I have this old..... tripod I purchased from one of the big camera stores in NYC, circa 1980. This thing is like new with original carrying bag. The product is a Tiltall, made in the...

Billbobboy42 Loc: Center of Delmarva

tripod I purchased from one of the big camera stores in NYC, circa 1980. This thing is like new with original carrying bag. The product is a Tiltall, made in the U.S. While it's quite solid, the weight, 8 lbs, is unreal compared to today's tripods. Go on a long photo op hike with one of these and you can skip going to the gym that day.

Anyone have/had one of these? If so, do you still use it?

Bill

thurgoodstubbs Loc: illinois

I don't have one but pm sent.

Mercer Loc: Houston, TX, USA

Billbobboy42 wrote:

tripod I purchased from one of the big camera stores in NYC, circa 1980. This thing is like new with original carrying bag. The product is a Tiltall, made in the U.S. While it's quite solid, the weight, 8 lbs, is unreal compared to today's tripods. Go on a long photo op hike with one of these and you can skip going to the gym that day.

Anyone have/had one of these? If so, do you still use it?

Bill

It sounds like the Davidson Professional or Star-D Professional, the heavy all-aluminum monster invented in Italy and packaged under a bevy of names, including Leica. I have used one or another of these for the past 40 years and love them. Nothing in that price range ($30 used to $120 new) is as steady or reliable. I have put everything on mine, from a full-house Bolex H16 with a Miller head to a modern DSLR with long prime aboard, and never a tipover or jiggle. Or you might have an all-steel tiltall, smaller and steadier than most modern units, and darned near as heavy as the big professional, and slightly less steady. I keep it in the car.
Join the club. You're lucky if you have a Davidson Tiltall Leica Star-D Professional, or whatever they are called these days.

Billbobboy42 Loc: Center of Delmarva

Mercer,

The only name on mine is Tiltall. The manufacturer's plate says" Tiltall/Manufactured by the Uniphot Corp, Woodside, NJ". However, on the owner's certificate/card it says "Star D Manufacturing Corp, Woodside, NJ". The tripod specs says it weighs 6lb. but with the carrying bag I got a weight of just under 8lbs.

There is no model # on the tripod, but the instruction card shows "Cat. No. Leo1". I don't know if there were other models.

Bill

Latent-Image Loc: bunker not on Google

star "D" pro and i use it all the time, but then i come from a time when Photographers were real men not computer geeks...

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

Erica and i used our leitz tiltall tripod for the last 37 years. it was our first tripod, and always remained her favorite. even in the field, she used her medium format and 35mm cameras on it.
i still have it and still use it. great rig.

Billbobboy42 Loc: Center of Delmarva

From discussions here, plus a search on Ebay, suggests more than one manufacturer used the term Tiltall.

This discussion begs the question: How much must one spend on a modern light weight carbon fiber tripod that would equal the sturdiness of the Tiltall? Literature that came with mine does not specify an equipment weight capacity, but it handled my Canon 6D and 70-200 l series with no problem.

Seems most current carbon fiber tripods are priced at $300 and up.

Bill

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

I have one- it has the retractable pins in the rubber feet.It has given me many years of service. I'd still use it in my home studio, but have an INDURO CT214 with BHL-2 ballhead for any travel.

Mercer Loc: Houston, TX, USA

Billbobboy42 wrote:

Mercer, br br The only name on mine is Tiltall. ... (show quote)

I don't have the carry bag, and you are right about the 6lbs weight. If you have what I think you have, they were all the same model. On some, the legs are black. On others, the entire unit is shiny aluminum. I sold my old Tiltall along with the Bolex Movie setup, and recently acquired another for use with digital (plan to try some pinhole stuff). I think I paid $25. Amazon sells new ones for around $120. The longer you use the big tripod, the better you will like it. All the best, Mercer

Photo Girl Loc: SE Pasco County, FL

Billbobboy42 wrote:

tripod I purchased from one of the big camera stores in NYC, circa 1980. This thing is like new with original carrying bag. The product is a Tiltall, made in the U.S. While it's quite solid, the weight, 8 lbs, is unreal compared to today's tripods. Go on a long photo op hike with one of these and you can skip going to the gym that day.

Anyone have/had one of these? If so, do you still use it?

Bill

Was it kind of like this one: It weighs about 8 lbs. and I used it once with my D5100 to shoot the moon, hurt my back in the process. I'm looking for a light weight sturdy one with a level on it and easily maneuverable with my old hands

Photomacdog Loc: San Francisco (Bay Area) California

Hi Billbobboy,

I just purchased a Nikon D5300 camera with a Nikkor 18-300mm lens. I put it on my light duty tripod. The tripod would't hold the weight of the camera. I took my Tiltall tripod out of storage, dusted it off, I bought it back in the seventies, and put the Nikon on it. I forgot how solid that tripod was. When I had a lighter camera I could get away with a light duty tripod. I really like this tripod and plan on using it full time. Since I am eighty one, I don't plan doing any hiking.

Photomacdog

jrg56 Loc: Melbourne, Florida

I hope this is the right place to do this, I'm assuming it's a place to talk about older gear.

I have an old (1990s, that was yesterday It can't be old) Sigma wide angle lens. I bought it to use with my old now defunct Canon L2 HI8 camcorder. It worked great (with the adapter), I just got my new Canon SL1 hoping to use the old lens. I put it on and the camera quickly told me it couldn't make contact with the lens. To clean the contacts, so I did, still a no go. I thought well maybe the software couldn't handle the lens so I switched the camera to M and the lens to Manual still got the same warning. Am I just out of luck?

Sigma AF 14mm 1:3.5 (I don't pretend I know what that means)

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

I use a Vivitar Pro # 1301. Its basically the same tripod but a little nicer looking. I put my 600mm on it and it seems like it's at about it's max. I bought it used in about "74" for $50. It has served me very well for all these years. I have a small Gitzo alloy(probably just as old) for travel or hiking.
You only need to spend a fortune if you're trying to get a heavy duty pod at under 4 pounds. ;-)
SS

Billbobboy42 Loc: Center of Delmarva

Photo Girl wrote:

Was it kind of like this one: It weighs about 8 lbs. and I used it once with my D5100 to shoot the moon, hurt my back in the process. I'm looking for a light weight sturdy one with a level on it and easily maneuverable with my old hands

Margo, no, your's is much prettier than mine, which is all black. I thought mine was heavy at 6 lbs.

Here is a quick point n shoot pic of my Tiltall.

May I suggest a Really Right Stuff tripod and ball head? You might get the package for under $3k :roll:

Bill

Photo Girl Loc: SE Pasco County, FL

May I suggest a Really Right Stuff tripod and ball head? You might get the package for under $3k :roll:

Bill[/quote]

Heh, heh, that would buy half the company! lol. I looked at Best Buy and was surprised at the different quality tripods out there. The had one with a level, but the tripod was too heavy; another one with a level and ball head, but I didn't have the strength in my hands to squeeze the triggers. Some were flimsy and some were sturdy but not with the head I want. Good luck!