G'day all,

Has anyone used Berlebach wooden tripod legs? I'm thinking of buying a set as they're wooden & look very strong. I'll be using them a lot near sandy & salty environments so wooden legs seem like a smart option but i'd like to know if anyone has any first hand experience with them.

Thank you...

They are very nice, If I had a Deardorf 8x10 I'd have it mounted in a second!

The one drawback is that while they have a ball, there is no way to put a head with it's own ball onto the tripod. I may be wrong. You should be able to find some old Miller wooden legs. You'd have to find a 100mm cup to mount on it, so you could put a fluid head on the Berlebach. Email them and ask. It looks like they'll do custom. Tell em you need a 100mm cup for your film/video head.

Also you would need some way to tame the feet, so you'd need their Floor Stay

The nice thing about wood is that is absorbs vibrations, rather than transmitting them as metal does.

I was planning on using my Manfrotto 501 head or possibly upgrading to the next bigger size head. Its mostly used for long lens stuff on the beach. I don't think i'd need the floor stay as its always being used on the beach, plus I have a Manfrotto 055 for indoor use. I like the Berlebach legs as they're quite cheap & like the idea of wood for my particular use......

I was planning on using my Manfrotto 501 head or possibly upgrading to the next bigger size head.

Personally I'm never happy with my 501 head for long shots. It's very difficult to start a slow pan or tilt without a little jolt. I suppose it depends on what you're shooting though. With faster movements it may be OK, but for shooting performances at full zoom where I wanted smooth movement I got very frustrated and upgraded to a Miller. I still use the 501 with 3221 legs then hiking around outdoors because it's lighter and more compact though.