anyone using detachable tripod legs?

[Alan Clark]

Is anyone here using the old set-up of detachable tripod legs fixed to a revolving metal ring on the bottom of the camera? If so, can you tell me how easy it is to adjust the camera when composing a photograph? The reason I ask is because I'm thinking of making a camera and wooden tripod which used this principle, i.e. do without a tripod head, which could potentially lead to greater stability.

 

[HowLarge]

So , it’s mostly different from using a “modern” tripod because the legs are free to swing , very free so a light push will lift the nearest leg and allow you to reposition as long as the foot of the leg has a decent grip on the ground , imagine on a polished floor you will need squash balls fitted to the spikes. Sometimes you will see a cord attached to all 3 legs to avoid the legs splaying it’s a good idea , possibly do this with detachable karabiner type connections otherwise with 3 separate leg sets it will be a pain. The almost universal design of the top pegged 3 section legs is worth studying as they pretty much perfected the strength/weight , the tensioned top struts are made specifically to reduce twist , with out that tension the camera/ring will be much less stable , I think they are made of a specific wood as well possibly ash? I always like to think of wood as the original carbon fibre because it is.

 

[monopix]

May not be relevant but if doing away with the head is your main objective then have you considered a leveling head? Not really a head at all but a half ball that gives 15 degrees of tilt in any direction which is usually enough for levelling.

 

[Alan Clark]

So , it’s mostly different from using a “modern” tripod because the legs are free to swing , very free so a light push will lift the nearest leg and allow you to reposition as long as the foot of the leg has a decent grip on the ground , imagine on a polished floor you will need squash balls fitted to the spikes. Sometimes you will see a cord attached to all 3 legs to avoid the legs splaying it’s a good idea , possibly do this with detachable karabiner type connections otherwise with 3 separate leg sets it will be a pain. The almost universal design of the top pegged 3 section legs is worth studying as they pretty much perfected the strength/weight , the tensioned top struts are made specifically to reduce twist , with out that tension the camera/ring will be much less stable , I think they are made of a specific wood as well possibly ash? I always like to think of wood as the original carbon fibre because it is.

Thank you for your reply. So it sounds like it is possible to easily align the camera with the set-up being discussed. Not surprising really as it was used by some great photographers - including Sutcliffe when he took his wonderful portraits.
Yes, I know what you mean about how the tensioned top struts of the tripod legs work. And, yes, the wood of choice was Ash. Fortunately I've got plenty of it. And it does have a damping quality, as you infer, like carbon fibre.

 

[Alan Clark]

May not be relevant but if doing away with the head is your main objective then have you considered a leveling head? Not really a head at all but a half ball that gives 15 degrees of tilt in any direction which is usually enough for levelling.

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Thanks; I wasn't aware of these. But I was thinking of something with a bigger area at the top of the tripod, for more stability.

 

[monopix]

Thanks; I wasn't aware of these. But I was thinking of something with a bigger area at the top of the tripod, for more stability.

They are available in different sizes. I think I've seen them up to 90mm. Mines a 60mm and supports my Toyo G (5Kg) no problem. But I understand it may not be what you want.

 

[Alan Clark]

They are available in different sizes. I think I've seen them up to 90mm. Mines a 60mm and supports my Toyo G (5Kg) no problem. But I understand it may not be what you want.

I can see how this would work for you, and I might even get one as it would be a more rigid alternative than using my B&S head. But, yes, I was thinking of something wider. I'm thinking in terms of a wooden disc with a diameter of about 140 to 150mm, with the tripod legs permanently attached to its perimeter.

 

[monopix]

You've reminded of a Seagull camera I saw in a street market in Hong Kong once. It had attached legs. It had a metal ring fixed in the bed that the legs were attached to.

 

[Ian Grant]

The detachable legs take a little getting used to, and you can't tilt the camera much. My Gandolfi half plate camera came with a light weight wooden tripos which is robust in terms of stability, it needed repair, but that was relatively simple. I have an advert for it in a BJP Almanac (it's not a Gandolfi tripos).

You could make a Gandolfi style tripod the smaller ones are light and very stable. It appears they are derived from earlier camera stands, but with folding and extendable legs, this from an 1898 Ross advert.





Looking at the 1898 Almanac what are referred to on eBay etc as adapters are in fact part of a tripod set and sold with the set of legs.

Ian

 

[Alan Clark]

Ian, yes, your second photograph shows the kind of thing I had in mind, but with the camera sitting on it and rotating. Thanks.
Still not sure if the set-up would allow enough camera movement up or down....So I'm still thinking it through, and have other options.