Tripod feet - spikes or rubber feet

Question as I was going through my camera bag giving it all a once over ready for the next outing and seeing what needed to come out / go in / recharged etc and thought I'd add the allen keys for the tripod, seeing as once I needed to do a repair in the field and didn't have the kit to hand. The repair kit comes with spiked feet you can swap out over the rubber feet and it got me thinking, I never use spiked feet and have always used the rubber ones.

Does anyone use the spiked feet over the rubber feet? I read on grass, steep banks etc they're better but I've had no issues up to date with the rubber ones so are they really that much better?

---

Gareth
Welsh Photographer

My outfit: K1 gripped - K3ii - two Z-1P - Pentax D FA 24-70mm - Sigma 70-200mm OS HSM - Pentax modified DA* 60-250mm f4 - Irix 15mm Firefly - Pentax FA 35mm - FA 50mm - Sigma EX 20mm - FA 28-70mm f4 - Tamron SP 90mm macro - Pentax AF 540 FGZ II

Flickr
Instagram

My PPG
Foundation NFT

I think you have answered your own question Gareth. Slippery, uneven banked grass and the spikes are going to win. General use inside and out the rubber feet are more convenient.

I solved the issue a few years ago by buying spikes that have big solid rubber caps. So no more swapping feet, just pull the stoppers off if I want spikes.

---

Peter



My Flickr page

Manfrotto had spikes with rubber feet combo that you could spin the rubber foot to expose or hide the spikes.
Sacthler tripods and many others have slip on shoes with rubber retaining tabs...
given how many options there are, I say buy a tripod that has both, use whatever works for the job at hand. Having said that... I’ve seldom needed to use spikes. A couple times in mountains and streams for nature hikes and once to convince a would be mugger to depart without my wallet and valuables while doing some night photography in the city...

---

Fired many shots. Didn't kill anything.

Gareth, personally on my main Gitzo tripod I use the screw in spikes (2.5") always, keeps everything solidly steady.

---

Regards
Tom

K-1ii,K-3iii's.
SMC PENTAX-DA FISH-EYE 1:3.5-4.5 10-17mm ED [IF], SMC PENTAX-DA* 1:2.8 16-50mm ED AL [IF] SDM,
SMC PENTAX-DA 1:4 15mm ED AL Limited, SMC PENTAX-DA 1:3.2 21mm AL Limited,
SMC PENTAX-F 1:2.8 28mm, SMC PENTAX-FA 1:2 35mm AL,
SMC PENTAX-FA 1:1.4 50mm, SMC PENTAX-DA 1:2.4 70mm Limited,
SMC PENTAX-D FA MACRO 1:2.8 100mm WR, SMC PENTAX-DA* 1:4 300mm ED [IF] SDM,
HD PENTAX-DA 1:5.6 560mm ED AW,
HD PENTAX -DA 1.4x AW AF REAR CONVERTER,
PENTAX AF160FC Auto Macro Ring Flash.

https://pentaxphotogallery.com/artist-gallery/?artist_id=20168301

I'm a spike user, for me noticed a big improvement in image quality when out in the field in challenging conditions. Being able to jab the tripod into the ground really improves the stability in my usage at least. Tomorrow however i'm off to B'ham, for some urban/architecture stuff, so will swap to rubbers for that as likely to be on pavements and whatnots.

---

Website: My adventures in Landscape Photography
YouTube: Pentax Landscape Channel
Facebook: Photography Page Weekly Updates and Musings
Twitter: Photography Mini Thoughts
Instagram: Yes, Here
Flickr: Yes Here

I noted that Thomas Heaton (a vlogger) often puts CDs under the feet of his tripod if set up on sand, etc.

Thanks all


Yes, I subscribe to his channel and saw, which added further doubt to the spikes, his use of CD's on rubber feet.

I'll give the metal spikes a go and see how I get on with them!

---

Gareth
Welsh Photographer

My outfit: K1 gripped - K3ii - two Z-1P - Pentax D FA 24-70mm - Sigma 70-200mm OS HSM - Pentax modified DA* 60-250mm f4 - Irix 15mm Firefly - Pentax FA 35mm - FA 50mm - Sigma EX 20mm - FA 28-70mm f4 - Tamron SP 90mm macro - Pentax AF 540 FGZ II

Flickr
Instagram

My PPG
Foundation NFT

I once tried putting tennis balls on the feet when using a tripod on sand, it worked well stopping it sinking in

---

Nobody is perfect, but being Scottish is a start

Does it depend on the style of rubber foot. One tripod I have came with one set Spike an two rubber,

---

Barrie
Too Old To Die Young

http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/artists/barrieforbes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189482630@N03/

My favourite tripods for many years have been made by the Susis German Company. Sadly long since gone. Their only weak point was that the heads weren't changeable, but the supplied one's still made the tripod faster to use than anything else. The legs were stronger than they looked, Susis had used a special 4 sided tubing.

The top end tripods came with fast fold back and forth spike or rubber. Even the rubber was well thought out because it adjusted the angle automatically to that of the ground. The bracing was so strong it locked the tripod up and for weddings etc you could really move your kit around quickly.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Susis-270-Dreibeinstativ/123015743696?hash=item1ca44f...

--

---

Half Man... Half Pentax ... Half Cucumber

Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff

Algi