Spread your legs

[Poch]

Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you can spread the legs wide open
so that it can be used lying down for nature/macro photography?

Poch

[Bill Hilton]

>From: "Poch" [email]reply@thegroup.com[/email]

>Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you can spread the legs wide open
>so that it can be used lying down for nature/macro photography?

Gitzo 1325 and 1348 for sure, the two I use (you want one of the Gitzos with
the pie plate on top instead of the center column). Probably many of the
others as well. The legs splay out so you can lay it flat.

Bill

[Mxsmanic]

Poch writes:

> Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you
> can spread the legs wide open so that it can
> be used lying down for nature/macro photography?

I believe a lot of Gitzo tripods can do this.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

[Poch]

Bill

How do these work when not splayed all the way out? Is there some sort of
friction lock to keep the legs in place or are there several predetermined
locking positions, is so how many? Thanks.

Regards, Poch

"Bill Hilton" <bhilton665@aol.comedy> wrote in message
news:20030710171304.28219.00000326@mb-m06.aol.com...

> >From: "Poch" [email]reply@thegroup.com[/email]

>

> >Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you can spread the legs wide

open

> >so that it can be used lying down for nature/macro photography?

>
> Gitzo 1325 and 1348 for sure, the two I use (you want one of the Gitzos

with

> the pie plate on top instead of the center column). Probably many of the
> others as well. The legs splay out so you can lay it flat.
>
> Bill

[EDGY01]

<< Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you can spread the legs wide open
so that it can be used lying down for nature/macro photography? >><BR><BR>


My Gitzo 1228 does that quite well. I use it with a shorter central column
then.

Dan

[Bandicoot]

"Poch" <reply@thegroup.com> wrote in message
news:sXlPa.7867$9v7.61006851@news-text.cableinet.net...
[re-arranged into logical order]

> "Bill Hilton" <bhilton665@aol.comedy> wrote in message
> news:20030710171304.28219.00000326@mb-m06.aol.com...

> > >From: "Poch" [email]reply@thegroup.com[/email]

> >

> > >Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you can spread the legs wide

> open

> > >so that it can be used lying down for nature/macro photography?

> >
> > Gitzo 1325 and 1348 for sure, the two I use (you want one of the Gitzos

> with

> > the pie plate on top instead of the center column). Probably many of

the

> > others as well. The legs splay out so you can lay it flat.
> >
> > Bill

>
> Bill
>
> How do these work when not splayed all the way out? Is there some sort of
> friction lock to keep the legs in place or are there several predetermined
> locking positions, is so how many? Thanks.
>
> Regards, Poch

Bill is right abou these two 3 series tripods. Any Gitzo with "performance"
in its full name (see the Gitzo website) has multiple leg angles. This
includes both aluminium and CF models. The Explorer ones have infinitely
adjustable leg angles.

The 'standard' Gitzo performance tripod (ie. other than the explorers) has
three leg angles preset. The 'normal' angle, an intermediate one, and one
that is nearly out flat. (two legs at the flatest setting and the third at
the intermediate one is very good for low level close-up work.)

They work with a very simple mechanism that will take a lot of hard use.
Normally the legs will open to the first position and stop, you then move a
catch out a little and can move the leg to the next stop, or move the catch
right out and the leg opens to the third stop position. When you fold the
legs you can just push all the catches back to their 'rest' position and the
tripod will again 'default' to the normal leg spread angle. Takes a great
deal longer to explain badly than to grasp as soon as you see it.

A centre column obviously gets in the way. With the "systematic" models -
all series 4 and 5 and half of series 3 - you can swap out any column and
use the 'pie-plate' Bill mentions. With other models you want to get a
'rapid' column rather than a geared one - rapid means it works in the same
way as the leg locks. This is because you can't remove a geared column
easily, whereas the rapid one can be taken out very easily - you can then
bolt a platform or head direct to the top, or else use one of the special
short columns that are available.

The bigger Gitzos are very stable at low levels.

Manfrotto/Bogen also makes CF tripods with multiple angles - again there are
three operated by a push button mechanism that is more complex and less
robust than Gitzo's. The columns on these can be slid out and replaced by a
flat plate; on two of the models you can also re-insert the column
horizontally and slide it in and out. These are very nice too, though the
Gitzos seem to have the edge in durability and ultimate stability.



Peter

[Bill Hilton]

>> Are there any carbon fibre tripods where you can spread the legs wide

>> open so that it can be used lying down for nature/macro photography?

>From: [email]edgy01@aol.com[/email] (EDGY01)

>My Gitzo 1228 does that quite well. I use it with a shorter central
>columnthen.Dan

Dan, my wife uses a 1228 but it has a built-in center column so it won't splay
out fully (ie, 90 degrees). Can you replace your center column on the 1228 or
do you just not go totally flat?

Bill