Camera Gear: Tripods

[torags]

I am working on just such a project. Have all the parts although I went with 4" PVC pipe since that is all that seem available. It will certaily be robust when finished - maybe do double duty as a crash guard.

But the problem is how to secure it to the bike. What kind of fasteners did you use?

Thanks,

Paul

I bent some 1" flat stock to fashion two hooks. 1/4" 1/2" +/- bolts w round locking nuts inside saddlebag. Bonded (with rubber) washers in and out against saddle bag material. Get end cap, drill a couple of 1/4" holes and glue to one end of ABS.

Home Depot for 2" ABS and a sewer joint, composed of black rubber hose and two ss clamps. Slip the hose onto ABS, clamps over flat stock and tighten.

No leaks in the pannier and its a tough rigid hold that doesn't pool up in the rain.

Tom I think its better suited as a mobile potato mortar. I need a good charge ;-).

BTW Paul, I didn't go with PVC because it was white and would attract too much attention. I have left my black tripod in the quiver in cities. It seems to blend in and kids don't notice it.

 

[PAULBACH]

I bent some 1" flat stock to fashion two hooks. 1/4" 1/2" +/- bolts w round locking nuts inside saddlebag. Bonded (with rubber) washers in and out against saddle bag material. Get end cap, drill a couple of 1/4" holes and glue to one end of ABS.

Home Depot for 2" ABS and a sewer joint, composed of black rubber hose and two ss clamps. Slip the hose onto ABS, clamps over flat stock and tighten.

No leaks in the pannier and its a tough rigid hold that doesn't pool up in the rain.

Tom I think its better suited as a mobile potato mortar. I need a good charge ;-).

BTW Paul, I didn't go with PVC because it was white and would attract too much attention. I have left my black tripod in the quiver in cities. It seems to blend in and kids don't notice it.

It looks like you used a smaller diameter pipe. Does the head of the monopod go inside or do you have to remove the head to make it fit inside the pipe?

Yeah the white PVC sticks out like a sore thumb. But it the Mark I design I will spray paint the whole assembly either black or gray to blend in.

One big advantage of the 4" PVC pipe is more firepower for potato launching.

Thanks for the assembly hints.

 

[torags]

It looks like you used a smaller diameter pipe. Does the head of the monopod go inside or do you have to remove the head to make it fit inside the pipe?

.

The monopod sticks out for fast access. If I leave bike for a long period I put it in the saddlebag. I can stay on the bike, pull my cam out of tank bag attach monopod in the saddle and clik in low light situations (longer exposures), then take off for a different angle. Works for me.

 

[dlowry]

I bought one of these for our Alaska Cruise this summer.

It's the Gorillapod from Joby. I forget what I paid for it. I used it to hold both SLR, and DV cameras to the ships railings to try and get good-steady shots in lower light levels. I will also carry this on the bike from now on since it is compact, and can be set on or wrapped around just about any surface / post / handlebar - you get the idea. It's also like bubble wrap in a way, you want to bend and twist and play with it simply because it exists.

 

[bmdubyou]

I have two sets of gear.

I have a 200/400 f4 about 10lbs + cam 1.5? Most of the bike friendly tripods (4section poles) are under capacity and are worthless with that weight in a breeze.

For this I got a Slik 7000 Pro, 30" folded and a few pounds. Besides the head, level, etc I liked the leg cam locks. I originally got a more expensive screw lock and it took forever to set up. I'll post the farkle tube I made for the bike & planes when I take a shot.

My travel Hiking/biking kit has a Sima SMP-1C Monopod, an Ultrapod (can attach to pole or tree) and a Cullman 52013. Small units good for traveling & daylight photography. BTW here's a farkle some might be interested in:

My monopod quiver

could one assume you dont ride two-up with that setup?

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

I bought one of these for our Alaska Cruise this summer.

It's the Gorillapod from Joby. I forget what I paid for it. I used it to hold both SLR, and DV cameras to the ships railings to try and get good-steady shots in lower light levels. I will also carry this on the bike from now on since it is compact, and can be set on or wrapped around just about any surface / post / handlebar - you get the idea. It's also like bubble wrap in a way, you want to bend and twist and play with it simply because it exists.

Ships shudder and shake and vibrate - I'd be surprised if a ship's railing provided a steady shot - especially with long exposures/low light settings.

But the GorillaPod is a great product. The legs wrap around my crash bars and mirror stalks, so I'm looking forward to taking some cool photos with my remote shutter release zip tied to my handlebars and the camera mounted to the bike in an infinite number of possible ways.

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

I "need" a carbon fiber tripod! A member of my camera club had one...OMG it was soo light! THe crazy thing is...he had a humongous arca swiss ball head that weighed almost as much as the legs!
Currently I have a set of aluminum bogen legs and a nice medium ball head with a quick release plate that also fits on the tilt head of my monopod. I dont like the 3-way heads with the arms sticking out...ball heads are the only way to go!

I have a Hakuba carbon fiber tripod, and it's pretty light - and was certainly reasonably priced, as carbon fiber tripods go, at $300. Of course I've spent that much again on the Really Right Stuff ball head and quick release system...
http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/quick_start/index.html

 

[SNC1923]

Of course I've spent that much again on the Really Right Stuff ball head and quick release system...
http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/quick_start/index.html

I'm starting to lust after one of these, one of these, and--of course--one of these.

When I first encountered RRS, I dismissed them entirely with a "that's just stupidly expensive." But the more I analyze their product, the more I realize how worthwhile it is, particularly the L-plate system.

Looks like I'll be puttin' in some more overtime. . . .

 

[OfficerImpersonator]

I'm starting to lust after one of these, one of these, and--of course--one of these.

When I first encountered RRS, I dismissed them entirely with a "that's just stupidly expensive." But the more I analyze their product, the more I realize how worthwhile it is, particularly the L-plate system.

Looks like I'll be puttin' in some more overtime. . . .

I need a cocaine habit. It would be far more affordable than an addiction to RRS products.

 

[dlowry]

Ships shudder and shake and vibrate - I'd be surprised if a ship's railing provided a steady shot - especially with long exposures/low light settings.

Actually, had pretty good luck with it, although I did use it on the ship primarily for holding the DV cam. It was my first time using it so I was a bit nervous - $150 DV cam or $2000 DSLR at the edge of a ship. Also, since we had near perfect weather the was little movement. Nevertheless, it's a great tool...

 

[BRADFORDBENN]

Gorillapod +1

I have a gorillapod and just ordered my second one. As a smugmug user one can get a discount (go to club smugmug on your control panel). I got the size bigger then I needed for my second camera and also for my first as I wanted a little more "strength" and hopefully stability as a result.

 

[rocketman]

Ships shudder and shake and vibrate - I'd be surprised if a ship's railing provided a steady shot - especially with long exposures/low light settings.

But the GorillaPod is a great product. The legs wrap around my crash bars and mirror stalks, so I'm looking forward to taking some cool photos with my remote shutter release zip tied to my handlebars and the camera mounted to the bike in an infinite number of possible ways.

True and I'll be curious what sort of results I'll have on my upcoming cruise as I just got a gorillaPod, when docked or moored it shouldn't be a problem and I did take this shot on one voyage using a standard tripod. Came out pretty good.

Sailing to Venus (its the tiny dot just to the right of the radar pod)

RM

 

[SNC1923]

That's a cool picture, dude.

 

[rocketman]

Actually, had pretty good luck with it, although I did use it on the ship primarily for holding the DV cam. It was my first time using it so I was a bit nervous - $150 DV cam or $2000 DSLR at the edge of a ship. Also, since we had near perfect weather the was little movement. Nevertheless, it's a great tool...

whenever I'm in that sort of situation, i.e. hanging over a edge, balcony, etc the camera strap is ALWAYS around my neck! or if I'm shooting and want to be in the shot I loop the strap around and thru itself so just in case....

RM

 

[rocketman]

That's a cool picture, dude.

Tanks, I'm kinda partial to it myself!
Sailing on the big ships is tons of fun and at 4 AM its dead quite topside, great for star-gazing and just chillin'

here's the whole thing, as you see it shot above really forshortens it as I took it from just in front of the stack,

theses things are frickin HUGE!

RM

 

[darcym]

For most of my casual shots, I don't need a tripod. While the gorilla pod is cool if you want to take pictures of yourself and bike, it doesn't appear to be robust enough to handle a metal body SLR and any of the larger lenses. With Image Stabilization and lots of flexibility in terms of ISO, and good technique, there are a lot of shots that you can get away with no support.

One of the advantages of a sturdy tripod is to hold the camera so you don't have to. Unsurpassed if you've got a long lens and are standing in the same spot for a long time -- i.e., nature photography around a pond, or for long exposure times. A monopod can often work in a pinch. Need more stability? A small roll of duct tape to secure the pod to a nearby pole or fence rail.

Really Right Stuff makes awesome gear. Yes, as expensive as a drug or golf habit. I have a QR plate on my monopod, and lens or camera plates all around. The stuff is super high quality. It also has fantastic resale value.

I've tried some smaller or compact tripods for motorcycling, but find they're not robust enough, too hard to deploy, or awkward for the times when I need just a little support. So I travel with a Bogen monopod that has a tripod like support that screws out of the bottom. The monopod alone is good enough most of the time when hand held won't do. I would love to get one in carbon fiber for the weight saving, though.

 

[rocketman]

For most of my casual shots, I don't need a tripod. While the gorilla pod is cool if you want to take pictures of yourself and bike, it doesn't appear to be robust enough to handle a metal body SLR and any of the larger lenses. With Image Stabilization and lots of flexibility in terms of ISO, and good technique, there are a lot of shots that you can get away with no support.

One of the advantages of a sturdy tripod is to hold the camera so you don't have to. Unsurpassed if you've got a long lens and are standing in the same spot for a long time -- i.e., nature photography around a pond, or for long exposure times. A monopod can often work in a pinch. Need more stability? A small roll of duct tape to secure the pod to a nearby pole or fence rail.

Really Right Stuff makes awesome gear. Yes, as expensive as a drug or golf habit. I have a QR plate on my monopod, and lens or camera plates all around. The stuff is super high quality. It also has fantastic resale value.

I've tried some smaller or compact tripods for motorcycling, but find they're not robust enough, too hard to deploy, or awkward for the times when I need just a little support. So I travel with a Bogen monopod that has a tripod like support that screws out of the bottom. The monopod alone is good enough most of the time when hand held won't do. I would love to get one in carbon fiber for the weight saving, though.

I've seen those monopods with the little legs that deploy out the bottom but wondered if you could get any stability with that without still holding it. Doesn't seem like they deploy out far enough to do any good. What kind of luck have you had with that? And what sort of situation have you used that setup in? Full extension of the pole, or with the pole colapsed and the legs deployed to from a sort of mini-pod?

RM

 

[dancogan]

After years of carting around a 6 pound tripod, I decided to lighten up before our trip to Washington State last year. So I took the plunge and bought a Gitzo carbon fiber with the new G-lock legs, wondering whether a 3 pound drop in weight would make any difference. It made a huge difference on our hikes, and was far more comfortable to carry. In addition, the new G-lock system, which keeps the outer legs from spinning when you tighten up the inner leg lock, makes set up and take down really, really quick! An additional advantage of the carbon fiber is that it doesn't suck the heat out of your hands in the cold - much more comfortable to carry. In addition to the lighter weight of the tripod I went with a much smaller backpack. While I left my beloved 70-200/2.8 lens at home, I really enjoyed the hiking experience, without feeling like a pack mule.

 

[globalrider]

What? Manfrotto 714SHB Digi Micro Tripod

Why? Look at the specs on the link above. Its compact, is solid and has a ball head.

The exact same tripod with a quick release is the 715SHB

Works for me!

 

[darcym]

I've seen those monopods with the little legs that deploy out the bottom but wondered if you could get any stability with that without still holding it. Doesn't seem like they deploy out far enough to do any good. What kind of luck have you had with that? And what sort of situation have you used that setup in? Full extension of the pole, or with the pole colapsed and the legs deployed to from a sort of mini-pod?

RM

RocketMan -

I used the deployable legs once for some night shots, witht the monopod nearly fully extended. They're good in a pinch for really low shutter speed, but I did not trust it to fully support the camera -- I would let go but not have my hands far away. Ok for a small lens, not so good with bigger lenses. Did not try it as a mini-pod but that's probably a good idea, it's probably nearly as stable as a typical table top tripod.