Billbobboy42 wrote:
I have a US made Tilt-All tripod from the early '80s and it is just too heavy for me (ya, I'm getting older) to launch with it on a photo hike. The only paper work that came with it was a tag. No specifications provided. So, I have no idea what the unit's weight capacity is. The other problem I have is that the included pan head appears to not be a consumer removable item. Thus, if I want to use my gimble or ball head, I must attach them to the pan head. Not what I envision as a nice setup. Clumsy, if nothing else.
The heaviest equipment I expect to place on the tripod is my Canon 6D, Tamron 150-600, and a Nest gimble head. The total weight, rounded up, is 9 lbs.
Given the above, about what price range & make of a new carbon fiber tripod should I get to at least equal or a bit better than the Tilt-All (which as mentioned above, I have no idea what the "starting point" weight-wise is)? Bottom line is I don't want to buy a new tripod only to discover it's not as good as my old one.
Thanks for advice in advance.
I have a US made Tilt-All tripod from the early '8... (
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These were made in the Leica factory in Rockleigh NJ - back in the 70s, under license from the Italian designer. They were great tripods, but limited to 35mm and medium format with relatively short lenses.
The issue for you is not the 9lb camera/lens. but the fact that it is a 600mm lens. You will need a set of legs that has extremely good torsional rigidity, and it will probably not be made out of metal, which are prone to amplifying vibrations from breezes and the camera's shutter, mirror, and lens focusing mechanism.
And you want it light. So carbon fiber seems to be the recommendation here.
Ideally, you would need a Really Right Stuff or Gitzo Series 5 tripod - or another brand that has at least a 37mm max diameter on the top tube of the legs. You don't see this in smaller, cheaper or less suitable tripods.
My story is I tried a Gitzo Series 3 (3541) with a 500mm lens. Seven years ago it cost me $550 new. But it was inadequate for use with a Sigma 50-500 and a D200, which is perhaps a bit lighter than what you have. I wanted a set of legs that was not more than 3.5 lbs, for many of the same reasons as yourself, so a Series 5, at almost 5 lbs, was not under consideration.
Anyway, I returned the Gitzo, since even Gitzo did not recommend that tripod with lenses longer than 300mm.
I ended up getting a Feisol CT3472 (not the 3471 which was heavier and not a rigid), and so far have not regretted it. The tripod was dead steady with the 50-500, and has proven steady, when shooting with care, using a D300, 600mm F4, and a 1.4x TC - for a total focal length of 1260. It is not a well-known brand, but I can vouch for its value - I think they currently sell for around $575. They are engineered from the ground up and not merely copied from another manufacturer. I believe the weight without center column is about 3.4 lbs. and the top section is 37mm, compared to the series 5 which is 38mm I believe.
BTW, I used to work for Leica, in the same facility that made the Tilt-All tripods, back in 1972.