Tripod for rangefinder cameras

[bence8810]

Hello,

I am looking for buying a tripod for my rangefinders and TLR's.
I've always put off buying one as I never found what I wanted. That was when I had SLR's with the mirror flap etc, but this is no longer a problem. I just don't want anything heavy.

Can I now buy a lighter tripod and will it be steady under good conditions (no wind etc) ?
Thanks,
Ben

 

[Scrambler]

The old free lunch comes into play. Heavier is always more stable. A solid tripod with little flex will be better than a cheap light wobbly unit. You will find tripods built with little flex that are not overly heavy but they are heavier than cheap and nasty tripods.

Also consider what you want the head to be like.

 

[bence8810]

The old free lunch comes into play. Heavier is always more stable. A solid tripod with little flex will be better than a cheap light wobbly unit. You will find tripods built with little flex that are not overly heavy but they are heavier than cheap and nasty tripods. Also consider what you want the head to be like.

Thanks for that.
Any suggestions?
I didn't want to buy a cheapo tripod but something maybe midrange. Used is fine. My heaviest camera is a Leica M3 plus 250 gramms of lens. Just under 1KG I think. The TLR is also a KG. None moves during exposure so I was hoping I wouldn't need the Manfrotto monster any longer. I checked many pods and I didn't like the carbon fibre ones. I don't find them stable. The good aluminum ones look great but heavy as heck. The carbon would be okay for my needs now I guess but then there's the extra price which I'd like to avoid paying if possible.

Don't know anything about heads 🙁. But again, the weight or lens length will not be a problem so a simple one is okay I hope.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Richard G]

A few of us here recently bought the Sirui T025. One review had an elaborate stability index which this tripod did very well in. It is light and packs incredibly small and it is cheap.

 

[icebear]

Buy the best tripod your money can buy. Decide on what max. weight you want to carry. It doesn't help if it is a great and sturdy tripod but you are not gonna use it. On the other hand if it's wobbly, you might as well get away with just holding your breath w/o a tripod.
That said... first you need to set you budget. Then see what you can get for the money. If you can get something for 20 bucks over budget then go for it. Going cheap to save some money will cost you because after some time you will buy the better tripod anyway.

 

[oftheherd]

There are many fine tripods out there with varying levels of build quality, sturdyness, and price range. I have had a lot of luck with Velbon aluminum channel locks. I have used them with 4x5 but that isn't recommended. They certainly work fine with my SLR and the TLR as well as my Mamiya Super Press 23 and different lenses.

I think some people overly obcess with the biggest, most expensive, and heaviest tripod, then seldom bring it due to the weight.

 

[Mark C]

I still like my old Tiltall tripods. They are far from perfect, but what they do, they do very well.

I prefer the Leitz branded or older ones, but believe at least some of the later ones were fine. The knock offs mostly are not so hot.

 

[FrozenInTime]

Can I now buy a lighter tripod and will it be steady under good conditions (no wind etc) ?

Pricey but worth it , if you think in the long term, the Gitzo Traveller line is small sturdy and lightweight.
There is a spring loaded hook on the bottom of the column - hang your bag from this and you never have to worry about the tripod blowing over in the wind or suffering from vibrations.

 

[Frank Petronio]

Really Right Stuff makes the best tripods, Gitzo the second best. FLM is another good brand, they make the Leica tripods.

The Chinese copy them pretty well for a good price if you don't mind rewarding the opportunistic while depriving the originators of their due.

 

[anjoca76]

I use a Benro Travel Angel, I think it's called. It's not the world's greatest tripod, but for it's weight and price and features, it has served me very well. I use it for my Leicas and my Rolleicord. It wouldn't handle a big dslr, but I don't need it to. I travel with it often and have never had any problems, even with long exposure stuff.

 

[taemo]

I used to have an RRS TVC-33 but it was just so big that I would never consider bringing it with me on vacation.
bought a MeFoto Globetrotter and been happy with it, you can hook your bag to make it more stable, it's small and light enough that I can bring it with me, one of the legs can be used as a monopod (I use it as a hiking stick lol) and the ballhead w/ arca mount that comes with it is pretty stable (ditched my manfrotto 498).
my only complaint is that the legs is 5 sections each.
if you don't shoot MF and only shoot 35mm RF then consider the MeFoto Roadtripper for half the price

edit:here's my friends 4x5 on the globetrotter with a manfrotto head

 

[Tom A]

I use a venerable Tilt-All in black. Bought it in 1975 and it has been dragged around for decades. Now I only use it for indoor shots - or very long lenses (Telyt 400/560). I also have several Leitz table top tri-pods with various height of ball-heads. Handy for table top work or as a small, portable one. You can also use it as a "chest-pod" by spreading the legs - put it on your chest and push it hard against it. You probably need the taller of the ball-heads for it though. Works fine down to about 1-2 seconds exposure.
I also have a Tilt-All monopod with the short ball-head - again, not perfect for really long exposures - but it will stabilize the camera quite a bit.
I used to use various Gitzo tripods when I was shooting commercial work - but then you hired a "schlepper" to carry them.
For a M camera and a light SLR - don't go overboard with the head - they can be a pain in the butt to adjust and level. A good ball head works or the simple Tilt-All set up works fine.

 

[doolittle]

Pricey but worth it , if you think in the long term, the Gitzo Traveller line is small sturdy and lightweight.
There is a spring loaded hook on the bottom of the column - hang your bag from this and you never have to worry about the tripod blowing over in the wind or suffering from vibrations.

+1 on the Gitzo traveller. Match it up with a good ball head (e.g. RRS, Markins Q Ball).

 

[mfogiel]

In terms of tripods there are 3 basic rules, apart from one mentioned above. i.e. to buy the best you can afford.
Rule nr 1: it has to be high enough. For a TLR this is not a problem, but for a RF it is better not to have to bend over a lot when you compose, therefore, before you buy go to some shop and test a few tripods and measure the height which is enough for you, then you can buy on line if you prefer, but making sure it is not shorter.
Rule nr 2: the heavier the more steady, and the less elements the more steady - only exception to the rule are Carbon tripods, that are more steady than metal ones of greater weight.
Rule nr 3: like with cameras, best tripod will be the one you will want to carry, so you have to make a trade off between height, stability, number of elements and weight. Needless to say Carbon tripods are the best compromise between stability and weight, but usually are more expensive.
Last comment - metal tripods are also unpleasant to touch with your hands when it's cold. A good compromise between metal and carbon are Gitzo's Basalt tripods.

 

[stompyq]

The sirui and mephoto tripods are small light weight and very good for mirrorless and rf cameras. I would gives those a long and serious look before I go with more expensive and heavy models

 

[Godfrey]

I saw a very compact when folded MePhoto lightweight at the shop the other day. It's probably fine for my lighter weight cameras or lenses, and packs down very small. The head looked like junk, though.

What I currently use most of the time is a set of Manfrotto 190CXpro3 carbon fiber legs fitted with an Arca-Swiss Monoball P0 head and RRS lever action quick release clamp. It's not super compact (about 27x3 inches folded) but very light (less than 3.2 pounds) and tall enough to be useful. Holds my heaviest/longest camera/lens setup very steadily (Oly E-M1 with grip plus ZD 50-200 plus EC 14 teleconverter, 580mm f/4.9 EFL max tele, about 4.5 lbs) and works fine for the Hasselblads (up to Sonnar 150/4 lens) and Sony A7/Leica R lenses too.

I've become a fan of the A-S P0 head. It's a very sensible design that just works with little fuss, and it's very compact and light weight for its load capacity, quality and price.

G

 

[Roger Hicks]

Thanks for that.
Any suggestions?
I didn't want to buy a cheapo tripod but something maybe midrange. Used is fine. My heaviest camera is a Leica M3 plus 250 gramms of lens. Just under 1KG I think. The TLR is also a KG. None moves during exposure so I was hoping I wouldn't need the Manfrotto monster any longer. I checked many pods and I didn't like the carbon fibre ones. I don't find them stable. The good aluminum ones look great but heavy as heck. The carbon would be okay for my needs now I guess but then there's the extra price which I'd like to avoid paying if possible.

Don't know anything about heads 🙁. But again, the weight or lens length will not be a problem so a simple one is okay I hope.

Thanks,
Ben

Dear Ben,

Highlight: that's a pretty amazing generalization. Usually, carbon fibre is better at absorbing vibration than light alloy. In what way did you find that they were not stable?

I now use Redged carbon fibre more than any other among the 15-20 tripods I've acquired over the last 40+ years. So does my wife.

Cheers,

R.

 

[1joel1]

I have to agree with the Carbon Fiber Gitzo traveller. I also use the much underrated Magicball mini. That thing is so smooth and easy to use as well as quick. I've had every ball head made and the mini magicball is perfect for a rangefinder.

good Luck,

Joel

 

[kxl]

Get one that will support your heaviest gear, and is appropriate for your height.

Or get two -- which is what I did. I have a big heavy Manfrotto monstrosity for my DSLR and long lenses, plus a gimbal head, and a light Feisol traveler for smaller gear (35mm RF and mirrorless)

 

[Roger Hicks]

I have to agree with the Carbon Fiber Gitzo traveller. I also use the much underrated Magicball mini. That thing is so smooth and easy to use as well as quick. I've had every ball head made and the mini magicball is perfect for a rangefinder.

good Luck,

Joel

Dear Joel,

If I've told you once, I've told you a million times: don't exaggerate.

But I'll second your endorsement of the Magicball.

Cheers,

R