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Archive 2022 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?

  
 
rek101
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


I recently purchased a Sirui tripod and it seems so tippy that I'm considering returning it. This isn't really something I thought I'd have to worry about, but I realize now that companies can obviously get better specs if they reduce the leg angle. This is a Sirui T-024SK with a 21 degree leg angle. The next larger angle setting is way wider than I'd ever use...and while I'd like to think I'll hang something from the tripod, I know there will be times I'll be too rushed to do it.

I'll be using it for family portraits and casual use with an eos RP and 24 to 70 2.8 lens and maybe a speedlight (about half the center column extended).

Does anyone have any first hand experience with using a tripod with a narrow leg angle? How did it work out?



Oct 26, 2022 at 12:06 PM
runamuck
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


Unhappy? Return it. You have just learned another criteria when buying tripods Still using my Feisol 3372.


Oct 26, 2022 at 01:23 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


I use two tripods that supposedly have narrow leg angles (from Feisol and FLM). I don't think it's a problem and am not sure what the fuss was about -- especially given that they're easy to lock into a wider stance. But as runamuck says, if you're worried about it, return it.


Oct 26, 2022 at 02:22 PM
rek101
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


rdeloe wrote:
I use two tripods that supposedly have narrow leg angles (from Feisol and FLM). I don't think it's a problem and am not sure what the fuss was about -- especially given that they're easy to lock into a wider stance. But as runamuck says, if you're worried about it, return it.


Might not be a problem because Feison has 25 degrees which is what my full size manfrotto uses (which would be considered a wide angle for a travel tripod). My question was for someone who had first-hand experience using something with a narrow angle. Did it present problems in real world use or not? It's one thing to open it in your Livingroom and wonder if it's an issue....it's another to use it in the field.



Oct 26, 2022 at 04:08 PM
jeffbuzz
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


The leg angle definitely makes a difference. I have found this in my own use and thecentercolumn.com has numbers to back it up. Many manufacturers try to cheat a few extra millimeters and grams out of their specs by reducing leg angles which reduces the total tube length needed to achieve a given height. This comes at a cost of stability. 23 degrees seems to be the minimum below which stability may become compromised. You might compensate for this to an extent by weighing down the tripod by the center hook. All my current legs are 23+ degrees and work well. Jobu is 25 degrees and rock solid.


Oct 26, 2022 at 07:38 PM
Imagemaster
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


rek101 wrote:
My question was for someone who had first-hand experience using something with a narrow angle. Did it present problems in real world use or not? It's one thing to open it in your Livingroom and wonder if it's an issue....it's another to use it in the field.


It is not rocket science. It is basic physics. The wider the angle, the more stable the tripod. The wider the angle, the more space is needed for the feet.

What else do you have to know.



Oct 26, 2022 at 08:44 PM
mike650
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


I have a 20 degree Feisol 3442 legs. Although B&H websites says 25, I've measured and emailed Feisol and they confirmed that it is indeed 20 degrees. At one point they did make 25 degree legs for this model but changed it to 20. So the other posts about using narrow Feisol legs maybe true for their models as well.


Oct 29, 2022 at 03:48 PM
rek101
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


mike650 wrote:
I have a 20 degree Feisol 3442 legs. Although B&H websites says 25, I've measured and emailed Feisol and they confirmed that it is indeed 20 degrees. At one point they did make 25 degree legs for this model but changed it to 20. So the other posts about using narrow Feisol legs maybe true for their models as well.


Maybe it's worth having B&H correct it in the specs? 25 to 20 is a major difference. I have a 25 degree manfrotto...even with several pounds hanging from the center column, my 21 Sirui still feels less stable than the 25 Manfrotto at the same height. I'd ask for some kind of compensation (free stuff or a replacement or a gift card)....either from B&H or the manufacturer.

Can the company ship you a spider that has the angles set wider...would that even work?



Oct 29, 2022 at 11:54 PM
mike650
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


rek101 wrote:
Maybe it's worth having B&H correct it in the specs? 25 to 20 is a major difference. I have a 25 degree manfrotto...even with several pounds hanging from the center column, my 21 Sirui still feels less stable than the 25 Manfrotto at the same height. I'd ask for some kind of compensation (free stuff or a replacement or a gift card)....either from B&H or the manufacturer.

Can the company ship you a spider that has the angles set wider...would that even work?


First, I bought it used from an individual so B&H and Feisol were not involved. I just mentioned B&H as their website is easy to reference. I contacted Feisol only because I needed parts and I was curious about the angle as it looked narrower than another tripod. It wasn't a complaint. BTW, their service was excellent.
Second, I'm very satisfied with the 3442 tripod as I mostly do landscape on uneven ground. For me, being able to operate the legs smoothly and quickly to center and position the camera (no center post) is more important than the minimum leg angle.

Seems like you should return your tripod if it doesn't meet your expectations.



Oct 30, 2022 at 08:43 AM
SSO-Images
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


I had FEISOL CT-3442 for about a year before deciding to get rid of it. It's definitely 20-degree, and this compact angle drove me nuts. It's unstable, especially in windy conditions, and it'd easily get knocked over unless a heavy weight is placed on it. Every single time I was setting the tripod up, I found myself trying to open the legs wider. Got so tired of this instinctive ritual that I had to get rid of it.


Oct 30, 2022 at 10:24 AM
schlotz
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


Logic and some common sense would seem to point in the direction of returning the tripod, but hey, everybody needs to make their own decisions.


Nov 05, 2022 at 06:54 AM
Bobarino
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


20 degrees is wayyyy too narrow/dangerous. The angle becomes even more extreme when you consider that the load tip-over point is the mid-point between two feet/legs.(the shortest distance from center-of-gravity). With an unbalanced load (long lens), the effective angle-of-support to mid-point between two legs/feet, would probably be under 13 degrees, or,,, 2 "seconds" on a clock face..

Considering an analog clock face,,, each minute (or second) on the clocks' face equals 6 degrees. With the tripods' load torqued over that tip-over point between the two feet, I doubt it would take much of a wind-gust before flirting with a potential Kaaa-Booom!!!

Edited on Nov 05, 2022 at 07:09 PM · View previous versions



Nov 05, 2022 at 02:42 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Tripod leg angle...how narrow is too narrow?


The driving force behind the crappy tripods seem to be the height to length ratio. 20° probably gains the manufacturer a few inches of height at the expense of stability.

I use a mechanical gimbal head to keep the big teles in balance.

EBH



Nov 05, 2022 at 03:43 PM





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