That is a very strong wind :sweat:
Did you try to lower the columns to attain lower CG ?
Yes, the wind was really very strong (on top of Mt Merbabu as well as on top of Mt. Rinjani). You mean not extending the legs, right ? (I never extend the centre column up anyways)
No, I didn't extend any of the legs.
i believed the bag is supposed to be touching the ground and not hanging in mid-air
Yeah, I know. The problem was that if I extended the legs and the bag was not touching the ground and it started to sway. If I didn't extend the legs, the height wasn't enough for the bag to be hung from the hook below the centre column.
Which Sirui model was it and do you think another (heavier) tripod would have worked under such conditions?
It was the Sirui Travel tripod T1204X. I suppose a heavier tripod would've worked. But I really don't know how heavy.
When I was on the summit of Merbabu, I setup my 5dMkII on top of the Sirui tripod, programmed the cable release to shoot 99 exposures (wanted to make a time lapse video later of the extending shadow of Merbabu). I happily turned around and started shooting silhouettes of Sumbing and Sindoro with my other camera. After a couple of minutes, I turned back and to my horror, the tripod had toppled !!! Lucky it fell on soft soil and not on any rocks, and that too not from a height (glad I didn't extend the legs) and the L bracket took most of the impact. I quickly tested the 5DMkII and it was alright. I forgot all about time lapse then :bsmilie:
I think daredevil's trick would work. The thing would be to extend the legs enough for the bag to go underneath and secure it down with bungee cords or strong elastic bands.
Bro, I learnt a trick from a photography forum in US. It involves hanging a bag below the tripod as well but doing it differently.
Thing is a swaying bag is no good, because it adds to the instability. The way to get around it is to leave the bag on the floor at the bottom of the tripod. Then use, bungee cords (u know the elastic rope with hooks on the end) and hook the top handle of your bag to your tripod hook. Add more bands to get more tension. So you pull the tripod down with weight, but you do not get any problems from a swaying bag. Your bag needs to be heavier if you need more stability. You can stack other stuff on your bag, add some rocks to the top of your bag.
Thanks for sharing this tip. Will try it out next time around.
I just wanted to hear what the rest of you folks do in such conditions. Has any of you used a heavier tripod in strong windy conditions and it has worked fine - including for long exposures.
Also, I don't think the travel tripods are meant for usage in such strong winds. That then beats the purpose of having a travel tripod. Aiyoh ...