Camera/Tripod Vibrations.

The attatched article, posted with the permission of Markins America (http://www.markinsamer​ica.com/MA5/index.php) is a report on Vibrations in Photography Equipment. I discovered it while doing some research into a new top plate for my Gitzo 1327. Steve Yoon, of Markins USA, has kindly allowed me to post his research article. There is a lot of technical information contain in it and rather long, but the facts it reveals are very interesting.
I am in no way connected with or compensated by Markins America.
Vibration Report.pdf

Interesting... The link above the box worked and gave me a good PDF file. The link in the box gave me a corrupt PDF.

I had a sturdy tripod but was on a wooden platform, so I was concerned about vibration caused by the mirror of the RZ67 I was using. The mirror lockup was easy to learn and use...I am now considering to use it on the 20D in similar situations.

I have just hooked up a Gitzo 1258 with the Markins ballhead - seems to be solid as a rock so far !

I wish I'd known about and understood Mirror Lock Up (MLU) years ago. Previously I'd thought that I just needed a more expensive tripod, but it's saving me the expense.

This report is very interesting!
Thanks

but rather painful to read since it was obviously written by a non-native English speaker.

The article you posted is very interesting thanks for you share.

Laurent.

Most of this tripod vibrations talk is idle... if you got a stable tripod, it doesen't vibrate but in your dreams.... wooden tripods absorb vibrations rocks vibrate when the globe rotates... nothing is stable, so you'll have to get a tripod solid as a rock (sic!), wich doesent mean a thing.... you can't get a sharp picture anyways... With a stable tripod you may try. I shoot most of my pics handheld. I have a "solid as a rock" tripod also...when needed.

The Markins vibration study is very interesting and helps highlight important factors in our setups. However, in reading the study I noticed some problems in the comparisons among tripods and heads. Most importantly, several important variables were not held constant making the statements regarding comparisons among items rather tentative. For example, the comparision between the Gitzo 1227 and Manfrotto 055 tripods is based on a carbon fiber tripod and an aluminum one. So the conclusions regarding stability of one over the other are somewhat misleading.

Regardless, the study is quite informative. There are very few available resources such as this on the web for everyone to review.

I have an aluminium legset that easily supports my weight (I tried it- 220 lbs.) without collasping, slipping or buckling but that legset takes significantly longer to stop 'ringing' than my GT2530 CF tripod that is only rated at 26 lbs. (I've tested my GT2530 to 86 lbs.) By 'ringing' I mean snapping a finger or other object against a leg while feeling the head for vibrations.

Just laying a small grain bag against the leg of this aluminium legset makes it almost as vibration dampenedd as the Gitzo CF without any dampening.

rhys wrote in post #1658283
Interesting... The link above the box worked and gave me a good PDF file. The link in the box gave me a corrupt PDF.

Hi,

Maybe you can try Advanced PDF Repair at http://www.datanumen.c​om/apdfr/ This tool is rather useful in salvaging damaged PDF documents.

Hope this helps.

Alan

That treatise was one of many that I read in my upgrade research. Finally decided on a Merkins 20 atop a Dutch P900 tripod.

I sure wish my 5D had an external one step MLU, if I'm on a tripod I almost always use MLU with my longer lens/w/tele-extender. It's just such a hassle going through the menu.

I was just referred to read this and am very impressed! Not all the way finished with it but wow I had no idea how much had been taken into account with tripod support!