A $6 Carbon Fiber Tripod 🙂
I have a Made in Italy, late 80's Bogen Manfrotto tripod with a ball head the size of a trailer hitch. the whole thing weighs over 7lbs. I also have the Manfrotto compact which is pretty nice for 60 bucks, but it's kind of iffy for anything but a DSLR with a very light lens. So I have been eyeballing something in-between.
Yesterday I felt lucky, like for whatever reason I needed to visit the Salvation Army thrift store, which I frequent for records, stereo gear, guitars, cds etc. Stuff I need more of like I need a hole in the head. So I'm browsing the merch and lo- and behold a tripod. Most often thrift store tripods are junk. I picked it up and and I emitted a tiny girlish squeal when I immediately felt the weight or lack there of. I tell you what. If you going thrift store hunting, it's best to stick with affluent neighborhoods, cause rich people's junk is typically better than poor people's junk.
It's a Flashpoint which was Adorama's House Brand.
It has a Manfrotto 234RC head. A price tag of $5.96.
Property of KankRat.
One gotcha. It has those spike type feet with the rubber thing surrounding. One is missing. That's no big deal you can buy those all day long. The end cap insert which goes into the CF tube and has the female threaded portion that the spike screws into... that's missing. That looks like it ain't going to be easy to find. The tube it goes into has an OD of 16mm and an ID of 14mm. The spikes are a 3/8" I think. They are not 1/4 20. I believe Gitzo is 3/8 but man, it would probably be $50 for the insert.
For now I am just putting rubber caps on the end, those are on order from Amazon. $6 so I am up to a whopping $12 investment.
It's pretty dirty and had duct tape which left goo all over. I disassembled one leg and cleaned it, much nicer now.
Quote from KankRat on February 17, 2022, 11:23 pmI have a Made in Italy, late 80's Bogen Manfrotto tripod with a ball head the size of a trailer hitch. the whole thing weighs over 7lbs. I also have the Manfrotto compact which is pretty nice for 60 bucks, but it's kind of iffy for anything but a DSLR with a very light lens. So I have been eyeballing something in-between.
Yesterday I felt lucky, like for whatever reason I needed to visit the Salvation Army thrift store, which I frequent for records, stereo gear, guitars, cds etc. Stuff I need more of like I need a hole in the head. So I'm browsing the merch and lo- and behold a tripod. Most often thrift store tripods are junk. I picked it up and and I emitted a tiny girlish squeal when I immediately felt the weight or lack there of. I tell you what. If you going thrift store hunting, it's best to stick with affluent neighborhoods, cause rich people's junk is typically better than poor people's junk.
It's a Flashpoint which was Adorama's House Brand.
It has a Manfrotto 234RC head. A price tag of $5.96.
Property of KankRat.
One gotcha. It has those spike type feet with the rubber thing surrounding. One is missing. That's no big deal you can buy those all day long. The end cap insert which goes into the CF tube and has the female threaded portion that the spike screws into... that's missing. That looks like it ain't going to be easy to find. The tube it goes into has an OD of 16mm and an ID of 14mm. The spikes are a 3/8" I think. They are not 1/4 20. I believe Gitzo is 3/8 but man, it would probably be $50 for the insert.
For now I am just putting rubber caps on the end, those are on order from Amazon. $6 so I am up to a whopping $12 investment.
It's pretty dirty and had duct tape which left goo all over. I disassembled one leg and cleaned it, much nicer now.
I feel you on checking out the thrift stores in the wealthy neighborhoods! Awesome find, just some quick googling, they're definitely reselling for way above $6. I also find it so much rewarding, than walking into Best Buy and walking out, paying new retail price on a piece of equipment. I almost buy things used exclusively anymore, I find it ironic, I'm making more money than ever, and I'm at my thriftiest I've ever been in spending.
I love browsing estate sales too, that's how I was able to obtain some of my gear dirt cheap. Especially people who live waterfront in the Minneapolis metro. Living a couple blocks off Lake Minnetonka in the west end of the lake off Harrison Bay, anyone who lives on the waterfront is a millionaire at this point. Funny enough, my house I rent is cheaper than small 2 or 1 BR 1BA apartments in Minneapolis, despite the huge price of the lakefront homes around me.
My favorite find was my Pentax K1000 from the late 70's with the SMC M 28mm/50mm 2, I got for $10 from a guy whose dad was the catalog photographer for Best Buy's corporate headquarters. He dismissed the small negative of 35mm film, since he regularly shot 4x5 and 8x10 for his catalog work, and gave it to me for nothing. It still had it's original box and receipt from National Camera Exchange in Minneapolis. I got my Yashica Fx Quartz for $15 at an antique collectors yard sale, it was dirty and gummed up, some elbow grease later and new light seals, its a just like new camera. My Yashica LM TLR was only $30 too, some guy thought it was broke, the grease had dried and seized the shutter. Some rubbing alcohol, and new lube, good as new with a 1956 serial.
Yeah. I still want to get a better tripod. I think my pics are just better when shot from a tripod. Possibly in the same way people think their film pics are better. I love the Peak Design but man- $600.
I have a Yashica Electo 35 rangefinder. The Peter Parker camera. Pretty cool, I have the leatherette case and the adapter lenses that go with it.
Repairing and shooting my Yashica Electro 35 GS (analoguearchivist.com)
