Bogen 785B is a great travel accessory - and makeshift steadicam! Only 60 bucks!

[e-steve]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to pass along a note about the Manfrotto 785B Portable Tripod - it's one of my favorite new things in my travel pack as it collapses small enough to fit in almost any suitcase or even my backpack, and it's far sturdier than other small tripods I've used.

The head is unique too, and I found that it ALMOST (not quite) acts like a gimbal if you put it in "photo" mode, which allows the head to rotate freely, when holding the handle on the tripod head. The legs then can be short or long to lower the center of gravity of the rig to act as a makeshift steadicam. It can be a little tough on your shoulder muscles to hold it this way, but it seems to work great especially for a $60 tripod!

http://www.inspiredthemovie.com/dvxuser/IMG_0222.JPG
http://www.inspiredthemovie.com/dvxuser/IMG_0227.JPG

The "video mode" of the head is nice in that it limits the head to pan and tilt vs the "photo mode" which allows for and angles, but of course the head isn't very fluid for panning in general. I found however, that holding onto the tripod handle and the GH1 lens I could get pretty smooth pans.

I will post some footage of the "steadicam" mode when I have a chance.

If you want a portable tripod for both still shots and some locked video shots, I'd highly recommend this tripod!

Product link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FA7PQ2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=304485901&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000GU4IX4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=15DJBRRAK2AEGN18ZWWG

The design of this tripod is really unique and I think if Manfrotto worked on it just a little more they would sell a ton of these as dual purpose tripods/steadicams.

[saaby]

I had this tripod -- I moved 3 months ago and it got lost in the move :( but yeah, it's fantastic. How does it work with the GH1 for you? The ball heard part is rated for only a couple of Lbs, and my Pentax dSLR easily overwhelmed it. I've had the trigger mechanism apart, and I had considered slipping in a thin piece of rubber to try and help increase the "breaking" capacity of the trigger, and thus increase the rating of the head.

[e-steve]

So far so good - obviously not a primary tripod, but for travel and occasional stabilization use, I think it's a steal for only $60.

It seems just fine with the GH1 so far.

Did you say you've had the trigger mechanism break on you?

If the ball joint in the head was just a little more fluid, it would be a great inexpensive stabilizer. I could see this product something that would be sold for $300 instead of just $60 if it was just modified a little (of course I am happy with the 60 dollar investment)

[saaby]

Uhhh...I don't think it broke on me. I'm not sure why I took it apart. I just like to take things apart, so there may have been a legitimate reason, but they may have not.

Inside it's pretty crude, just 2 metal plates pushing against the ball -- which, IIRC, is lightly textured (Circular ridges all around it). I'm not sure what you could do to make it more fluid...you can't really change out the ball part, and changing the plates to teflon plates would probably provide too low of a coefficient of friction. It already struggles with heavier cameras.

[commanderspike]

Decided to get one of these and it's great. Very small when folded up. Only thing it lacks is the fluid pan head. But I've decided not to pan ever again - it's a crappy cinematic tool.

The handle, ball head and general all round build quality are other great features. I love it. Though as a steadycam, if is just a handle with a weight on the bottom (the legs)... the rotation isn't free enough for the weight to move around under the camera.

[snicky]

Andrew can you post some footage?

[e-steve]

You can't beat the price for such a portable tool. I agree it's not the best as a steadycam, but it definitely works for basic shots. I will try to post my footage soon (although be ready to see a little mud!)

Did you use it as a steadycam with the head totally disengaged and in photo mode? It wasn't too bad for me... as I mentioned, with a few design changes it could actually be a pretty effective shot stabilizer. It is great for still shots as well as locked down shots, and I love the ability to adjust the legs so you can get really low shots.