An exploration of stability
In a previous post, I tested the stiffness vs. height for the Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 tripod, and found that to get a good fit to the data, I had to include a term that accounted for the finite stiffness of the tripod apex. Using a simple power law was not enough to fit the data well. […]
Read MoreThe test results for the RRS TVC-23 are posted here. The TVC-23 is a three leg section, no center column, carbon tripod, all of the ingredients necessary for a high performing tripod. And indeed, it performs very well, completely outstripping everything else in the “All Purpose” class. While testing the TVC-23, I made a discovery […]
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Testing the stiffness of tripods has been a long time coming, and I am finally getting around to it. Up until now, I have been reporting the stiffness of tripods at their maximum height. This is the most natural approach, and most people are going to use their tripod at maximum leg extension most of […]
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I have just posted the test results for the MT055CXPRO3 and MT055CXPRO4 tripods. These are the top of the line still photography tripods from Manfrotto. These tripods are somewhat large and bulky, but perform very well for the price. They represent one of the best value propositions in tripods I have seen yet. Not to mention that […]
Read MoreI have previously laid out the framework and methodology for testing the stability of tripod legs. Of course, the legs cannot be used by themselves; a head is necessary to point the camera in an arbitrary direction. Ultimately then, the stiffness of the combined head-leg system is going to support the camera. Here, I am […]
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This is part of a series of posts I am doing on the stiffness of tripods versus how far the center column has been raised. I have previously tested the Gitzo GT2542 and Gitzo GT1545T tripods and found that the stiffness about both axes decreased in a linear fashion to around 55% as the center […]
Read MoreMost higher end tripod come with a 3/8″ screw hole at the bottom of each leg that can accept any type of foot with the same thread. This enables the user to swap out the feet depending on the type of surface the tripod is to be used on. In this post, I am going […]
Read MoreI recently learned that Really Right Stuff makes a converstion kit to turn a TFC-14, with no center column, into a TQC-14, with a center column. The conversion kit isn’t cheap at $155, but given that the TQC costs $100 more than the TFC new, it seems like a bargain. I decided to pick one […]
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In a previous post, I looked at the stiffness vs center column height for the Gitzo GT2542 Mountaineer. Here, I am going to do the same thing for the Gitzo GT1545T Traveler. The amount of stiffness lost by raising the center column should vary between tripods, most notably with the diameter of the center column. […]
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