[Hack] Photo Tripod - from Lighter to Lightest

 

 Too many times my full height tripod stayed at home or in the car, due to weight / size concerns. After one too many photo opportunity missed, or shaky picture, I started to look into ways to shed some weight.

 Here are some of the modifications made, and the resulting gains. Some mods are easy to do, some require tools & skills.

 Of course, depending on your shooting circumstances, heavier / bigger tripods may be necessary. But at least now I have 3 well differentiated full height tripods to choose from. From the sturdy but heavy & bulky Manfrotto, to the super light & small-ish but flimsy Velbon.

 After notably reducing the weight and size of the Velbon setup, I now no longer hesitate to sling it on the side of my mini backpack, even on short strolls. Mission accomplished, boop !

 DIY is fun. It can lead to surprises though. Many lightweight tripods exist on the market. So, remember:

1. Lighter quick release base (easy)

 Many lightweight options are now available for ARCA Swiss type plates. Some bases have an automatic lock when the camera plate is inserted. Some just have a locking knob. Some have side walls, preventing the camera plate from sliding out and potentially dropping your camera. Some don't. The lightest models are the simplest: no auto lock, no side walls.

 10s of grams can be shaved with some models. Here is an example comparing:

• (left) Benro IB0's base (came w the ball head)
  
• (center) CAVIX FC-25 Mini Fish Bone Style Quick Release Clamp 
• (right) SUNWAYFOTO DDC-26 26mm Screw Knob Clamp 

2. Lighter ball head (easy)

 My old Manfrotto ball head at close to half a kilo (1lb) is a beast that is not strolling friendly. 100s of grams can be shaved by using a more modern ball head made of lighter materials.

• (left) Manfrotto ball head & QR base
• (right) Benro IB0 ball head + Cavic clamp

 

3. Mini ball head (easy)

 Very small and light ball heads are available to hold photo accessories. Those might still be sturdy enough to hold your camera + lens, if you are comfortable with always using extra care when handling such a setup. 

 In my case, the resulting ball head can hold a Sony A7R like camera + 24-105mm F4 lens. However, don't expect a super smooth ball action with this type of head.

 My must have specs were: 90o down tilt possible, compatible with both 1/4" and 3/8" base screws, no interference between the lock knob and the base plate. Since that was not readily available, I ordered 3 different models and picked the appropriate parts from each as they were cheap (~ $10) and used mostly interchangeable parts:

• EXMAX 360 Degree Aluminum Alloy Body Rotating Swivel Mini Tripod Ball Head 
• AKOAK 1/4" Swivel Mini Ball Head 
• PIXNOR 1/4" Screw Tripod Mini Ball Head 
• Note that I also tried the Neewer Aluminum Alloy 360 Degree Rotating Swivel Mini Ball Head with 1/4" 3/8" Thread Base Mount but it weighs way more than the others at 137g (4.83oz), due to its steel base. And its parts were not dimensionally compatible with the others. However, it remains a good and light option compared to most ball heads out there, if you're not chasing the last 10 grams or want something a bit better built than the 3 above.
  

 Here is the resulting combo head, a whole 100+ grams lighter than the already light Benro IB0:

4. Lighter tripod spikes (somewhat easy)

 

 Some full height tripods sport spikes that are screwed into the legs. Most of them are made of a stainless steel bolt surrounded by a rubber foot. I replaced my Benro's M10 x 1.5-thread spike bolts with nylon bolts and shaved another 30g (1.06oz) in the process.

 However, the head of the nylon bolts was thicker than the steel ones', they could not fit in the rubber feet. So, they got chopped with a dremel:

5. Lighter tripod base (not trivial)

The Velbon CX300 (and its many derivatives on Amazon) full height aluminum tripod is already pretty light. However instead of a simple rigid base it sports a rotating head with a long handle for steadier video capture. That not only adds 100+ grams of weight, but also takes a lot more space in a backpack and, when folded, it makes the ball head and QR plate stick out several inches at a 90° angle.

 So I chopped off the handle & rotation mechanism, and inserted a 1/4" bolt surrounded by a nylon spacer into the center column. Allowing to mount ball heads like on a regular tripod. Here is the result:

 Instructions: first remove the handle and chop the plastic bits protruding from the head base:

  Smooth out the inner hole of the center column with a large drill bit:

 Procure a 1.75" long 1/4"-20 stainless steel bolt, a 1" long 1/2" OD nylon spacer with a 1/4" ID hole, and a 1/2" long 1/8" diameter slotted spring pin.

  Mount the bolt + spacer on a drill, and grind away the diameter until it fits tightly into the center column:

 Mounting the pin on the bolt & spacer: create a flat spot on the side of the bolt (see distance to head in the 5th pic below), punch mark it and drill a 1/8" hole:

 Ok, I swear it sounds a bit more complicated than it actually is. But, really, all those are simple mods, using simple tools. Almost there, hang on...

 Now, drill a hole at the same distance in the nylon spacer but only on one side, insert the bolt, and now drill all the way through the other side of the spacer (thus getting all the holes nicely aligned):

 Drill a hole at the same distance in the center column, but only on one side. The hole should be drilled in the thick part of the column's wall to maintain proper structural integrity.

 

 Insert the bolt and spacer, and align the holes. Now drill all the way through the other side of the column. Insert the 1/8" slotted pin to secure the bolt and spacer firmly in place.

 

 Finally, cut the bolt down to a ~3/8" length, install the base head and voila:

 A 114g (4.02oz) lighter tripod with an unobtrusive straight head that fits easily in backpacks with Nalgene bottle sized pockets !

 

 Time to get back on the trails with the camera !