Which tripod for your rangefinder camera?

Hmm . . . if you mean a field tripod I can recommend the old Velbon mini that I like (haha) to carry around. It's all metal and quite sound and it has a nice little pan/tilt head. (That's straw, btw.)
 
Here is my tripod - small, light-weight, sturdy-ish, ballhead ( the ballhead is very nice to have - just one little thingy to turn and I have total control) , and able to get tall when i need it. It's a SLIK, and i use it for my RF645 and my D70. It has a varry narrow profile when closed, I can get it into my backpack easily, and it is sturdier than it looks. It's even sturdy enough for my Crown Graphic (which I no longer use because I don't have a lens for it).

Only thing is, it doesn't have a quick release plate, that i know of. But that is only an issue if you're someone that tends to click and unclick the camera from the tripod between shots. For portraiture, I use my Manfrotto for that kind of speed.

SLIK Sprint Pro GM (SBH 100)

It's tall enough that I can work with it without ducking down.
 
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Consider a monopod if you are apt to be in locations where a tripod is not appropriate. In any case, put a handgrip on the M6 which centers the tripod socket.
 
I use a gitzo basalt series (1.2 m full extension) with the Leica ballhead on top.

Very lightweight & convenient. Some times I use it directly screwed to the gear and all this stuff over my shoulder to have both hands free ( and eventually serve an other camera).
 
When I use a tripod it is a Manfrotto O55 with a Slik pro ball head with quick release. It is middle of the road for weight and cost. Tripods and the type of head for them are very personal choices. Weight is an important factor if you plan to carry it anywhere as opposed to using it in a studio type setting where weight does not matter. Weight generally goes hand in hand with sturdiness and there is not much point in a light weight tripod that vibrates like crazy. You can get a light weight tripod (carbon fibre) that is sturdy but it will cost plenty. If you want compact you have a choice between 3 leg sections and 4 with 4 leg sections normally being slightly less sturdy. I would say that if you are looking for a tripod it is best if you can check them out first hand to see what is good for you. In the end any tripod is better than none. Sorry for the long post but what I or anyone else likes may not be for you. Whatever you finally decide on you will wind up with more than one, just like camera bags.

Bob
 
Table top

Table top

Hello:

You said you wanted a tripod for your rfs. I would suggest a table top like the leitz or bogan/manfrotto. You can use them to brace and as a gunstock. Versatile and pocketable!

A real tripod, perhaps best to sample them in store - the new "digital" series from manfrotto?

yours
Frank
 
I use a Velbon MAXi 343e. Not the smallest out there but fairly compact when folded down. Tall enough for me when extended. Came with a ball head. Money well spent.
Rob
 
Any light tripod, with thin legs and a ball-and-socket head, should do. Easy to carry. To keep it steady -- in a strong wind, for example -- there's the old trick of hanging a brick or a rock from the apex. For close-up and document copying work, a reversible column makes sense. All I've seen had pan-and-tilt heads.
 
My Benbo has a reversable head--mounts on either end of center column--for that kind of work, and it's a ball head.
 
rbiemer said:
I use a Velbon MAXi 343e. Not the smallest out there but fairly compact when folded down. Tall enough for me when extended. Came with a ball head. Money well spent.
Rob
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you like it. The 343e has been on my list for awhile, I put it on my Christmas list this year. 😉
 
I have a Berlbach (which I am sure I spelled wrong).

Light, maybe if you are 7'2". Sturdy, way too. Overkill, in every sense of the word.

I think I'm leaning towards a bean bag to prop my bodies up on next. Then, if it doesn't fit in my pants pocket, it ain't going!
 
So far I have used my Bogen/Manfrotto 3040 legs with a heavy Bogen head who's number I don't recall at the moment. The Leica IIIa looks ridiculous on it but my heavier large format tripods are the only ones I have with 3/8ths Euro style quick releases on them. What I plan to use is my Slik U-212 which is a very sturdy light weight tripod that the company has made for a long time. I need to get a 1/4-20 to 3/8ths converter for it. The Slik will handle anything up to a Crown Graffic . For the larger cameras I like the Bogen heads and have another one mounted to a set of Slik legs from the heaviest and largest tripod I have seen in their line. I got a real deal on the leg set (less than $20.00) because the Slik head had problems. I then scouted another heavy Bogen head and as luck would have it the two mated together like they had been designed to do so. The "Bo-Slik" is a big tripod that will exten to over ten feet in height and is heavy enough for an 8x10 view camera. It cruises with a 4x5.
 
You will need two. One that is small and easy to carry, but to short to be really useful. And one that is a good height, but too big to be carried.

I have a Gitzo Reporter with a ball head and a Manfrotto three-section carbon-fiber model with a mag-alloy ball head, at least for the small cameras. A monpod is another good thought, but make sure it is tall enough so you can stand up straight to use it.
 
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