CF Tripods - A Warning

[OutLore]

My carbon fibre sea fishing rods never had a problem and they were subjected to somewhat more abuse than a tripod should expect to receive

And are designed for a wet environment. Most tripods are not.

Manfrotto are, IMO, a cheap brand of tripod. Pay £750+ for a CF tripod and yes, I'd expect more from it. (IE for it to be sealed after being cut)

FYI - There's 3 Manfrotto tripods in my house!! (No CF though )

 

[Dudie]

ships, boats etc are made from Carbon fibre

And aeroplanes are made from aluminium. How's your aluminium tripod perform at 700mph and 30000ft? Nice and stable is it?

Comparing CF tripods with CF products designed for use in a watery environment is irrelevant and pointless.

 

[Nod]

although CF is still stuff glued together .

but manfrotto - please !!!!

ships, boats etc are made from Carbon fibre

And look what happened to Pete Goss's trimaran a few years ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Philips

 

[dhdev]

And aeroplanes are made from aluminium. How's your aluminium tripod perform at 700mph and 30000ft? Nice and stable is it?

Comparing CF tripods with CF products designed for use in a watery environment is irrelevant and pointless.

EXACTLY, thankyou.
I was going to use the comparison:- My rowing boat oars are fine in the water, so my dining table should be fine stood in the pond right?

 

[Dudie]

EXACTLY, thankyou.
I was going to use the comparison:- My rowing boat oars are fine in the water, so my dining table should be fine stood in the pond right?

I prefer your analogy

 

[Starastin]

And aeroplanes are made from aluminium. How's your aluminium tripod perform at 700mph and 30000ft? Nice and stable is it?

Comparing CF tripods with CF products designed for use in a watery environment is irrelevant and pointless.

shouldn't they be able to ?

I mean Manfrotto CF tripods are the most expensive aren't they ?
but yet, can't take a couple of water drops.

 

[Starastin]

I prefer your analogy

get a room you two !

 

[seriousrikk]

shouldn't they be able to ?

I mean Manfrotto CF tripods are the most expensive aren't they ?
but yet, can't take a couple of water drops.

Firstly, manfrotto CF tripods are still at the bottom end of the CF tripod market

Secondly, prolonged submersion is a bit different to a few drops of water.

 

[Dudie]

but yet, can't take a couple of water drops.

Mine can. Quite happily and quite frequently:shrug:

The only mention of CF tripods not being able to cope in the rain has come from posters on this thread. The usual TP Chinese whispers avoiding the facts in favour of a good old rant. From the original posting it can be deduced that the photographer dunks his tripods in the sea. Manfrotto have said that the tripods shouldn't be got wet (they don't specify whether this is from the tears of a gnat or from immersion in a bath of acid). And now, by page 2 we are complaining that a tripod can't take a couple of water drops. I think a little perspective might be called for

dhdev, your place or mine

 

[dhdev]

Mine can. Quite happily and quite frequently:shrug:
dhdev, your place or mine

How about a rendezvous in the materials testing lab, we can compare our CF tripods

 

[Starastin]

Mine can. Quite happily and quite frequently:shrug:

The only mention of CF tripods not being able to cope in the rain has come from posters on this thread. The usual TP Chinese whispers avoiding the facts in favour of a good old rant. From the original posting it can be deduced that the photographer dunks his tripods in the sea. Manfrotto have said that the tripods shouldn't be got wet (they don't specify whether this is from the tears of a gnat or from immersion in a bath of acid). And now, by page 2 we are complaining that a tripod can't take a couple of water drops. I think a little perspective might be called for

dhdev, your place or mine

what do you expect ! I'm bored !

I didn't mean literally few water drops

 

[smartidog]

Well I am certainly glad that I brought the heavy version when getting my 055xproB, but do think that if getting a CF tripod wet was such an issue it should be made more obvious on product promotional documentation.

Carbon Fibre is made out to be one of the wonder materials of the modern era and manufacturers seem to cash in on this. Obviously there are different grades/types of cf used in the manufacture of different items, the same as there are in stainless steel, but you would not expect a cutlery set not made of marine grade stainless steel to go rusty! :shake:

 

[redddraggon]

I'm not sure what's so surprising about the story in the OP. You submerge an aluminium alloy tripod in one of the most naturally corrosive environments, and it corrodes, and then they go and do the same with a more expensive CFRP tripod.

Both Alloy and CFRP tripods will have dissimilar metals in them, mainly steels - and then you add an electrolyte in the form of salt water, and you are going to get corrosion. Assuming no long term submersions, all that it should take to avoid to corrosion is to properly wash and dry the tripod. Concerning the CFRP absorbing water, well it happens, but for an application like a tripod, the cut ends should be sealed, it shouldn't that much too much to the cost.

 

[Starastin]

Well I am certainly glad that I brought the heavy version when getting my 055xproB, but do think that if getting a CF tripod wet was such an issue it should be made more obvious on product promotional documentation.

Carbon Fibre is made out to be one of the wonder materials of the modern era and manufacturers seem to cash in on this. Obviously there are different grades/types of cf used in the manufacture of different items, the same as there are in stainless steel, but you would not expect a cutlery set not made of marine grade stainless steel to go rusty! :shake:

well, it's complicated to make it + time consuming. but yes, the prices have risen like crazy in short period of time.

look at the new Zonda R car, the CF body it has is a total masterpiece !

 

[SparkUK]

My velbon CF has been submerged plenty of times but mostly fresh(ish) water. I wonder if the salt building up inside the fibre as the water evaporates could cause an issue?

 

[JonathanRyan]

I wonder how Gitzo's Ocean range manage with staying immersed in water considering they're carbon fibre. Sounds like BS to me.

Unless you can get, you know, different kind of carbon fibre.... (or different grades)....... Or could just maybe engineer round the lock breaking (which is what appears to have happened) by maybe making a different lock....?

I once spent at least 2 hours on the phone being told all kinds of things by Gitzo's PR team explaining how every single item of their kit is carefully engineered. I'll bet all manufacturers do that to some extent right down to "hmm, if we used brass locks then they would be corrosion proof. But would add £x to the cost".

Seriously - there's a massive MASSIVE difference between what a single copy of a piece of kit will probably put up with and what the manufacturers will warrant every copy of an item of kit to put up with. And with manufacturers like Gitzo, if they say something will work - it will work. So yes, lots and lots of people have got tripods very very wet. It doesn't mean that salt water can't trash a tripod that wasn't made for it - my basalt tripod says "not recommended for use in sea water" - so I expect that would invalidate the warranty.

So....a £200 tripod that needs new £11 leg locks every so often, or a £600 tripod that doesn't?