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Trouble in River City
Unfortunately, the tripod was a miserable design failure. The center column was far too long. It was impossible to get the camera close to the ground because of the length. I'm not one to use much of any center column extension, so this was going to be an early target of my hacksaw. The tripod head was gut-wrenching. It was designed for camcorders, not cameras. The third major design flaw was the leg braces. They were made out of lightweight channeled aluminum. The steel pins at the brackets elongated the holes in the aluminum braces and prevented me from locking the tripod down so it wouldn't move. The elongating of the holes started within the first month of use. Finally, the twist-locks on the legs have a tendency to bind up and require gorilla action to loosen.
It didn't take long for these tripods to find their way into the rubbish. It's a shame, since they were not inexpensive. After about a year of heavy use mine was shot--the holes got so bad that the pins ripped out of one of the support braces.
My dad, a retired toolmaker, and I decided to apply a little "Norton Ingenuity" to the problem and see if we could rebuild it to be better than original. The goal was to create a tripod that would go to ground level and be as close to ideal for "field use" as possible.
The Head
The tripod head had to go. Before the braces wore out, I had already tried several heads with varying degrees of success. Since the tripod is so small and lightweight most heads were too bulky, heavy or inflexible. The solution was found in the lighting department of the camera store. We carried three difference sizes of ballheads for studio flash equipment. The biggest one looked about right. I mounted it on the column, put my camera on it (with motordrive and big lens) and determined that it had enough strength to work. 15 years later, I'm still using that very same ballhead. It is easy and fast to use and locks down tightly. Maintenance? I sprayed silicon lubricant in it once about 10 years ago. This ballhead frequently finds itself on my Monopod or SuperClamp.
The Leg Braces
The leg support braces were too short. You couldn't quite get the legs splayed enough before the braces were pressed up tightly against the legs. Any replacement braces would need to be longer. I believe that my new ones are about two inches longer than original. We made them too long and had to cut them down a few times to get it right. Aluminum had proven to be the wrong material. I'm not sure what it is, but we were able to scare up some really tough composite material from the scrap bin at work. Anyway, this material has been perfect. With the longer braces the legs now go inverted. This means that the tripod will go to ground level. Each leg is individually adjustable.
The Center Column
Since I had to cut the center column, I decided to create an experiment. I had recently used a "shoulder stock" camera support and really liked it. What if my center column became a poor man's shoulder stock? I cut the column down and now with the ballhead is the perfect size for shoulder use. With the camera mounted as shown here, I stick the end of the column in the hollow spot of my shoulder and the camera is at the perfect eye position. Changing to vertical orientation just requires a loosening of the knob, a bit of rotation and retightening. Instant change. Does it hurt to use? Yes, if you are wearing just a t-shirt. But a coat, jacket or photographer vest will provide just enough padding to not be a problem. A camera bag or backpack strap is also great. Shoulder stocks have limited application and this has been all I've needed. Best part is, it only takes two seconds to go from "shoulder stock" to tripod or back.
In Use
The tripod is a "go anwhere" unit that is good for backpacking, bicycling and low-level macro photography. It even mounts to my camera bag for carrying. The amazing thing about the tripod is how stable it is. In windy conditions I need to hang the camera bag from the tripod, but normally it is a great match for my equipment.
There is no substitute for big, heavy tripods in the studio or when using long lenses or medium/large format cameras. The Davis and Sanford tripod is too short for many situations. I always carry one or both Bogen tripods in the Jeep, but when venturing more than a couple miles from the vehicle, I usually carry this tripod.
Don't mistake this tripod for one of those inexpensive department store pocket tripods. This is a mid-size unit that now possesses the structural strength and customized features to make it a nearly perfect for field applications with 35mm or smaller digital cameras.
Remaining Complaints
The knurled tightening rings on the legs still bind. Getting them loose with bare hands is sometimes difficult. I've lost skin trying to turn them. Also, the legs have a tendency to stick and not want to extend. This is due to the tight tolerances between the outside diameter and inside diameter of the leg sections. Lubricant, such as silicone spray helps, but I never think about it until I'm fighting the tripod in the field.
The leg braces slide up and down the top leg section so I cannot thermally insulate or pad the tripod. This makes the tripod extremely cold to use in wintertime. I rarely use it during the winter because of this. You can feel the heat being sapped out of your gloves while holding or carrying the tripod.
The rubber feet have been wanting to come off. I've tried taping them and gluing them to get them to stay on. It normally isn't a problem, unless it's cold and I happen to stick the tripod into mud.
Conclusion
Davis and Sanford came up with a terrific tripod. Unfortunately, they stopped short of manufacturing it with the robustness needed for professional use. After my modifications, this tripod has proven to be as solid, reliable and flexible as I could ever expect. Would I recommend this tripod to other photographers? Yes, but not without modification.
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