DVXuser.com : Cartoni Focus Tripod Head Review

I've been very happy with my bogen 503 head for the last 2 years. Its light, cheap, the fake fluid head works pretty damn well for not being a true fluid head, and it had a pretty happy mesh with the DVX100. But things changed when I picked up my HVX200. The camera, as most of you noticed, dropped out of fat camp and gained a few pounds over the summer. In almost every way this is a good thing.. Steadicam guys love the extra weight, handheld shooting is more stable (albeit a little more tiring) and things are a little less cramped. However.. the one thing the extra few pounds did do was limit the performance of my good old 503. The HVX, with follow focus and mattebox, simply just outweighs the capabilities of the Bogen, So i was sent shopping.

Most people have heard of Cartoni, they make some of the finest studio and ENG heads on the market, but their history in the DV sector has been pretty uneventful. The Action Pro is a very good head, but kinda fell in a weird price range that the Bogen and others beat in price and adjustability features. I didn't expect to fall in love with the Focus, and to be honest on the way to the store I had Vinten and Sachtler on my mind, and a $1000 ceiling.

On the showroom floor is where i first really tried the Focus. I actually couldn't believe how good the initial response of the movement was. Even with no weight, the movement was silky smooth and stable, and the drag adjustability impressed me, which in this level usually is limited to just off or on. Still a little skeptical, I wanted to spend a little more time with it so I went home and contacted Cartoni directly. They loaned me a Focus with single stage legs to review ( good luck ever getting this head back Cartoni ) . I guess you can tell this is gonna be a pretty positive review.

I'm not gonna talk too much about the legs. The legs I received are good legs, and work very well. The Aluminum spreaders are beautiful and the leg locks are quick and convenient. The 100mm bowl is standard, so the head should work with most existing 100mm sticks out there. Nothing bad about the single stage sticks I got for review, but nothing that incredible either. I'm not a huge fan of single stage sticks so i'll leave it at that. but for this review, and my personal motivations, its all about the head.


100 mm standard bowl. Very smooth leveling movement	Nice, large level knob with a nice extension keep things quick	Spreaders are very quick as well, made of solid aluminum


Leg locks are very effective. Once tensioned via allen, closed they lock solid	and a very quick flip up (with safety) provides free adjustment	Our single stage had nice fat round rubber feet on a wide movement ball swivel.

The build quality of the Focus head is top notch. Metal hardware and body keep the head feeling very dense. Its still very compact, but very solid, at just over 4 lbs. The release plates are very similar to the Bogen plates. They are a little longer, which aids in setting a good balance for front heavy cameras. Could be a little longer in my opinion, so you don't need to drop the camera in a little back. The release plate snaps in from the top, so you just push down on the camera and a spring activated trigger pushes the lever lock back into the closed position and the camera is locked to the head. Again, no plastic parts and a very large release pull make things very quick, safe and easy. Once the lever is in, a safety clasp locks it in place.

The Fluid movement on this head is incredible. A feedback driven drag system (when you tighten the fluid knobs they get tighter) has a very wide range of settings unlike some other heads in this class. Advanced pan and tilts such as dutch pans and ship snaps are very smooth. Throughout the entire tilt range there is no ramping, which is a full 90 degrees. Without a question, the movement of this head beats anything in its price range.. In fact the Focus could make some $2000 heads sweat. The Tilt drag adjustment is located on the side barrel, and the pan drag adjustment lays just above the bowl similar to Sachtler's location. This is the best place for it, as it lets you put your hand around the entire base of the head and get a good grip to make minute adjustments. The pan handle is also fully adjustable and extendible, and can be swapped to either side of the head for left or right handed operators.

One of the better features the Focus has is an internal balance system that balanced heads from 2-22lbs! No springs to replace or change, just simply dial the balance knob and away you go. This is great if you use many cameras, or swap off rods etc. frequently. No more camera dives. Another feature usually found on more expensive heads is the lighted level bubble. A simple thing, that i don't know why everyone doesn't do, but helps alot. When you activate the light it stays on for a few seconds, then gently fades off. There are two locks as expected, one for pan and tilt, and are in the usual places, on the side and bottom of the head. The locks are great, but the incredible counterbalance system is another thing that sets this head apart.

Thanks to Steve at Ste-man/Cartoni for providing head for Review.
Rush at EVS or Jared at Abel both Stock the Focus Head/Legs