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Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
Hi folks,
I'm thinking of moving into medium format photography when money allows. Currently I shoot 35 mm with a Nikkormat FT3, which I love, but there are times when I would like better resolution for my best pictures. I use a Manfrotto 190B tripod with the 168 ball head. Do people think this tripod is sturdy enough to carry a Pentax 6x7? The reason I ask is because I recently acquired a job lot of surveyor's tripods. They are heavy and would require the addition of some kind of ball joint to make them suitable for photography, but they're the sturdiest tripods I've ever seen. I'm just wondering if it's worth me keeping one for the future. I plan to sell the rest of them, so if anyone in England wants one for photography, let me know. Right now I have plenty! Best wishes, Chris Tidy |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 09:52:53 -0700, Christopher Tidy wrote:
Hi folks, I'm thinking of moving into medium format photography when money allows. Currently I shoot 35 mm with a Nikkormat FT3, which I love, but there are times when I would like better resolution for my best pictures. I use a Manfrotto 190B tripod with the 168 ball head. Do people think this tripod is sturdy enough to carry a Pentax 6x7? The reason I ask is because I recently acquired a job lot of surveyor's tripods. They are heavy and would require the addition of some kind of ball joint to make them suitable for photography, but they're the sturdiest tripods I've ever seen. The 190 series tripod is a borderline choice for use with most medium format, except for a light one like some of the 645 reflex cameras, which aren't much bigger or heavy than a full size 35mm. The Pentax 67 falls in this category as does the Mamiya 7. The Mamiya RB/RZ 6x7 does not. If it will do only depends on the circumstances of your shots. Long exposures 1 sec or longer? Probably not. Shutter speeds faster than about 1/10 sec., then with a sturdy enough head, it should do. (Hang a 4 kilo weight on the tripod to weight it down. Works wonders on a too light tripod.) Now as to the head.... I'm not familiar with that 168 model ball head, but I'm assuming it's quite small, only suitable for 35mm. Take a look at the Manfrotto 484RC2 (borderline choice for medium format) or the 488RC2, a much better choice. Both have quick release, which I couldn't live without, and the 488 has panning capability separate from the ball locking itself. Really comes in handy when you want to make a slight horizontal framing adjustment and not affect the leveling. Oh, and take those manufacturer's "maximum load" capacities with a grain of salt. I usually divide them by 2 for a more realistic value. I'm just wondering if it's worth me keeping one for the future. I plan to sell the rest of them, so if anyone in England wants one for photography, let me know. Right now I have plenty! Yes, keep one. They have wooden legs, right? (Best type of tripod if you ever get the bug to go to 8x10 or larger. The wood dampens vibration better than metal, and in the winter, your bear hand won't freeze to it when you pick it up ;-) ) However, I consider them too large, heavy and unwieldy for anything smaller than an 8x10 camera, which itself is large, heavy and unwieldy -- a perfect match. ;-) Stef |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
Chris.
Do a little snooping in the old posts in here and perhaps in Photo.net as there are endless discussions regarding taming the P67 equipment. I have P67 gear and find that the equipment really isn't all that heavy but it is a bit bulky and the tripods that adequately control it are quite large and heavy. The support equipment is what really makes field work more burdensome with the Pentax. Some of the vibes are exaggerated feeling because the mirror return makes quite a flap but this is after the exposure, remember. Everyone develops their own levels of standards and what makes great 8X10's can look a big raggedy at 16X20 so some of your decisions may be based on your required print sizes. My recommendation is to not underestimate the need for substantial support for the Pentax. I use medium format rangefinders and find that I can use tripods that one would typically rate as 35mm sort of gear but the small mass in motion on them gets very good results with lighter pods. On 15 Apr 2007 09:52:53 -0700, "Christopher Tidy" wrote: Hi folks, I'm thinking of moving into medium format photography when money allows. Currently I shoot 35 mm with a Nikkormat FT3, which I love, but there are times when I would like better resolution for my best pictures. Craig Schroeder craig nospam craigschroeder com |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
Thanks very much for the thoughts. I did a bit more research and
discovered that the Manfrotto 168 head is the older version of the 488RC0, which has a load capacity of 8 kg, so it should be okay with a Pentax 6x7. I even found a post at the Photo.net forum by someone commenting that the 168 head was okay for use with a Mamiya RZ67. Even if I divide 8 kg by 2, it should comfortably cope with the Pentax. Yes, the surveyor's tripods have wooden legs. They would need some kind of ball head adding, but I think I might have one which is suitable. I think I'll keep one for the moment. They were very cheap and are exceptionally solid. Their only disadvantage is that they have steel feet (meant for sinking into soil) as opposed to rubber feet. Thanks for the advice. Best wishes, Chris |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
On Apr 15, 11:52 am, "Christopher Tidy"
wrote: Hi folks, I'm thinking of moving into medium format photography when money allows. Currently I shoot 35 mm with a Nikkormat FT3, which I love, but there are times when I would like better resolution for my best pictures. I use a Manfrotto 190B tripod with the 168 ball head. Do people think this tripod is sturdy enough to carry a Pentax 6x7? The reason I ask is because I recently acquired a job lot of surveyor's tripods. They are heavy and would require the addition of some kind of ball joint to make them suitable for photography, but they're the sturdiest tripods I've ever seen. I'm just wondering if it's worth me keeping one for the future. I plan to sell the rest of them, so if anyone in England wants one for photography, let me know. Right now I have plenty! Best wishes, Chris Tidy The Surveyor's tripod that I use had a dirty great hole in the middle: Used for aligning the transit I had to cobble together some large washers to provide an anchor for the ball head. Best let your purchasers know this beforehand. David |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
"Christopher Tidy" wrote in message oups.com... Thanks very much for the thoughts. I did a bit more research and discovered that the Manfrotto 168 head is the older version of the 488RC0, which has a load capacity of 8 kg, so it should be okay with a Pentax 6x7. I even found a post at the Photo.net forum by someone commenting that the 168 head was okay for use with a Mamiya RZ67. Even if I divide 8 kg by 2, it should comfortably cope with the Pentax. Yes, the surveyor's tripods have wooden legs. They would need some kind of ball head adding, but I think I might have one which is suitable. I think I'll keep one for the moment. They were very cheap and are exceptionally solid. Their only disadvantage is that they have steel feet (meant for sinking into soil) as opposed to rubber feet. Rubber feet in various sizes (surely one will fit over the end of the legs) are available in packs of four at your local Home Depot for a dollar or two a pack. Buy extras! (Personally, I don't like ball heads, especially for a heavy camera. I like the camera to move in only one direction at a time. But that's just my opinion, and I have my tripod already. (Actually, I use studio camera stands most of the time rather than tripods.)) |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
On Apr 17, 1:57 am, "
wrote: On Apr 15, 11:52 am, "Christopher Tidy" wrote: Hi folks, I'm thinking of moving into medium format photography when money allows. Currently I shoot 35 mm with a Nikkormat FT3, which I love, but there are times when I would like better resolution for my best pictures. I use a Manfrotto 190B tripod with the 168 ball head. Do people think this tripod is sturdy enough to carry a Pentax 6x7? The reason I ask is because I recently acquired a job lot of surveyor's tripods. They are heavy and would require the addition of some kind of ball joint to make them suitable for photography, but they're the sturdiest tripods I've ever seen. I'm just wondering if it's worth me keeping one for the future. I plan to sell the rest of them, so if anyone in England wants one for photography, let me know. Right now I have plenty! Best wishes, Chris Tidy The Surveyor's tripod that I use had a dirty great hole in the middle: Used for aligning the transit I had to cobble together some large washers to provide an anchor for the ball head. Best let your purchasers know this beforehand. David I'll probably just sell them as surveyor's tripods. Best wishes, Chris |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
On 2007-04-15 12:52:53 -0400, "Christopher Tidy"
said: Hi folks, I'm thinking of moving into medium format photography when money allows. Currently I shoot 35 mm with a Nikkormat FT3, which I love, but there are times when I would like better resolution for my best pictures. I use a Manfrotto 190B tripod with the 168 ball head. Do people think this tripod is sturdy enough to carry a Pentax 6x7? The reason I ask is because I recently acquired a job lot of surveyor's tripods. They are heavy and would require the addition of some kind of ball joint to make them suitable for photography, but they're the sturdiest tripods I've ever seen. I'm just wondering if it's worth me keeping one for the future. I plan to sell the rest of them, so if anyone in England wants one for photography, let me know. Right now I have plenty! Best wishes, Chris Tidy Despite the prevalent mythology, the 6x7, 67, 67 II cameras can all be hand held, especially with the wood grip. Any reasonable tripod is adequate. I've been using the 6x7 since 1979. Michael |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
Christopher Tidy wrote:
Thanks very much for the thoughts. I did a bit more research and discovered that the Manfrotto 168 head is the older version of the 488RC0, which has a load capacity of 8 kg, so it should be okay with a Pentax 6x7. I even found a post at the Photo.net forum by someone commenting that the 168 head was okay for use with a Mamiya RZ67. Even if I divide 8 kg by 2, it should comfortably cope with the Pentax. The 055 is about "right" I would say. The 190 (you mentioned earlier) is a bit on the light side. I have the 055MF3 (carbon fibre legs) as well as a 190. I use a geared head, but a medium ball should do as well. Cheers, Alan -- -- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm -- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin -- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch. |
Suitable tripod for Pentax 6x7
On Sat, 21 Apr 2007 17:24:15 -0400, Alan Browne wrote:
Christopher Tidy wrote: Thanks very much for the thoughts. I did a bit more research and discovered that the Manfrotto 168 head is the older version of the 488RC0, which has a load capacity of 8 kg, so it should be okay with a Pentax 6x7. I even found a post at the Photo.net forum by someone commenting that the 168 head was okay for use with a Mamiya RZ67. Even if I divide 8 kg by 2, it should comfortably cope with the Pentax. The 055 is about "right" I would say. The 190 (you mentioned earlier) is a bit on the light side. I have the 055MF3 (carbon fibre legs) as well as a 190. I use a geared head, but a medium ball should do as well. And another recommendation: To reduce camera shake during a tripod mounted exposure and make for sharper photos, lockup the mirror, if you can, before tripping the shutter. The torque induced by the mirror flipping up can really shake a medium format SLR camera a lot. However, it's only really a problem with slow shutters speeds like less the 1/30 or so. It also depends on how long a lens you have mounted: longer lenses amplify the movement. Stef |
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