Tripods, Monopods And Other Camera Supports

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Grumpy

Grumpy

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I am curious as to what kinds of tripod and other camera support gear the photographers here use, and what their impressions of it are.

A year ago I went hog wild and upgraded my tripod “system” from a venerable (ca 1970) and still serviceable Tiltall.

The new setup is built around a pretty much state of the art Gitzo carbon fiber model (Mountaineer #3530). The tripod is equipped with an adjustable center column. The tripod leg set is topped off with a Really Right Stuff BH-55-LR ball head (which comes set up with a RRS lever cam action dovetail clamp). This also necessitated buying several RRS dovetail “plates” to attach cameras and lenses to the ballhead.

Really Right Stuff: http://reallyrightstuff.com/index.html

Gitzo: http://www.gitzo.com/jsp/index.jsp

The setup cost a small fortune, and when Mrs. Grumpy found out what I’d done there was some upheaval in our little love nest. Nonetheless, I regard the spending spree to have been a (photographic) success. I now have a tripod “system” that is remarkably quick to put into service, is very steady, is very easy to adjust, and when adjusted stays put. I use a tripod now more than I have in years, and like both that way of working and the results.

My only beef with my new tripod system is that it is fairly large and heavy – a little much for incidental photography while hiking.

So one of these days there may be another upheaval in Grumpy’s Love Nest, if I put together a smaller, lighter weight version of the tripod kit for hiking. (My, my, we are becoming specialized more and more, aren’t we?)

In the meantime, I am planning to get back to work soon (three weeks or so) after dealing for the last 6-7 months with surgery and a series of chemotherapy treatments for lung cancer. (So far, the treatment results have been promising, and in many ways I am feeling a lot better than I did last summer before the diagnosis.) I also plan to be hiking again when the weather warms up and the snow is mostly history.

Anyway, for while I expect to deal with some issues involving strength, stamina and endurance. Since a lot of the photo work I do involves sports and theatrical performances, there is a great deal of standing and holding gear at the ready. So I am again shopping for camera support equipment. This time it will be an updated monopod.

Now, I’ve used a monopod for years – a simple old Tiltall, which is nothing more than one of Tiltall’s tripod legs with a small platform and mounting screw on top. The thing is heavy aluminum, and just about indestructible. It no doubt remains serviceable, but … well, I want to “treat” myself with a nice “getting back to work gift.”

I’ve already decided the new monopod will be set up with a Really Right Stuff dovetail clamp to attach the camera or lens. (Those things are incredibly quick and convenient.) So now I have to choose the monopod itself. I am eyeing a couple of Gitzo carbon fiber models that certainly will satisfy me, but they do seem very expensive for a “stick.”

I wonder if any of you guys here have brands and models that you’ve used and would care to share your thoughts about.

Thanks.

G.
 
I almost never bring a tripod on a hike. If I sense the need for stability, I will either try to use a rock, branch, etc. for stability.

I also own a classic Tiltall, early 80's vintage in this case, but probably a close relative to what you have/had. I use it when I really want stability, like an eclipse shot.

I have taken an Astroscan (a small reflecting telescope) with me for a few hikes. It has its own low tripod.
 
I, like Tom, usually do not bring a tripod with me. If I'm going on a short dayhike in nice weather, then I will plan on taking more time to snap some photos, and will bring a tripod, and simply use this cheep one. The worse quality ones are lighter, because the material is less durable, but it makes it nice for carrying.
My roommate uses one of these mini-tripods, and really likes it. I believe he brings it on most of his hikes.

Otherwise, a branch or stone works very well.
 
I have a slightly-better-than-cheap-but-not-expensive tripod that I've had for years and years that I have only recently been bringing on hikes. It retracts and folds up fairly small to fit in my pack.

I used to use rocks, trees, etc to prop up my camera, and that suited me quite well at the time. Now, however, I've been experimenting with ND filters on waterfalls, panoramas and multi-exposure for HDR photography, so a tripod is a must (unless you find a rock or log just the right height in the right place). I'll go for the rock 99% of the time if I can get away with it, just to avoid pulling the tripod out of the pack and setting up!

I've never tried a monopod but there have been many times that I've wished for one after fumbling with all the legs and swivel adjustments on the tripod when in a hurry.
 
I don't carry a tripod on the trail. (I might carry one if I went on a photography hike.) I use rocks, trees, hiking poles, etc for bracing if I feel that I need it.

I do carry an inexpensive tripod on car trips.

Good luck with the cancer (tripod or no tripod).

Doug
 
I always carry a full size tripod, but it's just a SLIK that I picked up for about $40. It was about the lightest thing that I ran across that wasn't carbon fiber (cost prohibitive for me) and wouldn't fall apart if you looked at it funny (pretty much all of the other aluminium models I've looked at.)

I'm pretty satisfied with it. It has seen better days, but it has also fallen down mountainsides (thankfully without a camera.)
 
I own a $25 aluminum tripod, but only carry it if I've planned the hike around it, i.e. for sunsets, waterfalls, or previously-scouted interesting flora. It's not hard to carry, but unpacking it and setting it up is usually not worth the time.

edit to add: example flora shot using tripod (click to enlarge):
 
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For many hikes on sunny days I carry no tripod. Many photos can be hand held. Where needed I use all of the makeshift support techniques already mentioned. I occasionally carry a bean bag, but a spare article of clothing can also be used for support in conjunction with trees, rocks, etc.

If I am planning a serious photography hike I will carry a tripod. I have both medium and heavier weight tripods which I will select based on the length of the hike and my non-photography pack load. I will definitely carry a tripod if I know I am going to be photographing in low light, using slow shutter speeds (such as for waterfalls), doing macro work, or using small apertures for depth of field which will necessitate long shutter speeds.

I find the various "tilt" tripod heads to be too cumbersome. A ball head is a must, and I am very partial to the Slik pistol grip head. Slik makes two models. Each eliminates the endless screw tightening motion needed to reposition the ball head. Simply pull the pistol grip to unlock the ball, and release the grip to lock the ball. Repositioning can be done in less than one second. Switching between vertical and horizontal formats may take slightly longer, perhaps 2-3 seconds. The head may not be quite as stable as the best Gitzo and other professional ball heads, but I have found it to be more than adequate for my needs. Slik no longer sells these heads in combination with a tripod, but they can be used on virtually any base tripod. I have been using mine for about 20 years. My only experience is with the AF-2100 model. The more recent AF-1100E model is slightly less expensive for lighter weight cameras. The Quick Release Platforms (which attach to the camera) are different and not interchangeable between the two Slik models. One platform is included with each head, and you can buy additional platforms if you have multiple cameras that you wish to change quickly on the tripod.
 
I’m awful sorry to hear about your illness, Grumpy. I hope your recovery continues to go well.

I have one of those old Sliks (maybe about 15 inches collapsed?); I’ve long since forgotten the model number, but I carried it on a nine-day backpacking trip around Yosemite in 1985 and it wasn’t too heavy. I think that original one was replaced, but I don’t remember why. It may have fallen off my bicycle and smashed. Anyway, one time I had one leg shoved behind my camera bag’s hip belt while I was walking around New York City, and I overheard some guy behind me comment that I may be a robot, and said something about a ‘‘big screw.’’

I also have a much heavier Slik, which never got much use. The little screw-in thing got lost one of the few times I used it.

Both of those have been in the crawl space for years. I wrecked my Olympus OM-1 in 2002 — so no more 300 millimeter lens to worry about — and I’ve been using compact digital cameras since.

I’ve had a small minipod which I got from Early Winters for decades. It has a couple Velcro strips that can be wrapped around things, but lately I’ve been using one of those Gorillapods that Tim Seaver touted a couple summers ago. It’s handy, but I understand from other posts here that it may not last long.
 
Yep, that’s it. I knew it had a name somethingpod, but I couldn’t remember it. The same thing except that my Velcro was pink for some reason.

The big tripod was the Slik Universal U-212. I didn’t find the smaller one where I thought it was, so its model remains a mystery.
 
Once in a while I'll bring my tripod along on a hike if I'm familiar with the area and its photographic opportunities. I too have an ORIGINAL Marchioni Tiltall. It's lasted 30+ years and it's still going strong. The new Tiltall is a piece of junk. I guess nowadays it's all about carbon fiber.
 
Slik also made a smaller model called the U-112, but I always preferred Bogen (now Manfrotto).

Before I began hiking (less than 10 years ago), all of my outings were photo-oriented, and I hauled a big Bogen tripod around along with a few camera bags in my car to get that perfect picture. Now (coinciding with my aging body), if I carry a tripod at all, it's a tiny tabletop model that I can strap onto my paddle shaft or just lean against a tree for added support. Most of my photos are hand held with the assist of Image Stabilization built in to my little Canon camera. Still, regardless of what electronic stabilization aids you might have, a sturdy tripod ALWAYS improves the sharpness of an image - I just don't need that level of quality anymore, because I've stopped competing in camera club competitions where that extra degree of sharpness is noticeable. Hope you get back on the trail soon. ;)
 
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What camera club, Bob? I was in the Colonial Camera Club of Boxborough, Mass., for about ten years. I left after deciding it wasn't worth my while or expense when I had to work Thursday nights, the night we met. Later, when I had Thursdays off again, I looked into going to a meeting, and learned that the club had disbanded. Too bad, we had had a lot of success there for a while. The one night our long-time, frequent president missed, and they broke it up.
 
I still belong to the Twin Cities Camera Club in the Tonawandas (Buffalo area), where I was a Charter Member back in '72, and still judge occasionally. It's part of the Niagara Frontier Regional Camera Clubs (NFRCC) of Western NY and Southern Ontario, so we're INTERNATIONAL!


http://digiphotosearch.com/ or just Google nfrcc
 
After finally killing my father's 1971 vintage tripod, I splurged and got a Manfrotto tripod and a ball head. Very sturdy but heavy. I have my little tripod like the one Raymond mentioned (Mine has black Velcro. Not that there's anything wrong with pink Velcro!) plus another small one with a screw clamp. I've used bean bags in the past but I've found that a bag of M&M Peanuts works just as well and tastes better. The basic advise is to find anything that works to steady your shots.

JohnL
 
I am happy with the Manfrotto 725B tripod/integrated ball head which I purchased last year to use with my Rebel XTi. I will take it with me on photoshoots, but will leave it home on most other hikes.
Where weight is an issue - on multi-day backpacks, for example, I take a small SLIK Mini-Pro III which comes with its own carry bag and fits easily into one of the outer pockets of my pack. I was able to use it on our trip to Pantagonia to take sunset and sunrise shots . perching the camera/tripod on some large rocks.

http://www.amazon.com/Manfrotto-725B-Tripod-Integrated-Carrying/dp/B000FFSDCC

http://www.adorama.com/SLMP3.html
 
I switched to a ball head about 10 years ago, and use it for everything - even my big cameras. Manfrotto is excellent quality, and you can buy replacement parts if anything ever breaks on it. On cheap tripods, you pretty much have to throw them away if they break.
 
AlgonquinBob-
And, as full-sized tripods go, the Manfrotto 725B isn't all that heavy. I'm interested in finding a head to take pano shots. Any suggestions as to what would work with this tripod?
 
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