[philbaum]

I'm looking for any tips on spiked feet for tripod that would be help my perspective. Here's where i've been:

1. Love taking night exposures. 2 years ago, i used a $29 econo plastic tripod - you know the type :-). I just couldn't make up my mind at the time which better tripod to buy. Actually worked pretty well but i always worried about its strength.

2. Bought the Manfrotto 190CX3 CF, after trying everything in the store multiple times. Paid full price, which i figured i owed it to this shop for leaving me alone for over an hour, this was like the 3rd time i came back to this store.

3. I like the Manfrotto a lot, now even look for excuses to use it :-) EXCEPT

4. It came with rubber cups. The sharpest night scene i ever took was in a small village at night when i could set the feet on a concrete sidewalk. (this image made it into a National Juried competition)

5. two nights ago, the only access for a bridge photo was on a grassy hill side. The multiple shots i took that night were consistently more fuzzy than what i was used to. I really think the problem was those dang rubber feet cups were sitting on a bunch of springy grass.
==========================

6. After calls to 2 camera shops in nearby big city of Seattle, I get no help and not any advice on where to find spiked feet. Finally I found them at B and H: (thank the photography gods for B and H!!!!!!!!!!!)

Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 440SPK2 Retractable | 440SPK2 | B&H

7. I went ahead and ordered them, but i sort of wish they were spikier. I'm not that sure that those short spikes will pentrate down far enough into this grassy hill so i can go back and take a better image.
===================================

So all you bright Pentax Forum members -

Is there something better i could be doing like:

A. if there are threaded nuts encased in those Manfrotto clunky spiked feet, perhaps i can get some all thread steel rod and grind my own points into them - yes i'm willing to do that - and use them instead of the spikes that come with them

B. maybe at night, noone would notice me pouring a concrete pad in that grassy hill for my tripod - silly i know but photogs can be nutty at times

The irony of my trading my $29 econo tripod with retractable spikes for my expensive CF Manfrotto tripod without retractable spikes has not been lost on me

[stevebrot]

I feel your pain. Using a tripod on a grassy slope is not the easiest thing and even the pointiest spikes may not do the job. It just occurred to me that it may be possible to craft a "foot-stop" from regular hardware store stuff. I was thinking of a angled piece of wood or metal attached to something like a tent spike that you could shove into the ground to wedge the downhill tripod feet against. In fact, it may even be possible to use some types of tent spikes without modification.

Steve

[wildlifephotog]

I know this may sound crazy. But three gutter spikes and duct tape works wonders. You can set the spikes to whatever length works for the ground you are on. Low tech, but it works.

[philbaum]

I know this may sound crazy. But three gutter spikes and duct tape works wonders. You can set the spikes to whatever length works for the ground you are on. Low tech, but it works.

I like both of these comments. in beach sand, one could set the feet on the sand, if it wasn't solid enough, just push in some spikes next to the legs and duct them. Tent stakes also come in a variety, from molded plastic, stamped v-shaped sheet metal, to spikes with built in loops to remove. Lightweight aluminum is often used.

Carrying a few extra spikes along for those difficulty times would be no big deal.

thanks much guys

[jem]

I use the snow shoes from Giottos when I'm dealing with sand, muck and other soft terrain - a lot of that down here on the coast. They fit both my Giottos and my Gitzo tripods. It doesn't fit my older Bogens though - not sure about the current Manfrottos...

[Russell-Evans]

I
6. After calls to 2 camera shops in nearby big city of Seattle, I get no help and not any advice on where to find spiked feet. Finally I found them at B and H: (thank the photography gods for B and H!!!!!!!!!!!)

Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 440SPK2 Retractable | 440SPK2 | B&H

7. I went ahead and ordered them, but i sort of wish they were spikier. I'm not that sure that those short spikes will pentrate down far enough into this grassy hill so i can go back and take a better image.
===================================

A. if there are threaded nuts encased in those Manfrotto clunky spiked feet, perhaps i can get some all thread steel rod and grind my own points into them - yes i'm willing to do that - and use them instead of the spikes that come with them

The tips you bought might have a bulbous end on the head of the spike to keep the rubber foot from unscrewing completely or might not. If it doesn't then a trip to the hardware store should provide you with an all thread coupler that will fit the screw portion of the spiked foot.



If it does have the bulbous end you might have to cut it off to remove the rubber foot and provide access to the threaded portion of the spiked foot.

Once you have your all thread coupler installed, then it will be a simple matter of buying a hanger bolt for your spike.





I would epoxy nut on the hanger bolt to make screwing the spike in easier, maybe two, if there is enough length in the bolt section of the hanger.

To install the rubber foot for use, buy some all thread and cut it to length where there is just enough thread to screw the rubber foot on and screw the assembly securely into the all thread coupler. You'll want to epoxy the rubber foot onto the all thread to keep from losing it.

If you buy another set of hanger bolts you can buy some ski baskets to make snow/sand spikes


You can now simply screw in the spikes or the rubber foot for use.

Thank you
Russell

[philbaum]

Russell

Clever, i'll very quickly have the Swiss Army knife version of spiked feet. Well for $30 for those Manfrotto feet, they should have enough meat to them that they can be modified as you suggest. They don't look like they have a bulbed end, perhaps some work with a triangular file will let me get those rubber retractable things off so i can get the coupling on.

Some really good ideas!!!! thanks all

[Ratmagiclady]

Russell

Some really good ideas!!!! thanks all

Indeed. I've resorted to improvised spikes of various kinds once in a while, ...the little spikes on a lot of tripod feet aren't always too useful.

Another little trick which works good in sand and some other loose surfaces in a pinch: Your shoes. If you take off your shoes, you can plant em under the tripod feet that are slipping most and get pretty good purchase. It'd probably work in soft snow, too, if you had extra footwear on hand.

[Lowell Goudge]

I'm looking for any tips on spiked feet for tripod that would be help my perspective. Here's where i've been:

1. Love taking night exposures. 2 years ago, i used a $29 econo plastic tripod - you know the type :-). I just couldn't make up my mind at the time which better tripod to buy. Actually worked pretty well but i always worried about its strength.

2. Bought the Manfrotto 190CX3 CF, after trying everything in the store multiple times. Paid full price, which i figured i owed it to this shop for leaving me alone for over an hour, this was like the 3rd time i came back to this store.

3. I like the Manfrotto a lot, now even look for excuses to use it :-) EXCEPT

4. It came with rubber cups. The sharpest night scene i ever took was in a small village at night when i could set the feet on a concrete sidewalk. (this image made it into a National Juried competition)

5. two nights ago, the only access for a bridge photo was on a grassy hill side. The multiple shots i took that night were consistently more fuzzy than what i was used to. I really think the problem was those dang rubber feet cups were sitting on a bunch of springy grass.
==========================

6. After calls to 2 camera shops in nearby big city of Seattle, I get no help and not any advice on where to find spiked feet. Finally I found them at B and H: (thank the photography gods for B and H!!!!!!!!!!!)

Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 440SPK2 Retractable | 440SPK2 | B&H

7. I went ahead and ordered them, but i sort of wish they were spikier. I'm not that sure that those short spikes will pentrate down far enough into this grassy hill so i can go back and take a better image.
===================================

So all you bright Pentax Forum members -

Is there something better i could be doing like:

A. if there are threaded nuts encased in those Manfrotto clunky spiked feet, perhaps i can get some all thread steel rod and grind my own points into them - yes i'm willing to do that - and use them instead of the spikes that come with them

B. maybe at night, noone would notice me pouring a concrete pad in that grassy hill for my tripod - silly i know but photogs can be nutty at times

The irony of my trading my $29 econo tripod with retractable spikes for my expensive CF Manfrotto tripod without retractable spikes has not been lost on me

You have missed the number 1 thong to do with a tripod, any tripod, but especially the new light weight ones.

See the title, all tripods weigh 20 pounds, specifically a 2 pound tripod needs 18 pounds of weight, a 20 pound tripod does not need weight.

When placing a tripod on a soft surface, it is very useful to hanf a bag of weights off it. I use my camera bag, with the remainder of the kit, hung from the bottom of the center post. It helps stabalize the tripod and offers enough weight to sink the feet down through the soft grass. You don't need spiked feet at all.

[philbaum]

Lowell,

I had to chuckle a bit when i read your post since I just got back from one more attempt. I haven't received the spiked feet yet, so did the only thing i had available, hung my 15-20 lb bag from my tripod, before reading your message.

Sharpness resulting from hanging the bag from tripod, and trying to push the tripod legs deeper in the grass, has resulted in images that are noticeably sharper at 100% crop. Although i think the focus is acceptable, esp for being about a mile away, I still think that the image would be sharper still sitting on a hard unyielding surface, such as concrete.

20 lbs, although it helped me today, isn't all that much when divided 3 ways for each leg. Thats only 7 lbs pushing down on each blunt rubber capped leg. 7 lb probabaly isn't enough to compress the rubber pad underneath a carpet or the duff on a forest floor. On an angled surface such as a hill, the vector component pushing that leg perpendicular to the the hill side becomes even less.

So i'm not about to discard the idea of spikes/tent stakes/gutter nails helping to penetrate to hard ground in some situations, like beach sand. But using a weighted bag to hold a tripod also helps and is faster to apply in common situations. Does one need to use only one method for all situations? - nope.

thanks for all the advice, Phil

[wildlifephotog]

I was discussing this with a friend, who is as crazy as I am.

He had been taking photos from a weedy hilltop and had the problem you did. Next time he went back with one of those corkscrew dog line anchors and a stout bungee cord. He said it worked great and you could vary the pull by using different length cords.

[Lowell Goudge]

Lowell,

I had to chuckle a bit when i read your post since I just got back from one more attempt. I haven't received the spiked feet yet, so did the only thing i had available, hung my 15-20 lb bag from my tripod, before reading your message.

Sharpness resulting from hanging the bag from tripod, and trying to push the tripod legs deeper in the grass, has resulted in images that are noticeably sharper at 100% crop. Although i think the focus is acceptable, esp for being about a mile away, I still think that the image would be sharper still sitting on a hard unyielding surface, such as concrete.

20 lbs, although it helped me today, isn't all that much when divided 3 ways for each leg. Thats only 7 lbs pushing down on each blunt rubber capped leg. 7 lb probabaly isn't enough to compress the rubber pad underneath a carpet or the duff on a forest floor. On an angled surface such as a hill, the vector component pushing that leg perpendicular to the the hill side becomes even less.

So i'm not about to discard the idea of spikes/tent stakes/gutter nails helping to penetrate to hard ground in some situations, like beach sand. But using a weighted bag to hold a tripod also helps and is faster to apply in common situations. Does one need to use only one method for all situations? - nope.

thanks for all the advice, Phil

phil

you are shooting at something a mile away?

there are some other things to think about, first, is this a long lens?

Adam posted a great image of the distortion from heat waves in an image, you know the distortion caused by rising hot air, there is nothing you can do about this. although it might be me full of hot air

also, on a long lens, and I have been working on this with my 2 main wild life lenses (70-200F2.8 + 2x TC, and 300mm F4 with 1.7x AF TC) and that if vibration around the tripod head. you might want to look at one of these
359 Manfrotto (Distributed by Bogen) Long Lens Camera Support (#3252)
they really do help

lastly, have you looked at your image to determine if the detail is just too small, i.e. down to a few pixles? there are somet hings we just can't do yet.

one other thing, and it occurred to me while reading some of the other ingenious posts, how about 3 tent pegs. Not the thin ones made out of steel rod but good old fashioned tent pegs. either plastic or wood.

Attach a rope to pull them out, and step on them to go into the ground. Now, all you need is a small sleeve to go over the pegs and your tripod legs to keep them alligned and keep the tripod from slipping off. my bet is that you will still need the weight.,

[philbaum]

Lowell, Wildlifephotog,

Thanks for the additional suggestions, i'm going to hold off, for now, on the dog corkscrew, but i've added 3 tent stakes to my camera bag, and some line to hang the heavier bag below the tripod - Lowell should be happy

I'm shooting with the DA 300 which i'm discovering is an excellent landscape FL. thanks for the suggestion on lens vibration, not sure I need it yet, but more info.

My wife says the photo is an 8 out of 10 and to print it already Any detail i need is there so i'm happy.

Phil

[Canada_Rockies]

I suggest cane ice tips. They are relatively inexpensive. They are used by people who need to use a cane on icy streets. They come in two models, one with a bunch of short spikes in a circle, and the one my wife prefers which is a spike about an inch long. These spikes fold up when not needed. She got them at the local pharmacy (chemist) for something under $10 each. Vicious things - she threatens them with me when I get out of hand.

The two white tips are used to squeeze the latch together to change the position from up and out of the way to down and dirty. This cane is about one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter where the tip is attached. It will tighten quite a bit as you can see to fit smaller legs such as on a tripod.

Thanks for getting my little grey cells working. I think I'll get three for my Manfrotto 055.

[Confused]

Hi Albert

What a genuinely ingenious and useful idea those spikes are ! I have never seen anything remotely like these devices before and am wondering if you know of any direct links to web-sites where I could order some from ? Unfortunately the only ones I can find thus far are of the five-spiked variety, such as those illustrated in the links below:

http://www.shopwiki.com/Ice+Grip+Tip+For+Cane+Or+Crutch+-+1+ea

http://www.elderstore.com/5-prong-ice-grip-cane-attachment.aspx

Any assistance in tracking down some of these exact ones you've illustrated would be much appreciated,

Best regards
Richard