Tripod for Rolleiflex?

peter_n said:
I'm a strong believer in support overkill. My main tripod is a Gitzo 3541LS with a RRS leveling base and an Arca-Swiss Z1 on the top, and my light one is a Benro C2680T with a Markins Q3T ballhead. The Rolleiflex is fine on the Benro but if I was doing long exposures I'd use the Gitzo. If you're buying new the Chinese tripods have really come along the last few years, Benro if you're small to medium height, Feisol if you're tall. The best small ballhead is the Markins Q3T which is an A-S copy without the elliptical ball. I use a Rolleifix with my E3 and since my ballheads have A-S QR clamps the Rolleifix is bolted to a tiny Sunwayfoto DP-39 plate. It works really well.
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Now, that is not an unintelligent answer (almost a double negative intended). Thanks for so much in such a compact reply.
 
I'm in a different camp than peter_n. I love the addage that a tripod is useful only if you have one with you. Probably the two biggest reasons photographers hate to carry a tripod is because of size and weight. With that in mind (and if it's really important in your shooting style), my suggestion is to buy the smallest, lightest tripod you can afford. I have a gitzo 5-section series 1 CF Traveler that's tiny, but spendy. Now I don't have an excuse not to bring it, except on very windy days. 🙂

And while we're on the subject of heads...I prefer a leveling head under my TLRs. Ballheads have too much range.
 
I use a Gitzo 1541 travel tripod, with Vangard BBH-100 head.
Light, but rigid combination that locks tight. Rolleiflexes aren't really a challenge for any tripod. But, this combination will also hold my motor driven Nikon F3 with most of my lenses.

For the heavy artillery (300mm or more) with my SLRs, I use the Gitzo 1325 with Markins M20L head. That will hold just about anything
 
I use a Gitzo 2941 (?) with a small Gitzo ball-head and a Rolleifix. That setup is also OK for my Technika IV but a little bit on the heavy side. I am also now looking for something smaller and lighter for the Rolleiflex / XPAN.
 
t.s.k. said:
I'm in a different camp than peter_n. I love the addage that a tripod is useful only if you have one with you. Probably the two biggest reasons photographers hate to carry a tripod is because of size and weight.
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We're not that different actually. My Benro weighs just 2.77 lbs, is 16.7" long and has a max height of 61.8". Max leg diameter is 29mm and min diameter is 18.5mm, so it's almost in the class of a series-2 Gitzo. The bottom section takes Benro, Gitzo and RRS spikes. It's a foldback travel design and with the Markins Q3T on top the total length of the package is 17.7". It cost half the price of my Gitzo 1541T and turned out to be a better tripod so I sold the Gitzo. It's small, light and I take it everywhere.
 
I reviewed the tripod over a year ago after about 10 months of use. I'm not a Canon user but that forum has knowledgeable support people as does the "General Gear-talk" forum on the Fred Miranda site. As I recall at the end of the review there's a photo of the tripod on the Sugarloaf in Ireland, also a few pix taken with it - nothing remarkable just ordinary snapshots of the type that I use color for.
 
Lots to think about here. I am particularly intrigued by t.s.k.'s comment about using a leveling head instead of a ball head. I do tilt the camera up for architectural shots - and correct the verticals in Lightroom - but it's not a lot of movement. For now, I think I'll continue with the big heavy Gitzo rig and bring the Rolleifix with me on my next pilgrimage to B&H.
 
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