So, I was in Israel with all my camera stuff, went out to the balcony of the apartment we were staying in, saw a photo I really liked, got out my Pentax 67, metered, decided I needed a tripod, pulled out my Vivitar, set everything up, screwed down the pan/tilt head and then.... SNAP! The screw that tightened the tilt side of the pan tilt head had broken in half near where the screw threads began. I shopped about for a replacement part, but to no avail. So, now my tripod can only shoot verticals, an inconvenience to say the least.
I was wondering what to do now. Does anybody still use Vivitar tripods from the 1980s? Should I just go out and buy a whole new tripod? Or can I make do with a new head? Or maybe, somebody has a Vivitar 928 tripod lying around and wouldn't mind sending me the pan/tilt head. I really am a bit cash strapped at the moment, so while I would love to say "oh well" and rush out to purchase a brand new heavy duty Manfrotto, it really isn't an option. So I ask you fine people, what to do?
David
A Holga is an ugly woman, a Brownie is a delicious treat.
To me, your post reads like the actual screw snapped. If so, you could probably take it to a machine shop specializing in small things and get them to drill it out and re-thread it with the thread of an available screw. But, I'm not familiar with that tripod,maybe i misread the post or maybe it just ain't possible.
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I don't think I've seen a Vivitar tripod that would be adequate for a medium format SLR. They're usually pretty light and designed for 35mm cameras.
If you can muster about $100, I'd look for a second hand Marchioni or Leitz Tiltall. They're better than the current Tiltalls for about the same price, and offer the best bang for the buck in tripods that can hold up to a 4x5" field or press camera.
I don't think I've seen a Vivitar tripod that would be adequate for a medium format SLR. They're usually pretty light and designed for 35mm cameras.
If you can muster about $100, I'd look for a second hand Marchioni or Leitz Tiltall. They're better than the current Tiltalls for about the same price, and offer the best bang for the buck in tripods that can hold up to a 4x5" field or press camera.
A couple of years ago I purchased a Vivitar Proline 200 tripod - it is reasonably sturdy and rigid, while still being quite compact and fairly light.
It serves as my "leave it in the car for emergencies" tripod. It certainly works well with my Mamiya TLRs and Mamiya 645s. I have also used it successfully with my Koni-Omegas.
You can replace the head, and I have tried several types with it.
If I had a part on it break, I'd try to get it repaired.
Thank you all for the replies.
@ David - The new Vivitars are pretty lousy and weak, but the kind I have is a 928, from the 1980s, and its very big and heavy. I have had no problems with the 67 and its huge shutter and mirror, and I dare say I could probably use the tripod for even larger cameras, if I ever decide to make the leap to large format.
@ fotch - I will try to take some photos with my digicam, but I seem to have lost the part of the screw that broke. I think this also rules out taking the screw to a machine shop and having it fixed up. anyhoo...
@Johnny Walker - The tripod has a very basic pan/tilt head. It looks a lot like a Tiltall. What happened was that I was screwing down the tilt screw, which is hollow, and the damn thing snapped at the threads. @#$%!!!
David
A Holga is an ugly woman, a Brownie is a delicious treat.
Are there enough threads showing to back out what's left? If so, it would only be a matter of finding a long bolt of the same thread size and using it as a handle.
It the threads are broke off where you can not get to them, it will require a left hand threaded drill bit to back it out.
Are there enough threads showing to back out what's left? If so, it would only be a matter of finding a long bolt of the same thread size and using it as a handle.
It the threads are broke off where you can not get to them, it will require a left hand threaded drill bit to back it out.
Mike
Agree. Try a good, old-fashion hardware store. There are screws with knob heads that might work. I've attached a picture from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com). Our local hardware store has these.
Bruce
Moma don't take my Kodachrome away!
Oops, Kodak just did!
Adv Reply
Originally Posted by David A. Goldfarb
