Berlebach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Berlebach Stativtechnik is a manufacturer of tripods and monopods from Mulda, Germany. They are known for their tripods being made from ash wood (Fraxinus excelsior), and manufacture products for photography, telescopes and surveying.
Berlebach was founded by Peter Otto Berlebach in 1898.[1] According to the Hamberg Export Handbook (de: Hamburger Export-Handbuch) from 1906, tripods were already being supplied to England at that time.
After Peter Otto Berlebach retired in 1918, the company was taken over by Dittmar Biskaborn, and Heisinger, three former employees of Ernemann. In 1972, the family business was nationalised in the GDR and renamed VEB Foto-Kino-Zubehör, supplying tripods to the entire Eastern Bloc.
In 1990, the company came under trustee administration. After extended negotiations, Wolfgang Fleischer, who had been a senior employee at Berlebach since 1962, was able to purchase the company in 1993.
In 1994 Berlebach made its first appearance at the Photokina trade fair and has since become a leading manufacturer of wooden tripods.[2] Today they export to more than 40 countries worldwide.[citation needed]
Characteristics
Berlebach tripods are considered to be particularly low oscillation due to the ash wood used in their production,[1][3] and are therefore used alongside heavy telephoto lenses[4] by amateur astronomers with telescopes, in astrophotography,[5] and in macrophotography.[6] In colder regions, the material composition allows the tripod to be handled without gloves.[3]
