Diy photo gear by Stockholmviews.com
Upgrading the Bogen / Manfrotto 719B / 724B / 728B tripod
Those Italian made tripod is a bargain if you are looking for a light weight tripod
if you already own one, then you probably bought it for being light and at the same
time cheep.
For the same reason you didn't buy that carbon tripod that you really wanted :0)Anyhow you have now found the real weak point of this tripod, THE BALL HEAD!
The integrated ball head is way to weak for the DSLR / SLR camera you just
bough and since you bought a lens/camera combo with optical stabilization you
feel that the need of a tripod is limited and you can't really motivate the cost of
that new lightweight carbon tripod!
I own a Manfrotto 719B and intend to modify it to get a tripod that will serve as a
good enough light enough camera tripod for hiking.
the only real drawback with this mod is that the total working height of the tripod will
decrease since the center column will be removed/replaced with a shorter option.
The modification!
If you have read my Cullman 40180 ball head review then you also know that I liked
that ball for it's price/performance ratio, so I will use that ball for the 719B tripod.
But the 719B don't have a replaceable ball head!
No that's wy I have to do this easy modification, just watch :0)
All you need is a door stop a 3/8 UNC bolt some glue and a new ball head.
have a pipe that have thin walls are made of stainless steel, are 22mm in diameter and 85mm long. It also has a plate that is
50mm in diameter Perfect for this mod!
Manfrotto 724B the one that replaced the 719B model that I own!
The ball head choice for this upgrade.
When you have collected all parts everything will be done in less than 30 minutes.
1. Pull of the rubber part from the door bumper.
2. Drill the hole in the plate of the bumper to 3/8".
3. Put the 3/8" bolt thru the hole (Check for correct length and correct if necessary)
4. Use steel epoxy to fix the bolt inside the door stop (Use enough to cover the bolt head)
5. When the epoxy has cured, screw the head to you new mini column.
6. Remove the original long column on your tripod and replace it with your new
ball head assembly.
7. Admire your work!
The original dinky head!
Suggestions for further improvements
- Replace the round ball head to camera interface with a quick release mount
- The maximum height of the tripod after this mod has been performed is 132 cm
if yo fell that 103cm will be enough for you than I suggest that you remove the
lowest leg section, if you do so you will improve rigidity and make the whole
assembly lighter.- Mount a hook on the tripod to make it possible to weight load it to improve
stability in windy conditions.
This is how the new center column should look!
Installed in the Manfrotto 719B Digipod to
become a solid ground for the new ball head.
Cullman 40180 25nm Magnesite mounted on
the new stainless steel D.I.Y center column!
much more refined look and feel with the
smooth operating ball head from Cullman.
Total weight for the whole assembly is 1.75kg
Total max height with the new short center column is 132 cm
Was it worth it? I will say that i think it was :0)
Also read the comparing review of Manfrotto 719B vs Gitzo Mountaineer G1158 ...
