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Resurrecting a broken 50-year-old Linhof tripod with a little DIY repair

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There is a lot of old camera gear out there and I regularly see people showing off their “finds” on social media. Usually, though, it’s cameras or lenses. Often in decent working condition, too. Occasionally, though, they become repair projects, and following that process is fascinating. Less common, though, are anything photo-related that isn’t a camera or a lens… Like a tripod.

Well, Markus Hofstätter found himself in possession of a 50-year-old Linhof tripod that had apparently been involved in a bicycle accident and was in pretty rough shape. Being a big fan of really old camera gear and also being pretty good at repairing it, he decided to see if he could give this old Linhof tripod a new life.

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Gitzo’s teases new travel tripod and backpack: recycled materials and unlimited warranty

Gitzo is soon to launch a new travel tripod and backpack that will get travel photographers and eco-warriors very interested. Gitzo Légende is a travel tripod and backpack combo that was made partially from recycled materials, and they were made to last. But the best part is probably the unlimited warranty you get for both items.

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How to convert a clothing rack into a DIY camera, light & monitor stand on wheels

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Solid stands, especially ones on wheels, that you can mount cameras, lights, monitors to and whatever else you want to attach aren’t that cheap. Even if you have a go at designing and building your own from scratch, they can still work out to be fairly expensive. But if you need a mobile camera, light and monitor stand, there is a less expensive option. And this one comes with a little storage space, too!

YouTuber DIY Tech House recently posted a video on building such a stand on wheels based on a cheap clothing rack. A clothing rack that’s adjustable in both height and width, allowing you to resize it to your needs. Although, I probably wouldn’t go too wide with a big heavy monitor on there.

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This light stand – tripod hybrid is my best stand yet

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Over the years, I’ve invested in many ways to hold lighting equipment, but recently I found a light stand that seems to get very little attention. The K&F Concept Heavy Duty Light Stand.

Now the name a little misleading.  This light stand is more of a sturdy travel light stand, and you should use it accordingly.

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Ruling: National Park Service can’t ask for commercial filming fees/permits

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Filmmakers, rejoice: thanks to a court case from 2019, you may no longer need to get a permit and pay fees for commercial shoots in national parks. D.C. federal judge has just made the decision, ruling that it’s unconstitutional for the National Park Service to require a permit and charge you with fees.

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This flexible camera strap turns into a rigid tripod in a second

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There are a few tricks that let you stabilize your shots with a camera strap. But how about actually turning your flexible strap into rigid support for your camera? Frii Designs is soon launching a very interesting piece of gear that will do exactly that. In one flip of a switch, Frii Designs’ Conda Strap turns into a tripod or a vlogging rig.

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Should you use a tripod or shoot hand-held for nature photography?

When it comes to nature photography, should you shoot on a tripod or hand-held? Let me share some personal stories and then I would love to get your opinion.

I shoot the vast majority of my images on a tripod. I am fully aware that I sacrifice some flexibility in the field. However, such an approach gives me sharp images with a horizon in level. I predominantly shoot during the golden hour. This entails that I often shoot exposures where the shutter is open way longer than if I was shooting in bright daylight. If possible, I also almost exclusively shoot at base ISO. Base ISO means that the sensor produces very little noise and peaks in terms of dynamic range. I know that with my sub-par hand-held technique I’ll probably ruin many images during golden hour due to handshake. Even vibration reduction activated can’t save me there.

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Remember these five tips for keeping your tripod perfectly stable

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When you want to make sure that your photos will be completely free from camera shake, you’ll put your camera on a tripod. However, even then, there are certain factors that could cause your tripod to shake and leave you with blurry photos. In this video, Tony & Chelsea Northrup share a checklist of five things to remember to keep your tripod perfectly stable. They even made up an acronym for it to help you remember it: SWEAT.

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Manfrotto’s new “Fast” series tripods are optimised for setup speed

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At IBC 2019, we stopped by the Manfrotto stand to check out their new “Fast” series video tripods. There are two products in the new line. There’s the 635 Fast Single Leg and the 645 Fast Twin Leg. The latter looks more like your traditional video tripod, while the Fast Single resembles a photo tripod, but with a bowl head at the top for a video head. Both offer setup speed and low weight for their size as their big advantages.

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