New Tripod

[pluton]

Any opinions on this one...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gitzo-Tripod-Very-large-old-school-aluminium-tripod-geared-column/192564773314?hash=item2cd5c141c2:g:Hb0AAOSwjh5bFDSl

Nothing I can't fix...

Beware "Legs all extend properly but are a bit stiff."
That may mean deformed top tubes and/or multiple bent leg sections. 

[Seapy]

Beware "Legs all extend properly but are a bit stiff."
That may mean deformed top tubes and/or multiple bent leg sections.

I hope Arthur doesn't mind me hijacking his thread...

Good point Keith, hadn't thought of bent or deformed leg tubes.  That doesn't phase me too much, straightening and re-forming the legs is a challenge I would enjoy.

What's of more concern and I only just spotted it under the tape, is:  "Top hinge of one leg repaired with piece of metal." A bit of sheet steel cobbled together and wrapped with insulating tape.  The top casting has been broken.  Won't weld because the broken off bits will be missing so will need to machine a complete new top hinge, similar challenge to my broken Benbo hinge.

For 99.9% of photographers this is scrap, for me it's an interesting challenge.  Guessing the legs may have bent when the top hinge was broken. I can (just about, at the moment) afford £32 for a lathe project with the prospect of a nice old Gitzo tripod at the end of it.  Can't see me using the rising column, as Birna remarks, extended columns don't lead to rigidity and rigidity is what I  am after.  I am assuming the column will remove and leave a ball levelling base?

I have a different task in mind for the sturdy looking column... Mmmm.

[Øivind Tøien]

Thanks Øivind, could probable do something about the spread, although for low work I prefer the Benbo...

What about the telescopic leg extender locks, they seem to be the loose olive type, I have never considers that type to be very robust, unlike the over centre cam clamps with non telescopic legs, which I think Birna's tripods mostly are.

The ones on my Gitzo work well enough except for my desire to have a locking mechanism that prevents the outer leg segments to rotate as in many modern tripods (Upper lock must be tightened hard to prevent lower leg segment to rotate when tightening those locks). However the auction states:

"Leg rubbers have been replaced by cloth grips."

I would be  skeptic about this as it might be hard to get a good grip compared to the original ribbed rubber grip on the metal locks. There is need to apply some force when tightening those locks.

Also the auction shows that the plastic cover on the platform is cracked. I reused this platform when I cut my Gitzo, mounting it directly to the top surface of the crown. You could of course grind down the cracked plastic and mount the head directly to the remaining aluminum or machine something completely new.

It might be worthwhile to be a bit more patient and keep monitoring on ebay.

Edit: I do not think it has a cup for a leveling base like on the Sachtlers.

[Seapy]

It might be worthwhile to be a bit more patient and keep monitoring on ebay.

Sage advice Øivind!  Thank you.  Impetuous should be my middle name!   

I really want a double top tube tripod, with cam lever clamps like my surveyors tripod but a dedicated photographers device.

[Akira]

Robert, you could make two monopods from that Gitzo!

[Seapy]

Robert, you could make two monopods from that Gitzo!

LOL!   

I already have two monopods, both Manfrotto, one has little legs hidden in the base to act as a sort of tall lighting stand... Very happy with them... Don't need two more! 

[ArthurDent]

I hope Arthur doesn't mind me hijacking his thread...

 Hijack away!
 Unless you are looking for a project, I’d be in the camp of those who say “keep looking,” there are too many things wrong with that tripod to justify the price. It’s a wreck.

[Seapy]

Hijack away!
 Unless you are looking for a project, I’d be in the camp of those who say “keep looking,” there are too many things wrong with that tripod to justify the price. It’s a wreck.

Thanks Arthur!

Projects I have aplenty!  A better tripod (intended for photography) than the heavy duty surveyors version I have would be welcome, but at a price which involves my input with the lathe...

No point in having lathe and time if I can't use it to my advantage.

[ArthurDent]

If my latest tripod (current status: on the truck for delivery today) doesn't work, I may go with a regular tripod and  something like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Tripod-Boom-Camera-Extension-Arm-Foldable-Studio-Macro-shooting-TK104/312109609554?hash=item48ab2eb252:g:z40AAOSwX1Za0AnB

Anyone have any experience with this device?

[Seapy]

It achieves a similar effect to the Benbo.  The issue with these arms is that they introduce flex into the support.  That can have an adverse effect on sharpness, keep the outhang to a minimum.

Until I went mad and bought a stack of Manfrotto RC2 camera mounts I almost never used any ball head on my Benbo, I just screwed the arm into the bottom of the camera and got on with it.  It was possible to align the camera very easily without a ball head.

I am gradually switching to the Arca Swiss dovetail rail mount to increase compatibility with my Pano Head and the various rails I am accumulating.

[pluton]

Also the auction shows that the plastic cover on the platform is cracked. I reused this platform when I cut my Gitzo, mounting it directly to the top surface of the crown. You could of course grind down the cracked plastic and mount the head directly to the remaining aluminum or machine something completely new.

I removed the plastic base from my old Gitzo, and applied a thin layer or gaffer's tape to the flat aluminum disc that sat under the plastic base. Vibration and shake when using a tele lens was instantly reduced by a small amount after having eliminated the plastic base.

[Seapy]

From the rather poor (but typical eBay) images I was left wondering why the base was apparently so fractured, it was instantly listed for replacement, until sense and reason kicked in!

[Akira]

The multi-purpose rail arrived.  I did a quick test of the rig depicted here.  The tripod is Gitzo series 3 with Markins hub and RRS feet.  The ballheads are Acratech G2 (on the tripod) and Sunwayfoto FB-28 (on the rail) respectively.  The two ballheads functioning like two universal joint are so flexible that make the setup of the camera really easy.

Sorry for the smartphone images of terrible quality!  I haven't used the rig outdoors yet, but it seems to be stable enough.  The third and fourth images are shot with the setup shown in the first image.

[ArthurDent]

The multi-purpose rail arrived.  I did a quick test of the rig depicted here.  The tripod is Gitzo series 3 with Markins hub and RRS feet.  The ballheads are Acratech G2 (on the tripod) and Sunwayfoto FB-28 (on the rail) respectively.  The two ballheads functioning like two universal joint are so flexible that make the setup of the camera really easy.

Sorry for the smartphone images of terrible quality!  I haven't used the rig outdoors yet, but it seems to be stable enough.  The third and fourth images are shot with the setup shown in the first image.

Akira- That is a very interesting set-up, but not as interesting as the lens on your camera! What is it?

[Akira]

Akira- That is a very interesting set-up, but not as interesting as the lens on your camera! What is it?

Arhtur, the lens is an old Olympus Zuiko MC Macro 38mm/f3.5.  It has an RMS mount and is thus mounted on my D750 via a cone-shape RMS to M42 adapter, an M42 to M39 adapter, Nikon BR-15 M39 to F mount adapter and Nikon M2 extension tube.