Johnny boy Loc: COCOA FL

I have this tri pod fron the 60's but just started to try to use it .It does not look like a very good one but better than none.How do judge if it is good bad or great ? Thank anyone that can help!

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

One good judge of quality is longevity. If its no longer made that may be a good clue. Also the fact you doubt its capability yourself may be another clue as to its actual capability.
Since I have never seen one myself ( or heard of them), I cannot comment first hand, but literally hundreds of brands of tripods are not defunct or have been bought out by bigger companies, even Bogen no longer exists due to buyout by Manfrotto and they were one of the very best!


PS
Your spelling has greatly improved. :thumbup:

Johnny boy Loc: COCOA FL

Thank you when you are a marine prv you buy waht you can
John

Gitzo Loc: Indiana

MT Shooter said;

One good judge of quality is longevity. If its no longer made that may be a good clue.

On that note; I bought an old Slik U-212 one time about 100 yrs ago; (I was younger then) I didn't realize just how bad the thing was, until I finally bought a better one. For some strange reason, Slik actually sold boat loads of those things, for years and years ! So if if you're depending on "the market" to get rid of the junky stuff.......sometimes it does, but other times it doesn't ! ( one of photography's biggest mysteries to me )

Even as bad as it is, the old U-212 is STILL much better than NO tripod; also, you can always use a spare tripod for "something".......like maybe to hold a flash unit, a reflector, something like that.

I think the "scheme" that Slik used on the U-212 to attach the camera to the tripod should have been more than enough to keep anyone from buying one.........but apparently, some people will buy just about anything! Instead of having a 1/4-20 threaded stud, the U-212 has a big 5/8" dia. "hole", and you attach this big, fat, 5/8" round, plastic "thingie" to the camera's tripod socket, then stick the plastic "thingie" in the big hole, and lock it with a little lever, (absolutely the WORST attempt at "quick release" ever invented.........but unsuspecting people STILL bought the things.....for years ! (photography sure attracts some funny people, doesn't it ?)

Johnny boy; try this.......I don't where you are.......but hopefully in a big city; go around to ALL of the Salvation Army thrift shops, Goodwill thrift shops, and look around; every so often I always see tripods in thrift shops; usually for about $2 or $3. Frequently you'll see an old "Tilt-all" tripod; some say Tilt-all on them and some don't; you can tell them because they have TWO levers sticking out, at 90 degrees to each other; one lever is maybe 9 in long, the other one is maybe 6 in long; the long lever "pans" the camera in a 360 degree circle, while the shorter lever controls "up and down "tilt"; between the two, you can point the camera ANY direction; these things are seriously STABLE, they last forever, and you can pick them up for a couple of bucks; you just have to do some "looking" to find one. Sure, they are not nearly as "convenient" to use as my Gitzo 340, (but they are a hell of a lot cheaper!)

I'm not sure what a "marine prv" is, ( Marine Pfc maybe ?) If so....you're in the BEST outfit ! ( I have a GREAT story about a former Marine Pfc, who is just now at Pensacola learning to fly airplanes; btw, he's now an O-1 )

flashgordonbrown Loc: Silverdale, WA

Actually-if you do your research-Bogen tripods were always made by Manfrotto. Bogen just had them labeled with their own model #s. Bogen was a distributor of many photographic products-some with their own brand name and some with the actual manufacturers brand name. I don't think that they ever actually manufactured anything. Lester Bogen was a very astute judge of photo products and their marketability, and built a pretty successful business distributing said products to retail outlets. His product line was the main-stay of many retail outlets. When I first got into photo retail in the late 60s, most of the cameras available were distributed by second party distributors ie not the actual manufacturer. It wasn't until the late 70s that most of the camera factories took over their own distribution. It was as if they let someone else do all of the initial hard work, then once their reputation was established they came in and took over!

flashgordonbrown

flashgordonbrown Loc: Silverdale, WA

Actually-if you do your research-Bogen tripods were always made by Manfrotto. Bogen just had them labeled with their own model #s. Bogen was a distributor of many photographic products-some with their own brand name and some with the actual manufacturers brand name. I don't think that they ever actually manufactured anything. Lester Bogen was a very astute judge of photo products and their marketability, and built a pretty successful business distributing said products to retail outlets. His product line was the main-stay of many retail outlets. When I first got into photo retail in the late 60s, most of the cameras available were distributed by second party distributors ie not the actual manufacturer. It wasn't until the late 70s that most of the camera factories took over their own distribution. It was as if they let someone else do all of the initial hard work, then once their reputation was established they came in and took over!

flashgordonbrown
www.froghollowphotography.com

photosarah Loc: East Sussex, UK

Looks don't matter. What DOES matter is whether it is stable. Put your camera on, with the longest lens you own, and touch the tripod gently. If it stays rock steady, it's a good tripod. If not, it isn't. You can try and make it steadier by hanging something heavy (like your camera bag) on it if it has a hook in between the three legs, or hanging the weight around the "neck" of the tripod. It might be steady with a short lens, and if you always use short lenses, then it could be OK. But an unstable tripod is no use whatsoever: you would be better off using a bean bag, or putting your camera on a ledge, or wedging yourself plus camera against a wall/corner. Lots of people have tripods they no longer use when they upgraded: ask on this forum if someone has one to sell. I do, but I'm in the UK, probably not much use to you.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Actually I HAVE done my research. Bogen tripods were made in Japan until 1968 when manufacturing was shifted to Manfrotto in Italy. I own 2 of the original Japan built Bogen tripods as collectors items. They occasionally pop up for sale on Ebay where I got my second one.
Pictures speak for themselves, 1964 model Bogen tripod: