tripod for the beach

[ymc226]

I want to use it with my Hasselblad and fear that my Arca Swiss ballhead will jam up as it is impossible to keep sand completely out if on a windy day.

Would a tilt/pan head such as this be less susceptible to sand causing a malfunction?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...elle_Head.html

I use only RRS plates on my cameras. Can I mount a RRS quick release clamp onto this?

[jp498]

Get a cheap chinese ballhead for the beach; probably $50ish on ebay. I've got a "fancier" branded one I use for 4x5 and smaller sometimes.

The other option is a simple tripod with integrated head like the tiltall. That's what I use most of the time and just hose it off when I'm done if it's been exposed to salt water.

[Vaughn]

There have been long threads on this topic (tho it may have been on the LF forum). From what I remembered from the thread(s), no one claimed to had has ever experienced a "malfunction" due to wind-blown sand in a ballhead. A cheap head might be good insurance, though. Pan/tilt heads has three areas to get sand into. A ballhead has one or two. I think it would probably be more of a factor of how you like to handle the Hassey on a pod. If you are use to a ballhead, you might want to follow the suggestion above and find an inexpensive ballhead (I like them for my Rolleiflex).

Not head-related, but I always extend the bottom legs of my pod 1/2 to all the way out as soon as I approach sand. Less sand in the leg joints that way as it keeps them up away from the sand.

Vaughn

[ymc226]

Not head-related, but I always extend the bottom legs of my pod 1/2 to all the way out as soon as I approach sand. Less sand in the leg joints that way as it keeps them up away from the sand.

Vaughn

That's a good point. Thanks.

[John Koehrer]

Use a one gallon baggie over your head just poke the screw through the bag and access it through the open bottom.

[JOSarff]

I use plastic lids from coffee cans to keep the legs from sinking into the sand.

[Poisson Du Jour]

If you are anticipating blown sand, you should also anticipate it will enter the camera. Not "if" but "when". A tripod is relatively benign to sand, save for problems with scratching in the ballhead caused by particles of dirt which, if not removed, will score the friction assembly, sometimes severely enough to be very annoying. Essentially, the only option to avoid this is to not photograph on beaches on windy days, nor lie the tripod down on the sand or anywhere close to it. I speak from several decades experience that has taught me to protect the ballhead when not in use, not so much when in use, and avoid shooting in an environment that will raise the potential for short and long-term damage.

After exposure to salt water, wash down the tripod with a hose, then go over nuts and bolts with hot soapy water. If the salt water residue isn't removed, it will certainly corrode nuts, bolts, springs, clips etc.

Manfrotto makes sand/snow shoes that fit to the base of not only its own tripods, but many others. They work exceptionally well.

[BrianL]

Even if the sand does not get the camera, the salt in the air will attack it, especially any aluminum. Electrolysis vs rust with steel. Also, lens damage and salt buildup in gears and shafts. Get an waterproof enclosure or a waterproofed camera. It will help but not prevent the salt intrusion so plan on washing the camera out. Or. get a Nikonas. For MF, there was an underwater case for the Rolleiflex.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I remember once shooting on a beach with blowing sand for the better part of a day and finding I was removing sand from my tripod (Feisol CF), head (small Gitzo fluid head), and camera (I was shooting video) for weeks.

I think a wooden tripod might not be a bad idea for the beach on such days.

[nsurit]

Related and somewaht limiting, I put my tripod legs in pvc pipe which has caps on the end of it to keep sand and water off the legs. Tape at the top of the pipe. Bill Barber