Tripod mount extension

I just googled for this and didn't find anything... very surprised. I'm looking for a lightweight extension for a tripod mount. So I want it to have male tripod mount on top, and female on the bottom, so I can mount it on top of my tripod to gain height. I intend to use this to hold a camcorder which is feather light... just want to get it up higher. If it matters, I'm using it on a very light Manfrotto tripod MKC3-P01. I would think something like this would be pretty common.

How about this 2" extension? http://www.ebay.ca …a22&_uhb=1#ht_5​957wt_1188
You could also make something yourself using a wooden dowel and some 1/4" - 20 hardware

Thanks Mike. I am looking for something about 2' in length and lightweight. If could do something myself, but it would be very heavy if I used wood. The whole tripod only weights about 2.5 pounds, so don't want to put too much weight up top and make it top heavy. Its about 5.5' tall, and I just want to get things up so if anyone walks in front of it that they won't walk in front of the camcorder.

Ah, I just saw that the picture you have there is not matching what the link goes to... that one is a lot longer. Thanks.

Sorry, I gave the wrong link... Try this one.... http://www.ebay.ca …nsion&_osacat=0​&_from=R40

Here is a link that shows how to make a solid aluminum extension http://www.robotroom.c​om/Macro-Photography-3.html

You can buy center columns as well. A lot of them come tapped with a 3/8" hole on the bottom of the column to screw in a hook. You don't mention budget, but you can find carbon fiber columns on Ebay. I think most would advise you just to get a better tripod.

Here ia a cheap way.... Just get a 1/4" nut and a 1/4" bolt and make a short extension: http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=pQxsvNCpXiM

convergent wrote in post #15607106
Thanks Mike. I am looking for something about 2' in length and lightweight. If could do something myself, but it would be very heavy if I used wood. The whole tripod only weights about 2.5 pounds, so don't want to put too much weight up top and make it top heavy. Its about 5.5' tall, and I just want to get things up so if anyone walks in front of it that they won't walk in front of the camcorder.

Ah, I just saw that the picture you have there is not matching what the link goes to... that one is a lot longer. Thanks.

Get a 2' chunk of 1" Sched. 40 PVC pipe, a couple of PVC end caps, a can of pipe cement, a 1/4"-20 bolt (around 1") and nut, and a Tee nut tapped for 1/4-20. Drill holes in the end caps for the bolt and the tee nut, mount the bolt and tee nut there and glue the ends onto the pipe. But really, shoving a 2' extension on top of a lightweight tripod isn't all that good an idea. I had a Slik 1200G, where the center column converted to a monopod. Tried using the center column inverted, once, to hold a flash (Vivitar 283) a bit higher and the thing toppled over. I now have a metal cold shoe on the 283 as a result.

klr.b wrote in post #15607262
You can buy center columns as well. A lot of them come tapped with a 3/8" hole on the bottom of the column to screw in a hook. You don't mention budget, but you can find carbon fiber columns on Ebay. I think most would advise you just to get a better tripod.

Its not a question of having a better tripod. I've got a lot of other tripods that are bigger. I want something that is extremely light and goes very high, to use for video at volleyball matches. I'm just going to put it in the corner and leave it on for the match to capture the whole thing. The camcorder is tiny and feather light.

I just bought the tripod and it was the lightest / tallest / most compact one I could find. I'd like to find a way to get it a little bit higher without increasing the weight a lot. These tournaments are brutal and I have to carry everything with me for several days, walking a great distance from any vehicle, and already have a full bag of camera gear so don't want video to add too much in size and weight.

Jon wrote in post #15607304
Get a 2' chunk of 1" Sched. 40 PVC pipe, a couple of PVC end caps, a can of pipe cement, a 1/4"-20 bolt (around 1") and nut, and a Tee nut tapped for 1/4-20. Drill holes in the end caps for the bolt and the tee nut, mount the bolt and tee nut there and glue the ends onto the pipe. But really, shoving a 2' extension on top of a lightweight tripod isn't all that good an idea. I had a Slik 1200G, where the center column converted to a monopod. Tried using the center column inverted, once, to hold a flash (Vivitar 283) a bit higher and the thing toppled over. I now have a metal cold shoe on the 283 as a result.

That's sounds like it may be a way to go. I've seen a lot of pvc rigs at the tournaments. Some of them are quite elaborate and huge.

How about using a Super Clamp and a security cable to clamp the camcorder to a railing? I played volleyball for about 6 years and can imagine your tripod and camcorder taking a beating. A powerful swing and a shanked pass can send the ball anywhere.

klr.b wrote in post #15608610
How about using a Super Clamp and a security cable to clamp the camcorder to a railing? I played volleyball for about 6 years and can imagine your tripod and camcorder taking a beating. A powerful swing and a shanked pass can send the ball anywhere.

There really is no place to clamp off in most of these venues. (I do have superclamps with ballheads, so I'll throw one in the car in case we find a situation where it would work at smaller tournaments where my car is within easy access from the venue) I agree that its a possibility that it takes a tumble, but for the number of setups that I see at every match, its rare that they take a fall. I certainly wouldn't plop my 5D3 on something like this and leave it, but with a small camcorder I'll give it a shot.

convergent wrote in post #15607852
Its not a question of having a better tripod. I've got a lot of other tripods that are bigger. I want something that is extremely light and goes very high, to use for video at volleyball matches. I'm just going to put it in the corner and leave it on for the match to capture the whole thing. The camcorder is tiny and feather light.

If the tripod is on the floor of the basketball court, as players run back and forth on the court the tripod will sway with the flexing of the floor. That sway will be amplified by the tripod extension up high!