Shootout Wooden tripod vs. Carbon Fiber tripod.

[Mack]

Below is the High Res shot from E-M1X on 4 second delay of a golf net approximately 1/4 miles distant with the 400mm f/4 Pro lens. Enlarged 200%. No sharpening applied.

One on left is a Ries wooden J-100-2 tripod with an Acratech GXP head.
One on right is a Really Right Stuff TVC-33 carbon fiber tripod with a BH-55 ball head.

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Seems a slight advantage to the Ries wooden tripod in high resolution tripod mode.


Later:

Ran it through Topaz Sharpen at Standard setting. 554% enlargement on bolt.

Ries wooden tripod on left. Really Right Stuff carbon fiber on right.

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Reason for test was I never got what I'd call sharp on the RRS CF tripod in Olympus E-M1X High Resolution Tripod mode so I gave up using it. Thought maybe a wooden tripod might be better for vibration dampening during the brief pixel-shifting part it does. Maybe it does.

 

[Replytoken]

If I was doing the comparison, I'd probably run a number of shots on both sets of legs with the same head before I made any definitive conclusions. Using two heads introduces another variable into the comparison.

--Ken

 

[Mack]

If I was doing the comparison, I'd probably run a number of shots on both sets of legs with the same head before I made any definitive conclusions. Using two heads introduces another variable into the comparison.

--Ken

I agree.

This was my first try with the Ries (New to me today.) and the Acratech head. I'll see if I can get the ball head off the RRS CF tripod and put it on the wooden one and run some more comparisons. When I bought the RRS Versa, the guy really slathered a lot of Locktite on the threads into the head and the yoke platform both. Never been apart since then.

Looking at the Ries, the top legs are two into the yoke (i.e. Six connections to the yoke with the three double-legs.). Seems some of the better video tripods also use the same setup with the double-legs at the top. Since Ries was first into video, I wonder if that is why the tripods like Sachtler do the double-leg thing for vibration dampening? Does seem it is less likely to twist.

I put the Ries at the same heiight as the RRS one tooin the above test. I was surprised the Ries was maybe 2-3 inches higher at the viewfinder than the RRS one, but the legs splay differently and are fully adjustable on the Ries for height since there are no leg angle detents. The leg angle locks really hold the angles well though (My initial reaction to that setup was, This ain't gonna work! - but it does.). I also thought it may to be to short (I'm 6'1") but it's fine. Weighs about 11-12 pounds with the Acratech GXP head.

 

[Sleepy Capybara]

I didn't know they made wooden tripods. Barring the variable that is two different heads, to me the difference between two is stark. Not something I would call negligible. Would be great to see the test done with same head.

 

[Replytoken]

When I bought the RRS Versa, the guy really slathered a lot of Locktite on the threads into the head and the yoke platform both. Never been apart since then.

If that is the case, I am not sure I would want to separate the two unless you had already planned to do so.

--Ken

 

[Machi]

Below is the High Res shot from E-M1X on 4 second delay of a golf net approximately 1/4 miles distant with the 400mm f/4 Pro lens. Enlarged 200%. No sharpening applied.
....

Your shots are clearly limited in sharpness by movements of hot air and cannot be reasonably used for hi-res evaluations.
That's why some parts of both images are blurred and some are not.
Try shorter distance and weather conditions with less turbulences in the air.

BTW, I'm using mostly 8 second delay for HiRes shooting and I've never had problems with sharpness on any of my tripods (Carbon, aluminium, gorilla pod, minipod).

 

[RAH]

What @Machi said, plus I think if you really want to do a tripod hi-res comparison, it should be INSIDE - no worries about even the slightest breeze, which CAN mess up such a shot up. I suppose you might then worry about the floor of the building you are i (e.g. a wooden floor in a house), but I have never had any trouble with a wooden house floor, even on the 2nd floor, assuming no one is stomping around like an elephant and you aren't running a vibrating air conditioner (which HAS screwed me up).

Tripod hi-res is VERY sensitive, although not as sensitive as Tony Northrup would have you believe - he says it is essentially impossible to get a stable shot without being in a vault or something like that, which is B.S., IMHO and experience. But the fact that he says it gives you an idea of how sensitive it is, I think.

 

[Mack]

I didn't know they made wooden tripods. Barring the variable that is two different heads, to me the difference between two is stark. Not something I would call negligible. Would be great to see the test done with same head.

There's a few still making them.

Ries Tripods, after all Ansel Adams couldn't be wrong (Fwiw, I went with their annual June Sale promo code, but it takes 9 weeks to get one.)
Oberwerk Tripods, which seems to be a favorite of the astronomy guys and won some 2019 Astronomy magazine Reader's Choice Award.
Berlebach Tripods, who also makes an interesting monopod out of wood.
Several Chinese wooden tripod makers, some geared towards surveyor's gear.

Some have made their own: Home-made wooden tripod.

Given surveyors still like wood as well as the astronomy guys, I went with wood just to see if it aided in the pixel-shifting part which I never had much success with. I know my RRS Versa CF has vibes as I've felt it and the CenterColumn tripod website had an article about the time it takes for the CF vibes to settle down (2-6 seconds I think it was.). I also sandbagged the Versa from its center hook, but found it seemed better with sandbags (Wrist weights.) on each leg to quench the vibes (I think the hollow CF legs acted like a chime at times.). Could be heat given my desert location too, but if it helps to any degree (pun intended) I'll take it.

More testing is needed. Cooler day. No wind. Stabilization off. Manual focus, although the Olympus 300mm f/4 Pro is very touchy to manual focus, imho. Maybe use the spiked foot too (The Ries has a spike on the opposite end of the inner leg that reverses).

 

[Mack]

Gimbal action: Acratech GXP vs. RRS BH-55.

Was trying out the E-M1X and 300mm f/4 and using the ball heads in "gimbal mode" where you rock the ball to the side slot and can use it in that position as a gimbal, albeit offset from the center by doing so compared to using a Winberley Sidekick which keeps it centered. On my Wimberlley Sidekick, the pitch is limited as the body or lens which may rock too far and strike the tripod (I put some rubber stoppers on the Wimberley as it could cause severe lens damage if it drops from a front-heavy lens.). The Wimberley arm is a bit too short in stature for pitch, imho.

On the RRS BH-55 the arc's swing or the pitch is greater than on the Ries as the RRS CF legs are not as wide as on the Ries tripod's yoke. One might want to use a riser with the Acratech GXP on the Ries. They make a 1" and 2" riser on their website. The E-M1X might be better with the 2" riser, and smaller bodies with the 1" riser, but dunno. I may try the 2" for safety.

However, there is a lot more "sticktion" or drag on the BH-55 ball head. Possibly the different ball sizes, internal contact surface area, or maybe some dirt in mine from years of use and I don't know how one cleans the innards other than sending it in for a tune up. The Acratech GXP ball is about 35mm and the BH-55 is 55mm. The Acratech swings much more freely as a gimbal and possibly because they added a free-spinning roller in the ball's stem that rides in the side slot of the ball head where the RRS does not have one so drag is introduced there.

I do like the adjustability of the Arcratech's GXP locking lever over the RRS one. Not only that it locks and needs a press of the release lever to swing open, but the tightness on the Arca-Swiss plate is adjustable as well with the tension knob on the fixed-side of the clamp. RRS missed it there with their shim washers.

 

[RAH]

More testing is needed. Cooler day. No wind. Stabilization off. Manual focus, although the Olympus 300mm f/4 Pro is very touchy to manual focus, imho. Maybe use the spiked foot too (The Ries has a spike on the opposite end of the inner leg that reverses).

I think that if you are shooting at the exact same target, with the same camera and lens, it would be better to use AF, especially if the 300mm lens MF is touchy, but even if it isn't. I think in hyper-controlled conditions, the AF is VERY likely to always give you the same focus, which is VERY crucial in this type of test, of course.

 

[Mack]

What the Ries tripod looks like with the Acratech GPX head.

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Leather shoulder strap I made off this thread.

Case is a Ruggard 48" tripod case given the Ries case was $300 more. It is padded and I may stick some 3" foam at the Acratech end as there's space there for it.

 

[Holoholo55]

What the Ries tripod looks like with the Acratech GPX head.

View attachment 969125


Leather shoulder strap I made off this thread.

Case is a Ruggard 48" tripod case given the Ries case was $300 more. It is padded and I may stick some 3" foam at the Acratech end as there's space there for it.

Lovely. I'll take woodgrain over CF anytime. BTW, someone asked earlier why there were two legs connecting to the yoke. Well, when you look at this and think about it, how else would you accommodate a telescoping leg? Can't be telescoping tubes as you'd get with an aluminum or CF tripod.

 

[Mack]

I think that if you are shooting at the exact same target, with the same camera and lens, it would be better to use AF, especially if the 300mm lens MF is touchy, but even if it isn't. I think in hyper-controlled conditions, the AF is VERY likely to always give you the same focus, which is VERY crucial in this type of test, of course.

I may try it both ways.

I recall I shot a hummingbird perched on a limb in a fast HS burst where I would have expected that the AF would have remained locked onto the bird. What happened was I could see the focus area in red in FastRawViwer move from behind the bird to ahead of it - almost as if it were doing focus stacking. There's a GIF of it somewhere on this site I cannot find now. Maybe one in five in the burst was sharper than the rest in S-AF.

My 300mm is very touchy to focus accurately in manual, but it should not go for a walk-about either as with AF. I might tape it down in manual mode to lock it when switching it out.

 

[Mack]

Lovely. I'll take woodgrain over CF anytime. BTW, someone asked earlier why there were two legs connecting to the yoke. Well, when you look at this and think about it, how else would you accommodate a telescoping leg? Can't be telescoping tubes as you'd get with an aluminum or CF tripod.

Yes, it does look like a piece of fine furniture.

I used some Howard's Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner on it as they suggested that since the coating they allow to dry for three days so it doesn't stick, and then the time to ship it. Really makes the thing shine and legs to slide much easier.

I wish I had gone with the knurled knobs now, but that's a matter of preference. And they cost more. Mine has the optional sliders on the legs (I was thinking more stable using them?), but the owner says a lot of people remove them.

One other thing I did was to remove the e-clips at the ends of the top leg tightening screws and pulled them out and coated the threads with a heavy waterproof axle grease. I just liked the thicker grease and dampening feel I get while screwing them down.

Owner said when he uses his around salt water, in Seattle where they are located, he hoses it off at home to clean it. Then sprays it down with Murphy Cleaning Spray. My Home Depot hardware store had them both.

 

[Holoholo55]

Yes, it does look like a piece of fine furniture.

I used some Howard's Feed-N-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner on it as they suggested that since the coating they allow to dry for three days so it doesn't stick, and then the time to ship it. Really makes the thing shine and legs to slide much easier.

I wish I had gone with the knurled knobs now, but that's a matter of preference. And they cost more. Mine has the optional sliders on the legs (I was thinking more stable using them?), but the owner says a lot of people remove them.

One other thing I did was to remove the e-clips at the ends of the top leg tightening screws and pulled them out and coated the threads with a heavy waterproof axle grease. I just liked the thicker grease and dampening feel I get while screwing them down.

Owner said when he uses his around salt water, in Seattle where they are located, he hoses it off at home to clean it. Then sprays it down with Murphy Cleaning Spray. My Home Depot hardware store had them both.

Yes, with its open structure, it should be easy to clean. Nothing as nice as the feel and look of polished wood. And, it won't freeze your hands in winter!

 

[MadMarco]

This is a wooden tripod that I made a few years ago for a telescope and tracker. Made of oak and stainless steel fixings it's surprisingly sturdy

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[Mack]

Yes, with its open structure, it should be easy to clean. Nothing as nice as the feel and look of polished wood. And, it won't freeze your hands in winter!

All true!

Plus, they have a lifetime warranty. Termites like maple?

The Acratech head has a 10 year warranty verses the 5 year for the RRS gear. I am more impressed with the engineering behind the Acratech GXP the more I examine it. Moveable index pointer for Pano. The adjustable Arca-Swis dovetail tensioner which is an ingenious addition! Reversible to move Pano to top under the A-S lever clamp. The top of the ball head stem is fluted so it cannot accidentally swivel or turn on the lever clamp head. A small oil hole in the large tightening wheel that is uncovered when you unscrew the knob a bit more. Safety release lever for the A-S main clamp's lever. Safety slide button for bottom of A-S plates that have it. Lightweight (1 pound vs. 1.9 pounds of BH-55), but still seems as secure as the RRS BH-55. Just better thought out, engineering wise, than the BH-55, albeit slightly more expensive ($10 more.).

 

[Bushboy]

That homemade job is a beautiful thing.
Well done. ?

 

[Holoholo55]

That homemade job is a beautiful thing.
Well done. ?

Agreed. The toughest thing for a DIY wooden tripod is finding the right hardware for adjustable telescoping legs and adjustable locking leg angles. Someone with metalworking experience could probably rig up something.

 

[Mack]

Shot with both tripods this AM. Used the E-M1X in High Resolution Tripod Mode and the MC-14X teleconverter on the 300mm f/4 shooting off a concrete floor to a cell tower 1/4 mile distant. I used the High Resolution shutter delay at 4 seconds as that was the longest in the E-M1X.

I wasn't happy with the AF as it did the walk about thing even at the fixed object in single point so I gave up on using the AF as it's too temperamental. Instead, I taped the lens down in manual focus mode and just used the magnify and peaking.

Below are the RAW images as seen in FastRawViewer for contrast sharpness in the Green mode (Red mode was too faint for those of you who use it.). More green indicates more sharpness present.

A very slight edge goes to the Ries wooden tripod, imho.

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