----- Original Message ----- From: Ayash Kanto Mukherjee < Subject: Re: Super Program vibration
> > The advantages are that they are very tough, and easy to repair > > if something does break. > > Do you mean that the broken wooden parts can be joined using > Araldite/Loctite? Is it as tough as the metal ones? Wood deals with impact differently from metal. Wood has a lot more resiliency. If I manage to put a dent in a wood tripod leg that binds the leg, I can often fix it in the field with a pocket knife and sandpaper. It is concievable that a broken leg could be glued back together with carpenters glue, but it is also quite easy to fabricate new components from easily available hardwood if needed. If you dent a metal tripod leg, it makes it useless, as the leg will no longer operate properly, and could collapse completely during use. >I have heard somewhere that the weight of the tripod > should be at least 3 times of the equipment that one is going to mount. Is > it true or do you think that the threshold is much higher? I think it depends a lot on the camera and the tripod in question. The Manfrotto 028 is a big heavy metal tripod, easily 4 times the weight of the Super Program mounted to the Tokina 400mm f/5.6 lens, but it was unable to tame the vibration of the camera. The Zone VI tripod is not much different in weight, but dampens the vibrations much better. I have been tempted to try filling the legs of my 055 tripod with polyurethane foam insulation to see if that wouldn't settle that tripod down a bit. The stuff is available here in pressurized cans for sealing around windows and the like to keep the cold out. It wouldn't add significantly to the weight, and could hardly make the thing perform worse. I bought the Zone VI to use under my view camera, but I could probably use the 055 under it, as the thing is so light, and the shutters don't cause any vibration at all. As a matter of fact, they are self dampening. William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
