problem with a velbon ve-3 tripod....

hey everyone, so i was fortunate enough to get a free tripod using the freecycle program around my area.

It is an old velbon ve-3 tripod which stands up to about 5 feet tall and compacts to just over a foot.

It is a great deal for me as i really dont have money for any more stuff and the tripod is in great condition!

I have been testing it out and it can all the things that i would want my tripod to do. I do have one little issue with it. I feel like there is a missing part in the head which makes the camera tilt at a slight angle...

The head can tilt from landscape to portrait mode, but when it is in landscape mode, i need to stack something to hold the camera level.

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Yep. There should be a nut and bolt that go through that big hole. Should be about 1/4" 20 thread. Put a wing nut on the bolt for ease of use; you will probably want to find a bushing to keep it from rattling around too much - look for something in nylon for that.

ok... i will try and look at that but im not quite sure what it should look like.. Do you think you can find what it would look like from lowes or a home depot website?

The head will unscrew from the tripod. Take it off and take it with you . . . Probably about a 2" or 2-1/2" 1/4-20 bolt, either hex headed or round headed (by preference) and a 1/4-20 wing nut. As for bushings, they can be all over the place. I used a brass bearing sleeve to replace a broken nylon bushing on a futon once, so just sniff around for something that looks like it'll do the job.

ok thanks.. i'll try that. I had a carriage bolt that fit almost perfectly and then a washer and wingnut for the other end so i can adjust it on my side, but i needed something to fit inside cause the head tilts inside of it... Its kinda hard to explain but think about a small tube inside and then a larger one that goes around it that makes it tilt. the stuff i had just went around the outside so it didnt effect anything inside.

Thanks for the help... i will try again sometime.... but besides that i can use some paper to hold it up

I know exactly what you mean. There needs to be a sleeve around the bolt to fill in the larger area at the ends (and I suspect it's probably tapered, anyhow). Or wrap multiple layers of tape around it until you find what you need.

good idea! Ok... i'll work something up... im sure it wont be too hard.

lol.. im working on a diy release cable for it too and hopefully i can find a mini stereo jack... i got the mono so it didnt work out so well...

I have this tripod too. Mine has a black plastic wingnut that goes in that hole to keep the part the camera attaches to level. I can take a picture when I get home tonight if you want.

sbddude, that would be great! If you just took one of both sides, im sure i would be able to put something together.

Thanks!

Does anyone have a picture of how this tripod is supposed to look at the top where the camera can be attached? I have one I inherited from my dad back in 2002, and I used it extensively up until about 3 years ago. It's been packed away since then, and I recently unpacked it to begin using it again, and I can not remember how the top is supposed to go together to attach the camera to. A picture would be very helpful. I think something is missing, but just can't remember what it is supposed to look like.

http://i.ebayimg.com …9P+vBPY!Qp6IUQ~​~60_57.JPG

If that doesn't help, I have an old Spiratone (rebadged Velbon) TiltAll (not to be confused with the similarly-named Leitz) with a similar head.