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Category: Technique

Stiffness vs Center Column Height for RRS TCQ-14

March 6, 2018 - David Berryrieser - Leave a Comment

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 […]

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Stiffness vs Center Column Height for GT1545T

March 1, 2018March 8, 2018 - David Berryrieser - Leave a Comment

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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Stiffness and Damping vs Hanging Weight for Radial Motions

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 - David Berryrieser - Leave a Comment

In the previous post I looked at the stiffness and damping of a tripod versus that amount of weight suspended beneath it.  I was only looking at axial (side to side) rotations and found that hanging weight made no difference.  I only looked at this direction of motion since it is where tripods are weakest, […]

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Stiffness and Damping vs. Hanging Weight

February 18, 2018July 28, 2019 - David Berryrieser - Leave a Comment

It is generally accepted knowledge in the photographic community that hanging weight from the bottom hook on a tripod increases the stability of the system.  I have even seen claims that a cheap tripod can exhibit the performance of one several times its price when weight is hung underneath it.  Here we are going to […]

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Stiffness vs Center Column Height for Gitzo GT2542

February 7, 2018March 6, 2018 - David Berryrieser - Leave a Comment

Most tripods have a center column, enabling the user to extend the height of the tripod significantly above the apex.  This allows them to quickly and accurately change the height of the camera and carry a smaller tripod, while still allowing the camera to reach eye level.  However, from experience, we all know that raising […]

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