Don't put a tripod on a carpet.

[Dave in Wales]

I feel quite embarrased after all these years being 'into' photography I've only just twigged that one should NEVER put a tripod on a carpet.

It seemed quite natural to do all my Macro work and tests etc, in fact anything that requied a tripod, on the dining room table.

I was playing around yesterday with some Macro stuff at x1.2 mag trying to focus and the subject was waving around like wheat in the wind.
Except it wasn't the subject is was the camera.

Then I noticed the tripod feet digging in and out of the carpet/underlay.....ARGHHHHH.....:bang::bang::bang:

It's into the kitchen or garage from now on.

 

[Yellowbelly]

I'd rather damage the carpet than the feet of my tripod.

 

[markmullen]

Unless you're sporting a Deardorff 10x8 or something you're unlikely to damage anything. You can get little plates to fit on the ends, they're more commonly used for snow and sand, if you're concerned.

 

[sarahhj]

I think the OP was commenting more on the fact that the carpet made the set-up unstable, rather than being worried about damaging the carpet!

 

[Coley.]

Hang a weight from the tripod ?

 

[jockwav]

Ask the wife to sit on it.

 

[jon ryan]

Mirror lock, remote trigger, step back a bit...

 

[deadalus3000]

Yeah, I was going to suggest a remote trigger...
Also, what about furniture cups, ones you put between the casters of your sofa and the carpet. Picked up 4 the other day for £1.50 delivered from the bay.

 

[[GSV]Myocardial]

Wouldn't spikes be the best solution, in the same vein as speakers use them, i.e pushing down through the pile and contacting the hard surface below. Anything that spreads the load is going to suffer the same problem of floating ontop of a soft surface.

One problem I've had in the past was with hung wooden floors and the floorboards moving when stepping back, easily solved by stepping back onto a different board and shouldn't be a problem with concrete.

Just don't put it back onto the dinning room table without removing the spikes or SWMBO will be having words about the new scratches

 

[Calzor Suzay]

I wouldn't bother with spikes unless they're like nails. I have speaker stands that are filled with sand and even these take a bit of leaning on to get them to pierce the carpet and underlay to get to the floor beneath, this is on concrete. I'd imagine if you're on floorboards that'll be moving about anyway.