KorHaan
Well-known member
I've been thinking lately about buying a new tripod. I use a Velbon Sherpa Pro 530 CF now and it's a good pod. The thing that bugs me a bit is the center column. It's made of metal and rather long. I'm 6'4'' and even with an angled scope I have to pull up the column 3/4 of its total length.
The stability is much better when I sit down on a stool and don't extend the column at all. Which I prefer to do whenever it's possible, and that is on most of my outings.
I could purchase a taller tripod and then use the column only a slight bit up.
The greater weight of the whole set-up is what's keeping me from doing so.
I have no car and my current CF 530 is wonderfully lightweight; not much of a problem to transport on my bike or to carry around.
What came to mind when looking at tripods on the internet was: why are the center columns of tripods made of metal when the legs are carbon fibre?
Why are center columns not made of carbon fibre as well?
Or do all-carbon fibre tripods exist and am I missing something?
CF is better than metal in vibration dampening, and is at least as strong ( when I consider the pathetic thin center column of my 530 ), so it puzzles me why tripod manufacturers would compromise the superior CF legs with metal columns?
Anyone who could shed some light on this, please?
I welcome all suggestions and thoughts on this.
Oh, and selling my Zeiss Diascope 65A to buy a lightweight Nikon ED 50 is NOT an option!
Thanks,
Ronald
The stability is much better when I sit down on a stool and don't extend the column at all. Which I prefer to do whenever it's possible, and that is on most of my outings.
I could purchase a taller tripod and then use the column only a slight bit up.
The greater weight of the whole set-up is what's keeping me from doing so.
I have no car and my current CF 530 is wonderfully lightweight; not much of a problem to transport on my bike or to carry around.
What came to mind when looking at tripods on the internet was: why are the center columns of tripods made of metal when the legs are carbon fibre?
Why are center columns not made of carbon fibre as well?
Or do all-carbon fibre tripods exist and am I missing something?
CF is better than metal in vibration dampening, and is at least as strong ( when I consider the pathetic thin center column of my 530 ), so it puzzles me why tripod manufacturers would compromise the superior CF legs with metal columns?
Anyone who could shed some light on this, please?
I welcome all suggestions and thoughts on this.
Oh, and selling my Zeiss Diascope 65A to buy a lightweight Nikon ED 50 is NOT an option!
Thanks,
Ronald