Full-Size, Lightweight Tripod (640g) for Photos & Videos

Made with a combination of carbon fiber tubes and fiberglass rods.
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updated May 19, 2024

Description

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My daughter has recently developed a passion for studying mushrooms. Although she used an older Canon camera to capture images, I noticed that in the forest environment she had to lie down to obtain quality macro shots in low light conditions, which did not always yield satisfactory results. She shared with me her desire to have a tripod that would allow the camera to be as close to the ground as possible, even under the tripod platform, with the upside-down position not being a problem. The triggering will be done using a remote device.

While purchasing a pre-made tripod may be more convenient, I designed a customizable tripod that can be cut and adjusted to suit my specific needs precisely. The carbon fiber components shown below are in their raw 'untouched' form before customization.

Thus, I decided to design a tripod that is easy to carry on hikes and affordable. After numerous attempts, I concluded that a viable solution is to use carbon fiber tubes purchased from AliExpress. Unfortunately, the combination of an 8 mm outer diameter and 6 mm inner diameter tube does not slide without friction (telescopically) into a 10 mm outer diameter and 8 mm inner diameter tube. While waiting for 7 mm outer diameter tubes, I noticed that the fiberglass rods I already had in the garage are 5/16" (approximately 7.94 mm) and slide excellently into the 8 mm inner diameter tube. In the future, I will adapt the components to use a 7 mm outer diameter carbon fiber tube, which I don't think will cause any problems.

From the experience gained so far, printing the parts in polycarbonate, carbon fiber reinforced composite, and Polymaker's PETG Tough, I have managed to obtain a 1.5-meter-tall tripod weighing only 640 grams. Of course, by shortening the tubes, the stability of the tripod will increase. Also, using a more compact camera than my Nikon will allow the use of longer tubes.

The tripod is essentially made up of three main sub-assemblies: telescopic legs with quick-release locking systems, a central platform that allows adjusting the angle of the legs and the height of the central column, as well as a camera platform that provides approximately 35 degrees of rotation. The socket and camera platform have built-in supports for better printing. After printing, these supports are removed and replaced with silicone (or any rubber pads of your choice) for better grip of the camera and increased floor stability.

Quick Release Clamp Assembly:

Telescopic Leg Assembly:

Tripod Head Assembly:

Materials used:

5/16" fiberglass rod 

10mm OD/8mm ID carbon fiber tube

12mm OD/10mm ID carbon fiber rod

Prusament PC blend orange 

Polymaker PolyMax PETG black and white

M3 hardware (Button Head Socket Cap Screws): 10mm, 12mm, 18mm, 20mm, 30mm stainless steel

M4 hardware (Socket Head Cap Screws) 40mm long stainless steel

 

Tools: Printers Prusa MK4 and MK3S+ 

Reamers 8mm and 10mm diameter Reamers are used to correctly form the holes in the Leg Locking Collars.

Use the drilling fixture to position the ball and fiberglass correctly when drilling for the M3 screw.

To install the M3 nuts into the hexagonal pockets of the 3D printed parts, follow these steps:

  1. Take an M3 thumbscrew and use it to initially start and partially insert the M3 nut into the hexagonal pocket from one side.
  2. Once the nut is started in the pocket using the thumbscrew, remove the thumbscrew.
  3. From the opposite side of the hexagonal pocket, insert an M3 screw through the pocket hole.
  4. Continue turning the M3 screw - this will pull the nut until it is fully seated and secured within the hexagonal pocket.

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