Multiple cameras on a single tripod

[shadowblade]

It's often said that landscape photographers have all the time in the world to set up, compose and take a photo. That may be true, which is why we can get away with using low-speed, high-IQ equipment such as technical bodies, large format, tilt-shift lenses, pan-tilt heads and hybrid Canon-Zeiss-Sigma-Metabones-Sony Frankenstein setups.

But what is also true is that opportunities are few and far between. You can have a model pose more than once and adjust your lighting, lens or body settings, but there is only one sunrise and one sunset in a day, two high and two low tides in a day, and the same lunar conditions only come around once a month or so. If you need more than one of these to be ideal, the right conditions may only come around every few weeks or months. Add to this the fact that haze and cloud conditions often differ day by day (even the exact shape or placement of clouds) and that other things like foliage on trees, flowering plants and the exact angle of sunrise/sunset vary on an annual or twice-annual cycle and many shots will be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Compounding this is the fact that there are often several great shots to be had from the same location at the same time - landscape and portrait orientation, sunrise hitting several peaks at the same time, telephoto and wide compositions, different focal lengths on the same mountain peak. Ideal sunrise and sunset lighting may only last a few minutes, and, considering that twilight shots may stretch into many seconds, or even minutes, there isn't time for a large number of shots.

To cover all these possibilities, it is very common to carry multiple lenses (sometimes with overlapping focal lengths) and multiple bodies on a shooting trip. What is not common is to bring more than one tripod - tripods are bulky and heavy, hard to carry on planes and difficult to carry more than one of on the same bag. But a full-size tripod, such as a RRS TVC-34L, is a very stable platform, fully capable of supporting more than one camera at the same time for anything other than minutes-long exposures or in high winds. Doubly so when the cameras are small, mirrorless Sony bodies or when the legs are not fully extended.

What seems to be lacking, though, is a means to attach more than one body to the tripod at the same time - for instance, a bar or wide platform with attachment points for two separate heads, such as a C1 Cube and a ballhead. This would allow the two cameras to be independently-orientable, so that you could have a telephoto shooting at a mountain peak while a UWA captures the entire valley lit up at dawn, or two separate telephotos aimed at two different peaks.

Does anyone have a solution for this? A custom metal bracket or something (preferably vibration-dampened so that shutter movements from one camera don't cause the other to vibrate)? Or is homebrew the only good solution?

On a related note, any way to hook up a remote release to trigger two cameras with different settings at the same time, short of unreliable radio remotes?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

What seems to be lacking, though, is a means to attach more than one body to the tripod at the same time - for instance, a bar or wide platform with attachment points for two separate heads, such as a C1 Cube and a ballhead. This would allow the two cameras to be independently-orientable, so that you could have a telephoto shooting at a mountain peak while a UWA captures the entire valley lit up at dawn, or two separate telephotos aimed at two different peaks.

Does anyone have a solution for this? A custom metal bracket or something (preferably vibration-dampened so that shutter movements from one camera don't cause the other to vibrate)? Or is homebrew the only good solution?

Hi,

Not too hard to configure based on some Really Right Stuff components. Just use a bar that's long enough to accommodate multiple cameras side-by-side. Then mount the ballheads/cubes/whatever with a clamp at the bottom to the bar. The tripod should of course allow to carry the combined weight with ease, to avoid instability and vibrations e.g. from the wind. With a long enough bar, one can even use two tripods.

Vibration may become an issue when multiple cameras are used/triggered at the exact same time. If necessary one can experiment with vibration absorption material, e.g. Sorbothane, between tripod mount and clamp for the bar.

On a related note, any way to hook up a remote release to trigger two cameras with different settings at the same time, short of unreliable radio remotes?

I've found the Phottix wireless radio remotes to be reliable, and they can be configured to use the same channel if multiple units need to fire at the same time. You can also configure PocketWizards to trigger the camera with the right camera release cables, perhaps a more expensive but solid radio remote configuration should be possible.

Cheers,
Bart

[sbay]

Here's a link to a RRS setup for stereo photography: http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/CB-18-Stereo-Package that lets you mount multiple cameras as suggested.

But I would be worried that when I reposition one camera, I'm going to shake it too much and disturb the other. Could be an issue with longer exposures.

On the other hand, adding a tripod + extra ballhead might add another 5lbs. So if I'm already carrying 20-30lbs an extra 5lbs isn't too bad.

[shadowblade]

Hi,

Not too hard to configure based on some Really Right Stuff components. Just use a bar that's long enough to accommodate multiple cameras side-by-side. Then mount the ballheads/cubes/whatever with a clamp at the bottom to the bar. The tripod should of course allow to carry the combined weight with ease, to avoid instability and vibrations e.g. from the wind. With a long enough bar, one can even use two tripods.

Would have thought that a pair of 5/18" posts (or whatever size they use) to connect the bar directly to the heads (same as on a normal tripod mount) would be much simpler and more secure than clamps - provided, of course, that a bar is available that can take two posts screwed into it. Clamps would just introduce more moving parts.

Vibration may become an issue when multiple cameras are used/triggered at the exact same time. If necessary one can experiment with vibration absorption material, e.g. Sorbothane, between tripod mount and clamp for the bar.

Wouldn't putting material between the tripod mount and the clamp just introduce further play into the system, allowing for more potential movement?

What about making the bar itself out of carbon fibre, or even wood, to vibrate less than a steel bar? Of course, there would then be a tradeoff between vibration conduction, length and stiffness - if it's not stiff enough it will flex with the slightest breeze, introducing further low-frequency vibrations.

I've found the Phottix wireless radio remotes to be reliable, and they can be configured to use the same channel if multiple units need to fire at the same time. You can also configure PocketWizards to trigger the camera with the right camera release cables, perhaps a more expensive but solid radio remote configuration should be possible.

I've always used Pocketwizards to trigger strobes, but had never thought of using them to trigger cameras!

[Joe Towner]

I've used this a number of times, had a canon 100-400 on one side and a 300/2.8 on the other
http://www.manfrotto.us/long-plate-double-camera-support-platform

I want one of these so I can do a laptop and a camera or two on a single tripod
https://www.manfrotto.com/cross-arm-double-end-and-double-head-support

As for multiple cameras at the same time, try
http://www.promotesystems.com/products/Promote-Control-Hub.html

[Ken Bennett]

I have used that Manfrotto Cross Arm with two cameras on a single tripod. You need two ball heads. It's heavy duty and works well.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I have used that Manfrotto Cross Arm with two cameras on a single tripod. You need two ball heads. It's heavy duty and works well.

Hi,

One of the drawbacks, in my experience, is the round tube. When the central clamp is released the top heavy tube will rotate. That's something that the RRS bars do not suffer from. The tubes are also relatively long, whereas the bars (that come in several sizes) can be chosen for the minimum length required. One would have to do measurements with cameras mounted to see which solution vibrates less.

Cheers,
Bart