Pentax 67 II tripod

I have been wanting to buy an analog medium format system for quite some time. Last week I ended a deal on a Pentax 67 II with the 45mm, 105mm and 165 mm that seems to be in very good condition. I am waiting in great anticipation for it to arrive

When reading about the 67II I started to think about weight and tripod. I currently have this tripod and head:

http://www.manfrotto.com/photo-kit-with-804rc2-head-055xprob-tripod

This combination has a max load of 4 kg. Would this be ok with the 67II and my lenses? Maybe not?

The M055xprob without a head can take max 6 kg load. Maybe another head would be a solution? I really like this tripod, but at the same time the 67II is a completely different beast than my K20D. I need to have a proper tripod for my new acquisition. I plan to use the 67II for outdoor photography, landscapes, night scenes, etc.


I am very grateful for any advice on this matter

Bjørn

Depends on what your budget is!

Personally I would not use the tripod you have, mainly because it's not stable enough. This will polarise opinions I know, but experience does tell me this.

Take max. weight loads with a pinch of salt, they are only a guide. As an example try putting 6kg on your Manfrotto and you will see what I mean, it does not inspire confidence.

Torsional rigidity is more important for stability than max. load ratings, think wider leg sections, carbon fibre not aluminium etc. My 6KG aluminium Manfrotto tripod with a 12KG rating was awful when I put 7KG on it, my 3KG Carbon Fibre Gitzo with a 25KG rating is just on a totally different level.

Do not have a centre column. They are unstable. Get rid of it.

Your head will be better than any ball head as you can adjust each plane separately. For finer control I can highly recommend the Manfrotto 405.

Gitzo have only just recently announced their new systematic range so I would start by looking there for ideas. There are cheaper options around so advice would be to try before you buy!

The stability needed from a tripod varies depending on the sort of photography you are doing. If you're doing wide angle shots, in good light a bit of movement might not be too much of a problem - after all you can usually hand hold those.
As focal lengths & exposure times go up the stability requirement goes up too.

When I was using my old ME, I only had a choice of cheap tripods. They worked fine for most things - but when I tried adding a 300mm lens & teleconverter, you could actually see the camera sagging during the shot. I've now got a Manfrotto 058 Triaut, with a video head, which will go to over 2m height and has proved to be rock steady. There no bounce even at 1000+mm & it will support more than I can afford. The down side is the tripod is heavy you certain notice it after lugging it a quater mile!

As none of your lenses are particularly long (even on APS-C) I suspect your tripod will cope reasonably - unless your doing macro or long exposures where minor problems will get exagerated - though for large enlargements you might find you start too see signs of movement.

I'd suggest shooting at least one film with your existing tripod & see how it works out with your shooting. I'd certainly agree with Unlocker that the central column shouldn't be used.
When it comes to upgrading your tripod (if you need to) I would suggest ensuring the rated max weight is at least twice what you intend to put on it, and it's always a good idea to see them before buying - so many aspects of tripod handling come down to personal prefernce.

The one thing you will find with tripods is that everyone has their own opinion, based normally on their own budget. Most people think that say a Manfrotto 055 is 'rock solid' because it is vastly superior to the cheaper option they used to own, yet those with experience of far more expensive and more stable tripods will give you a different answer.

Mike is right above when he mentions that the tripod you have should cope 'reasonably', but I would guess that 6X7 film is not that cheap, therefore 'reasonably' is just not good enough especially when you mention that you plan to do long exposures, night scenes etc.

The other thing you have mentioned is weight. Having owned the Manfrotto 058 that Mike has, with a decent £300 fluid head, one thing I can tell you is that around 8KG of dead weight for that combo is not something you want to be carrying around the countryside! Unlike Mike however, I found out within minutes of putting my 600mm on it that it just was not good enough, fully locked down that £500 combo still had problems dealing with mirror slap!

Buying the right tripod, for you, is a minefield. Mine is probably overkill, Mikes is probably overweight! One thing you need to do is try out all the options in your budget range, then you'll find you may have to increase your budget!

Whatever you do, whatever advice you take don't skimp on the budget. The right tripod should last you a lifetime.

Thank you very much for your valuable advice! The one word that keeps popping up in both your answers is "budget". I have just spent all my money ( and some I did not have...) on the 67II system. So I was hoping to hear something like: "Your M055xprob will do just fine!", even though I suspected the reality to be slightly different I guess I have to check out the more expensive tripod ranges, and start saving.

Bjørn

Have you tried the Manfrotto tool for choosing tripods, etc?

http://www.manfrotto.com/Service/Tripod+%2B+Head+Chooser/About+the+Camera+Support+System+Configurator+-+Tripod+%2B+Head+Chooser/3670788

Thank you for supplying this link! Very helpful in my research

Bjørn

I have to admit my recent experience has been with APS-C & 6*7 has a much heavier mirror making mirror slap more of an issue. My MF camera is a Agfa Billy Rocket 6*9 but no mirror so not really relevant.

I have to agree the 058 is overweight (so am I ) but for digiscoping it has come into it's own for me.

I currently use 4 tripods, dependent on the job:
A 7-day shop budget model - for lightweight walking round,
The Manfrotto 058 monster - for studio & long lenses,
A Benbo clone for macro & intermediate weight,
& An EQ3 motorised equitorial tripod for the astro work. (The counterweight alone here is almost as heavy as the 058!)

If money were no object I could get a single tripod to replace several of my options, but I certainly couldn't make do with only one.

If one does not mind the weight issue, how would the Manfrotto Triaut M058B function as an outdoor tripod? I see that it is placed in the "studio" category on the Manfrotto webpage linked above.

Maybe a 2 kilometer trek with the 67II and the M058 could possibly be the perfect work-out

Bjørn

Not quite sure I understand the question, but 'poorly' springs to mind, unless you can afford a sherpa!

Good advice from Mike again re right tripod for the job but not as good advice as the Manfrotto configuration link. All that does is show you what they feel is the best Manfrotto for the job, you want the best tripod for the job and Manfrotto cannot offer you that.

How is the search going?

My question above was perhaps poorly formulated, but you have given me the answer I was looking for.

So far my search has only been on the net, I have not yet had the time to visit any camera shops. The Gitzo G1500 is the most interesting tripod I have found so far, and I also like the Manfrotto 405 head (I prefer 3-way heads). A tripod like the G1500 will, like you also point out, last a lifetime. It makes sense to aim for this quality level. I need to start saving for a proper tripod for my 67II

Bjørn

If you are using the 67II on a tripod always lock the mirror up. It makes quite a difference...

K.

Thank you Kris, I will keep that in mind!

Bjørn

Just out of interest Kris, which tripod do you use with the 67II?

I would imagine it would! .... when you
can't see what your photographing!