Berlebach / Wooden tripods.....worth it?

I am seriously considering one of these tripods because of the cost, build and the fact I do a lot of coastal work. The 8023 model weighs about as much as my aluminium Gitzo and so other than another 5cm in length when compacted it seems like a great choice.

The only thing I am concerned about is rigidity. Anyone have any experiences of wooden tripods?

Cheers

Dave

I would think for coastal work you'd want to avoid wood. Wood tripods are known for their ability to absorb vibration, which some claim makes them better choices for photography. Still, personally I would prefer an inexpensive carbon fibre model for durability, ease of carrying, and light weight. The 8023 with 2 leg sections looks too bulky and unwieldy for my own purposes.

Guy

I have had carbon at the seaside and I completely knackered a manfrotto with encrusted sea salt. You cant stop the legs from absorbing water at the ends. The leg sections swelled where the locks were attached, you can't rinse it all off, eventually one leg swelled so bad it cracked a leg lock completely. As it was the whole thing ended up in a Scottish waterfall so who cares, but I wouldnt want another carbon fibre one for this purpose. Salt always gets up the telescopic leg sections ends up making them stick (even my aluminium Gitzo legs sections stick all the time, I look like i am having a fight with someone trying to get them out!)

I was looking at these tripods because the leg clamps arnt complicated like Gitzo leg locks and should be real easy to keep free from salt. They are so ridiculously cheap in comparison.

The leg locks are the reason I never owned a Gitzo. My cheap (for CF) Velbon has flip-locks that are much quicker and easier to operate.

Either way unless you plan on backpacking with it I guess it can't hurt to try.

Guy

I got a 1297 Gitzo that I use for travel and non-water related stuff and it is so excellent. I can put it up and take it down so quick it is very useful when working fast, dodgy times of morning in cities, architecture etc, really lightweight and very rigid... wouldnt want it in sea water though, same leg lock problems I reckon.

Literally all my coastal work involves no hiking, weight is the same as what I am used to, I would really like to know about rigidity and any other issues I hadnt considered with wooden tripods.

I have a two section Berlebach. On the plus side, I like it's classic looks, it has enough mass to absorb vibrations well and is steady in the wind, On the negative side it is bulky, heavy, and hard to carry. I hardly use it at all since buying the Gitzo 1325.

I have used it in up to eight inches of fresh water, after which I carefully wiped it off and let it dry while pulled apart. It did OK. I don't think it would do OK in salt water use, though. There is still enough metal that corrosion will be a problem eventually.

Not sure how deep the water is you are talking about, but you might have two other options. One is to simply buy cheaper used tripods off eBay and throw them away when they quit working. Another thought might be to save the crown at the top and try making legs out of PVC tubing? If you had plastic legs five feet long or so you could avoid joints and be using a waterproof material. I would think you could get something like this to work, depending on how heavy a load you put on it. You could maybe fill the legs with that insulating foam-in-a-can from a builder supply to make them more rigid? Just thinking here. I'm guessing the only materials that are going to hold up to salt water will be either gold or plastic. The later is a lot lighter and cheaper.


Kent in SD

yeah I see what you are saying Kent. Luckily I dont ever have to carry stuff very far and I would choose a different one to take with my if I did. The fact that the leg locks are just metal bolts seems very appealing, rinsing down should provide far longer life that sand / grit / seawater inside a Gitzo. You have answered one of my questions anyway about rigidity....

You might want to look at the new 6X series from Gitzo. From what I understand they've made great strides in solving some of those issues (now using plastic bushings, anti-rotating legs, lighter). The new GT3530LSV is the set that's comparable to the old G1325. I've always stayed away from Gitzo because I shoot so much in salt water and hate maintenance issues, but I'm currently re-thinking that. Waiting on some first hand reviews though before I jump in there and buy one.

Yeah I know what you are saying Bill, I would like to find out what other users think first as I would like a really good CF tripod, but I still think in the long run that the answer cant lie in telescopic leg sections... from my experience sea water droplets just gets trapped inside it all, and over time the sections swell at the ends causing the stiffness and sticking. If the leg locks go underwater for a few minutes water just gets in no matter what. As Gitzo reckon they may well me more reliable to use, but I still doubt they will any different when it comes coastal useage like you an I spend much of our time doing....

I have a Velbon CF tripod that I've used for lots of coastal work and it's gotten very wet at times and I've certainly had to clean sand out of the leg locks. The bushings are all nylon so they're easily cleaned and I've never hand any problems with the legs swelling. I've had that tripod for easily 5 years and it keeps on going.

- Dan.

I had a mate who ended up with a G1548 seize so bad he couldnt get one of the legs sections apart at all because of this problem. He ended up with a 'stumpy' instead that he only used for ground level work, such a shame considering the expense.

Dave, to answer your question specifically, I have a very good friend (and excellent photographer) that has used the Berlebach wood tripods for several years. He loves them. He has used them with a Pentax medium format system, as well as a Horseman medium format view camera and never had a problem with rigidity, support etc - including setting up the tripod in rushing streams in the Smoky Mountains. If you feel that these models will provide the features you want, the support of the camera will be very good.

FYI - I have used a Ries wooden tripod for several years as well (different model, but still wood) and I've been very happy with it also.....

CJ