Tripod for TLRs/WLV cameras

The best all-round tripods you can buy are designed and made by Really Right Stuff in Utah. They are expensive but will last a lifetime or more. Unfortunately they're not the best in damping vibrations emanating from the surface they're on. For that you need a wooden tripod.

Luckily wooden tripods are inexpensive. I use a Berlebach Report 302 which I bought from the manufacturer in Germany and it only cost around $250 or a bit less (including shipping). Don't buy through B&H or Adorama because you'll pay through the nose and they have only one or two models to sell anyway. Most wooden tripods have just two leg sections.

Ries Tripods in Bremerton, WA seem to be the only viable manufacturer of wood tripods in the US and they are high-end and expensive. To me they seem over-engineered with lots of brass, CNC 6061 billet aluminum and stainless steel which only adds to the weight.

Terms like medium format 3D head, pan-tilt head, 3D head, and three-way head are descriptive of a generic class of tripod head called a geared head as distinct from a ballhead. I use Arca Swiss geared heads and the geared head on the tripod below is an Arca Swiss C1 commonly called the Cube.

Berlebach_AS-C1_Fotoman.jpg
 
Thanks for sharing, Peter. That's very interesting. How do you compare hte experience of setting up the wooden tripod with non-wooden ones? I notice in your photo that the leg locks are different.

peter_n said:
I use a Berlebach Report 302 which I bought from the manufacturer in Germany and it only cost around $250 or a bit less (including shipping).

Berlebach_AS-C1_Fotoman.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Well first you have to fiddle around when you first get the tripod; put the head on it, then mount the camera on the head, then adjust the extension of the bottom legs until the camera viewfinder is at your eye level. Then take a look at the number on one of the legs at its lock and commit it to memory or write it down. I'm 5ft 8in in height and my number with the Arca Swiss C1 geared head and my Fotoman 617 panoramic camera is 53. Once you size the tripod with the head and camera combination it's marginally slower to set up than a three leg section tripod.
 
You might like the Peak Design tripod; the aluminum model isn't too pricey, it's very compact and definitely sturdy enough for a TLR. I don't have one but know someone who does a lot of night shots with a 2.8 zoom and loves it.

Another budget suggestion I can vouch for: the MeFOTO Roadtrip and Globetrotter. I have their original Roadtrip (now called Classic) that I bought just as an emergency-throw-in-the-car tripod meant for RF use, but it's done just fine with 6x6 SLRs. The newer 'S Collection' ones have much better leg locks.
 
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