes, I have thought about it, many times. And each time I can still laugh. You can to. :)
 
Maybe it's just not my day today when it comes to humour, but I keep on thinking would you post your son's/daughter's/wife's picture on a monopod thread if he/she lost one of his feet?
 
sahe69, I would never put my wife, nor any other human for that matter, in the same class as animals. I'm stuned that anyone would even consider such a thing.
 
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