Slik Master Deluxe Tripod

I know, Slik doesn't have the best reputation today, but I must say, of all
the equipment I was given by my father, all of which he bought in Japan in
1964-68, that tripod gets the most use, and a well built piece of kit it is.
Mostly aluminum, with 3 sectioned legs that need to be screwed down instead
of the locking levers you see today. Geared center column and strut
supports. It's light, rock solid, tall enough that I need to stand on tip
toes to see through the viewfinder when the column is fully extended, and
built well enough that it's withstood two photographers and nearly 40 years
worth of use.

Compared to my Bogen 3021BPro legs and 3029 head, I'd say the Slik was the
better built of the two. The Slik head has one drawback, it won't tilt side
to side, only front and back, necessitating leg length changes to level your
camera. But the screw down legs are better than those clamps, which have to
be set pretty tight, or else you can't trust them, so that they're stiff and
difficult to use. I've had the slik in rivers, on beaches, wherever I go,
and if I get sand or grit in the mechanisms, I just work them back and forth
gently until the grit comes out. Takes a few minutes, and hasn't failed me
in over a decade of use. I had my bogen on the beach once last summer, and
it still has sand in it. The Bogen's nice because you can get low to the
ground--that's really why I wanted it. But it turns out that you have to
remove the center column and use some plastic gadget from the end of it to
mount the head. The plastic thing is gripped by the part through which the
column slid. It doesn't really seem to belong there, and the mount is never
really secure, prone to swinging left and right on you if you exert any
pressure accordingly. God forbid you use a heavy camera, like my RB67 or
Shen-Hao (whatever it's call sign) on it. Don't get me wrong, the Bogen is
a workable tripod, but emphasis on the "work" in workable, 'cause I always
feel like I'm tricking it out to get it to do its job. The Bogen is much
taller than the slick, though, but also not as compact.

A few nights ago, I got to thinking about what a great tripod the slik's
been for me, and I did a quick Google search for slik master deluxe tripod,
and the first link returned was for a woman selling one here in Lansing, MI,
for $10.

Now I've got two! :-p

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

ps. I can't vouch for modern Slik equipment, but if you get a chance to
pick up one of the mid to late 60's models, at a reasonable price, by all
means, do.

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001 legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.
As to the see-saw head. Back when that pod was made it was fairly common,
and had a lot to do with the growth in popularity of ball heads. As I recall
Pan-Tilts were fairly expensive options on most of the pods in the stores. A
lot of the brands from that era no longer exist and I don't remember the
names now.

--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html

"Matt Clara" wrote in message
.. .
I know, Slik doesn't have the best reputation today, but I must say, of
all
the equipment I was given by my father, all of which he bought in Japan in
1964-68, that tripod gets the most use, and a well built piece of kit it
is.
Mostly aluminum, with 3 sectioned legs that need to be screwed down
instead
of the locking levers you see today. Geared center column and strut
supports. It's light, rock solid, tall enough that I need to stand on tip
toes to see through the viewfinder when the column is fully extended, and
built well enough that it's withstood two photographers and nearly 40
years
worth of use.

Compared to my Bogen 3021BPro legs and 3029 head, I'd say the Slik was the
better built of the two. The Slik head has one drawback, it won't tilt
side
to side, only front and back, necessitating leg length changes to level
your
camera. But the screw down legs are better than those clamps, which have
to
be set pretty tight, or else you can't trust them, so that they're stiff
and
difficult to use. I've had the slik in rivers, on beaches, wherever I go,
and if I get sand or grit in the mechanisms, I just work them back and
forth
gently until the grit comes out. Takes a few minutes, and hasn't failed
me
in over a decade of use. I had my bogen on the beach once last summer,
and
it still has sand in it. The Bogen's nice because you can get low to the
ground--that's really why I wanted it. But it turns out that you have to
remove the center column and use some plastic gadget from the end of it to
mount the head. The plastic thing is gripped by the part through which
the
column slid. It doesn't really seem to belong there, and the mount is
never
really secure, prone to swinging left and right on you if you exert any
pressure accordingly. God forbid you use a heavy camera, like my RB67 or
Shen-Hao (whatever it's call sign) on it. Don't get me wrong, the Bogen
is
a workable tripod, but emphasis on the "work" in workable, 'cause I always
feel like I'm tricking it out to get it to do its job. The Bogen is much
taller than the slick, though, but also not as compact.

A few nights ago, I got to thinking about what a great tripod the slik's
been for me, and I did a quick Google search for slik master deluxe
tripod,
and the first link returned was for a woman selling one here in Lansing,
MI,
for $10.

Now I've got two! :-p

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

ps. I can't vouch for modern Slik equipment, but if you get a chance to
pick up one of the mid to late 60's models, at a reasonable price, by all
means, do.

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001 legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.
As to the see-saw head. Back when that pod was made it was fairly common,
and had a lot to do with the growth in popularity of ball heads. As I recall
Pan-Tilts were fairly expensive options on most of the pods in the stores. A
lot of the brands from that era no longer exist and I don't remember the
names now.

--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html

"Matt Clara" wrote in message
.. .
I know, Slik doesn't have the best reputation today, but I must say, of
all
the equipment I was given by my father, all of which he bought in Japan in
1964-68, that tripod gets the most use, and a well built piece of kit it
is.
Mostly aluminum, with 3 sectioned legs that need to be screwed down
instead
of the locking levers you see today. Geared center column and strut
supports. It's light, rock solid, tall enough that I need to stand on tip
toes to see through the viewfinder when the column is fully extended, and
built well enough that it's withstood two photographers and nearly 40
years
worth of use.

Compared to my Bogen 3021BPro legs and 3029 head, I'd say the Slik was the
better built of the two. The Slik head has one drawback, it won't tilt
side
to side, only front and back, necessitating leg length changes to level
your
camera. But the screw down legs are better than those clamps, which have
to
be set pretty tight, or else you can't trust them, so that they're stiff
and
difficult to use. I've had the slik in rivers, on beaches, wherever I go,
and if I get sand or grit in the mechanisms, I just work them back and
forth
gently until the grit comes out. Takes a few minutes, and hasn't failed
me
in over a decade of use. I had my bogen on the beach once last summer,
and
it still has sand in it. The Bogen's nice because you can get low to the
ground--that's really why I wanted it. But it turns out that you have to
remove the center column and use some plastic gadget from the end of it to
mount the head. The plastic thing is gripped by the part through which
the
column slid. It doesn't really seem to belong there, and the mount is
never
really secure, prone to swinging left and right on you if you exert any
pressure accordingly. God forbid you use a heavy camera, like my RB67 or
Shen-Hao (whatever it's call sign) on it. Don't get me wrong, the Bogen
is
a workable tripod, but emphasis on the "work" in workable, 'cause I always
feel like I'm tricking it out to get it to do its job. The Bogen is much
taller than the slick, though, but also not as compact.

A few nights ago, I got to thinking about what a great tripod the slik's
been for me, and I did a quick Google search for slik master deluxe
tripod,
and the first link returned was for a woman selling one here in Lansing,
MI,
for $10.

Now I've got two! :-p

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

ps. I can't vouch for modern Slik equipment, but if you get a chance to
pick up one of the mid to late 60's models, at a reasonable price, by all
means, do.

Tony wrote:

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001 legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.
As to the see-saw head. Back when that pod was made it was fairly common,
and had a lot to do with the growth in popularity of ball heads. As I recall
Pan-Tilts were fairly expensive options on most of the pods in the stores. A
lot of the brands from that era no longer exist and I don't remember the
names now.

I too had a Slik U212 "Deluxe". It was given to me, and I never really
cared for it. On the other hand, the Slik 300DX was, and still is, a
good tripod. It's as stable as some more expensive models. What you
give up is, ironically, slickness. Instead of instant action lever
locks, or indestructible collett locks, you get screw locks. Simple,
rugged, bulletproof. Add a decent cast alloy pan/tilt head with QR and
an under $100 price, and it's easy to recommend to someone on a budget.
It served me well until I moved up.

Lisa

Tony wrote:

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001 legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.
As to the see-saw head. Back when that pod was made it was fairly common,
and had a lot to do with the growth in popularity of ball heads. As I recall
Pan-Tilts were fairly expensive options on most of the pods in the stores. A
lot of the brands from that era no longer exist and I don't remember the
names now.

I too had a Slik U212 "Deluxe". It was given to me, and I never really
cared for it. On the other hand, the Slik 300DX was, and still is, a
good tripod. It's as stable as some more expensive models. What you
give up is, ironically, slickness. Instead of instant action lever
locks, or indestructible collett locks, you get screw locks. Simple,
rugged, bulletproof. Add a decent cast alloy pan/tilt head with QR and
an under $100 price, and it's easy to recommend to someone on a budget.
It served me well until I moved up.

Lisa

"Lisa Horton" wrote in message
...


Tony wrote:

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a
U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001
legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods
recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.
As to the see-saw head. Back when that pod was made it was fairly
common,
and had a lot to do with the growth in popularity of ball heads. As I
recall
Pan-Tilts were fairly expensive options on most of the pods in the
stores. A
lot of the brands from that era no longer exist and I don't remember the
names now.

I too had a Slik U212 "Deluxe". It was given to me, and I never really
cared for it. On the other hand, the Slik 300DX was, and still is, a
good tripod. It's as stable as some more expensive models. What you
give up is, ironically, slickness. Instead of instant action lever
locks, or indestructible collett locks, you get screw locks. Simple,
rugged, bulletproof. Add a decent cast alloy pan/tilt head with QR and
an under $100 price, and it's easy to recommend to someone on a budget.
It served me well until I moved up.

Lisa

That's the thing about the old Slik my dad gave me. Instead of moving up,
I'm moving back. It's held my Shen Hao tilted at a light fixture accurately
for several days now (I'm ashamed to admit--I'm not so good at cleaning up,
much to my wife's consternation!).

After my experience with the Bogen (not that it's been a bad experience, or
that it's even over!), I wouldn't try to improve on the Slik with another
Bogen, and would probably seek to spend at least $500 to improve upon what
I've got. And there's no point in that.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

"Lisa Horton" wrote in message
...


Tony wrote:

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a
U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001
legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods
recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.
As to the see-saw head. Back when that pod was made it was fairly
common,
and had a lot to do with the growth in popularity of ball heads. As I
recall
Pan-Tilts were fairly expensive options on most of the pods in the
stores. A
lot of the brands from that era no longer exist and I don't remember the
names now.

I too had a Slik U212 "Deluxe". It was given to me, and I never really
cared for it. On the other hand, the Slik 300DX was, and still is, a
good tripod. It's as stable as some more expensive models. What you
give up is, ironically, slickness. Instead of instant action lever
locks, or indestructible collett locks, you get screw locks. Simple,
rugged, bulletproof. Add a decent cast alloy pan/tilt head with QR and
an under $100 price, and it's easy to recommend to someone on a budget.
It served me well until I moved up.

Lisa

That's the thing about the old Slik my dad gave me. Instead of moving up,
I'm moving back. It's held my Shen Hao tilted at a light fixture accurately
for several days now (I'm ashamed to admit--I'm not so good at cleaning up,
much to my wife's consternation!).

After my experience with the Bogen (not that it's been a bad experience, or
that it's even over!), I wouldn't try to improve on the Slik with another
Bogen, and would probably seek to spend at least $500 to improve upon what
I've got. And there's no point in that.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

Tony wrote:

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001 legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo type.

The Benbo is nice but it's quite a hassle to carry around, since it's
not only weighty but also BIG! Also: despite its flexibility, there are
still movements it just can't make, because legs are in the way.

Ton

I'm aware of that - But you should see the monster I DO carry (not far) It
is a 3221 leg set a 4047 (I think - it is the heaviest pan-tilt in the Bogen
line) head, and a Side-Arm attached to that with a large (hex) quick
release. I can get this beast up to about 7.5 feet tall or can use it to
hold a camera lens directly to the glass of a window etc (no I'm not a
peeping Tom - see the section "Window Shopping" on my site) but it is not
fun to lug about.
Usually I go out with an assistant when I use this combo, as I have to
counterweight the whole thing with my Bag-O-Bricks; 45 pounds of red clay in
an old canvas camera bag. If I am going to use the pod for a tall shot I
need my two-step ladder too.

--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html

"Ton Maas" wrote in message
...
Tony wrote:

Actually didn't Lisa use a modern Slik that was pretty good? I had a
U212
which was junque of the lowest order but I remember her saying it was
not
representative of the entire line. I've been pretty happy with my 3001
legs
for quite some time now so I haven't really looked at other pods
recently,
but I'm still curious about the ultra-manuverable Uni-Loc and Benbo
type.

The Benbo is nice but it's quite a hassle to carry around, since it's
not only weighty but also BIG! Also: despite its flexibility, there are
still movements it just can't make, because legs are in the way.

Ton