I love this tripod combo!!!

Mabe when I win the lottery eh. As for the combo, seems like a fair price, ive a feeling i may have to add annother 500$ to it tho.

Do you know of any good companies on the web that ship, and I mean good shipping, overseas. I remember a while back after 2001 we suffered because US companies were forbidden to ship to the middle east. Very sad I know. I guess a DVD from amazon.com could be used as a lethal weapon :S.

Anyhoo, i dont know much about companies selling equipment in the states or the UK. If anyone knows of companies selling this gear in Europe or America that ship overseas it would help allot. It takes me ages going through the checkout process just to see if they ship across borders.
 
Dear Beaver and Chums

I have gone to BH photo and they do indeed ship abroud. To get the legs and the head from them would cost me 1,800 dollars with shipping, thats 6,888 uae dirham. However, there is the issue of the tie down cup.

This is the main problem for me, im wondering if i could put in a special order with BH but they would have to go to the manufacturer and i can imagine it either not happening or behing very messy. Is the tie down cup removable manualy, perhaps i can purchase a replacement and do some DIY

If you guys could brainstorm some creative solutions to my problem I would be very greatfull

what was the film again,, oh yes, leave it to Beaver

cheers
 
Describe the issue clearly to B&H. If they say, "Oh don't worry, we always order the Focus with the larger cup because we know our customers use them with sticks from Miller or other manufacturers," you're fine. Or, if they have the Delta cup in stock and are willing to swap it into your order, you're fine.

If they would have to go to the manufacturer, then you're right, that could introduce delays. Consider contacting a Cartoni distibutor yourself directly and skipping the middle-man. See my early post for the U.S. distribuotr's contact info, although if there is one closer to your neighborhood you might try them instead.

To be clear, the "tie-down cup" is the entire piece you use to attach the head to the bowl. It has a knob you turn to screw it on to a male threaded post sticking out of the bottom of the head. There is no DIY to do - just a replacement of the entire thing with another one with wider "cup" part and matching thread. I can't post a picture at this very moment but if there's a need I can do so later.

Digital Angel said:
Dear Beaver and Chums

I have gone to BH photo and they do indeed ship abroud. To get the legs and the head from them would cost me 1,800 dollars with shipping, thats 6,888 uae dirham. However, there is the issue of the tie down cup.

This is the main problem for me, im wondering if i could put in a special order with BH but they would have to go to the manufacturer and i can imagine it either not happening or behing very messy. Is the tie down cup removable manualy, perhaps i can purchase a replacement and do some DIY

If you guys could brainstorm some creative solutions to my problem I would be very greatfull

what was the film again,, oh yes, leave it to Beaver

cheers
Click to expand...
 
Cool cool. Il give it a try with B&H, dont have cartoni over here im afraid. Perhaps they would hae it but i doubt they would.

thx for the help
 
ery much like the cartoni focus head tbh, the legs from miller realy cost allot. Well perhaps not realy, Could you tell me what a good tripod shuld cost, if it be 2000 bucks then so be it, Are there any other options out there? with true fluid head.

Our college has the Manfrotto tripod, its pretty rubbish and too heavy tbh, i cant even use it as a tripod because of the head, well u know, cant pan good. Trying to do both panning and tilting at the same time is deadly.

How does manfrotto heads compare to the true fluid motion heads from cartoni?
 
I got a Focus head too but I went with the regular two stage legs that come with the Focus package. On the down side, the whole things ways twice as much as your setup with those legs (22 lbs) but personally, I just can't make do with small legs and no spreader. The tripod never feels stable with those kind of spider legs. I'm sure it's great out in the woods but for my stuff that is mostly narrative, I wanna be confident that my $6000 camera and $1500 tripod won't fall over and die.
 
Are the miller legs unstable ,,, hmmm, where is the spreader possitioned in the Focus?

Look i dont mind a heavy tripd, aslong as it is able to do what a tripod is supposed to do, however i do want one thats easy to operate ,, Solo :)
 
I've got an OConnor DV head on a set of Gitzo G340 (similar single tube no spreader construction to the Miller Solo) and I don't feel it's unstable. The Miller legs are often used by ENG crews with big ENG cameras so they must be decent. Also, for years many ENG crews on in the Midwest and East Coast used Sachtlers and Millers on Gitzo legs.

The dual tube designs certainly LOOKS more stable but I doubt it makes a difference when we're talking about supporting something the size and weight of an HVX. The single tube design has several advantages such as less bulk when closed, less weight due to no spreader and variable angle legs that allow you to go as low as baby legs.
 
interesting, what would you say the differences are between the Gitzo and Miller if any. Are there any comparable heads for that matter with the focus.
 
Found this thread encouraging... as I embrace my invoice from Abel Cine Tech... where I just got my HVX200 and Miller Sticks w/ a cartoni head... I'm feeling good about shelling out the extra bucks that will make a difference in the long run!
Thanks Guys
 
Digital Angel said:
interesting, what would you say the differences are between the Gitzo and Miller if any. Are there any comparable heads for that matter with the focus.
Click to expand...

It depends on which Gitzo, but the Miller is generally bigger, holds more weight and weighs a little more. Gitzos are mainly for still photo, Miller is for video. Miller has the retractable spikes (some Gitzos have this though) and the padded top leg sections. The bowl is cast into the Miller. The bowl in a Gitzo is separate and you can put in a 75mm bowl or a 100mm bowl. The Millers may be a little faster to set up because I heard the legs sections drop on their own once you release the locking collars. Maybe one of the people here can confirm this. On a Gitzo, the legs do not drop on their own. You have to pull them out because they are so precisely made that they trap air in the upper leg section.
 
Hi Y'all. This beaver's been out building dams at the beach, hehehehe, so I have been out.

Full Arm-o I got my tripod combo from Abel and had zero drama. So right on, look forward to hearing what you think.

As for Gitzo vs Miller. I think they are both great choices. The gitzo with a Vinten Pro6 head has got a great weight factor and a lot of portability going for it.

What got me to the miller, is while it is bigger, its light weight is still awesome, and I will be able to put extra weight on it in the future.

Also I hate spreaders in how I shoot so it was a choice of either one for me.
 
Hey Beaver and all, does this Cartoni Focus and Miller Solo VJ fit the DVX100B as well as the HVX and most other setups?

Just to recap, a person can get both of these items from B&H Photo Video or Able Cine Tech for under $2000 and most of the time should fit out of the box without having to purchase an additional 100mm bowl adapter?

These are the highest rated tripod combos on DVXUser.com, right? And no spreader is usually faster, but preferred... Or it just depends on the environment... ?
 
My two cents…

My two cents…

I just purchased this combo from B&H. They are not aware of the problem with the tie-down cup. They were pretty cold about it. They told me that if it was a concern of mine that I should contact Miller about the issue.

I just ordered the thing anyway because I needed to get it here. Ste-Man (Cartoni) are well aware of the issue and they are very nice people. They are going to send me a new cup for free as soon as the European August break is over. The Part number referenced earlier in this thread is not the correct part number for the tie-down cup (I think it is D 514, not 415 but I don’t really remember now). However Ste-Man knew exactly what I was talking about. The part number was really unnecessary for me since they are well aware of the issue. In the meantime, I’m using a washer to get around the problem. This works fine, except that I can’t level the head from the bowl. I have to level it with the legs. Minor set back for me for right now. I suggest that anyone looking at this combo contact Ste-Man directly upon purchase. It’s the easiest way to ensure that the tie-down cup problem gets resolved. They will take care of you. Your dealer may not.
As for the combo itself… I also love this thing! It’s awesome.

There is only one issue that I have with the Focus head. On the stock plate from Cartoni, the piece that holds the screw and secondary pin can not be moved to the second slot. Without any accessories, I have found the HVX 200 to be a bit back heavy and proper balancing on the head requires that this piece be in the other slot. I’ve had to flip the plate around to simulate this- but this means that only the screw can be used. Without the secondary pin in place the plate is not fully locked in and the camera can spin on the screw a bit. I haven’t talked to Ste-Man about this yet.

Also, I have noticed the “settle back” some people have mentioned when zoomed in all the way and performing a pan. It is only noticeable when zoomed in all the way- or very close to all the way. This is not an issue for me, however it is there. I don’t think this is avoidable without purchasing a head that will alone cost the same as this whole system (or more), however, I wanted to make mention of it for those considering this purchase.

The sticks are sweet. Nothing but great things to say about them.

All in all one of the best purchases I've made.

Good luck on your projects all-

-trane
 
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l33t_specialist said:
Hey Beaver and all, does this Cartoni Focus and Miller Solo VJ fit the DVX100B as well as the HVX and most other setups?
Click to expand...
It should fit just fine, but I don't have a DVX100 so I am not 100%


l33t_specialist said:
Just to recap, a person can get both of these items from B&H Photo Video or Able Cine Tech for under $2000 and most of the time should fit out of the box without having to purchase an additional 100mm bowl adapter?
Click to expand...
You should be able to get from both places. But if I have a choice AbelCine is where I take my business whenever possible nowadays. Its really your call on that.

l33t_specialist said:
These are the highest rated tripod combos on DVXUser.com, right? And no spreader is usually faster, but preferred... Or it just depends on the environment... ?
Click to expand...
As for highest rated, I have no idea. I haven't slummed around looking for a poll or vote or anything. I can tell you that mine has already payed for itself twice since I submitted this post.
 
I have the Miller solo 10 system and I do find that if I have a quick pan I can move the whole carbon fiber tripod while panning. I don't know how the Cartoni does but I'm asuming it's similar. I rarely have to pan that quickly but, the solution is ez. Use a sandbag or other weight hanging from the loop miller provides under the bowl to stabilize the light legs. Another option on the miller and this may be the same on the gitzo...There are 3 positions the legs can be set. Position 1 the legs are close together while in position 2 the legs are further apart giving me the stability for the quick pans. The downside to position 2 is you lose about 1' in height and your footprint is 6'x6'x6', but it's extremely steady. Position 3 fully extended is just insane...your talking a triangle shaped footprint of approx 10'x10'x10' and a height of 2'. I didn't measure...just estimated.

I can't remember where but I read the Cartoni Focus 100mm head is missing a safety lock on the quick release plate. When you slide in the quick release plate you better be sure you lock it down tight. If you slide the camera in and forget to lock it down or lock it down too lightly and tilt your tripod back your camera will fall straight to the ground. Has anyone come up with a solution to this problem?

I personally bought the carbon fiber miller for the overall weight. I can carry all my gear on my motorcycle.

-Kevin
 
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