Everything you wanted to know about the Letus Extreme and were too afraid to ask

No one's received one yet. It was 2-3 weeks for me three weeks ago, I hope they're shipping this week...
 
I ordered on 9/24 and just got a letter in the mail today from LetusDirect.com stating that I should be seeing my Letus Extreme shortly (if I hadn't already received it)....

I'm hoping it will come in tomorrow or Friday... It has a nice little home (Pelican Case 1510), brothers & sisters to play with (4 Canon FD lenses, 1 Nikon, DVX-100b, Sanyo Xacti HD1a), and a great IndiRAILS and IndiFOCUS system.

Counting the minutes....
 
Those who hesitate perish. I think I ordered mines four days after.

Cinebuddy when did you order? =( Aww I want my Letus.
 
I asked Aaron from LetusDirect on Monday when they would ship, and he mentioned he has to check with Hien but it looks like the shipments would be on time for this week...

I ordered on the 28th...
 
Does anyone know how long the price cut will last? I would like to finish building my own adapter but seeing all the promising results of the Letus it seems these DIY adapters might not be able to accomplish what the Letus can.
 
I just got word from Aaron from LetusDirect that the first shipment will go out either by the end of this week or beginning of next week.

So I guess by the end of next week the first Extremes should have arrived.
 
puredrifting said:
Hi 8DFM:

I know nothing about the Matthews tripod, never heard of it. Generally Sachtler, O'Connor, Panther and Vinten are considered to be at the top of the tripod food chain.

Millers and Cartonis, in my experience are the next step down.

Then there is Bogen.

Dan
Click to expand...

Got chime in on this Tripod discussion. I went a tripod shopping a few months back and here's what I found. O'Connor - best, too damn much. Sachtler - Excellent from video 15 and above. Everything below I feel has springy crappy movement. Not a fluid feel at at all. That includes the Dv 8 and dv 12. However, good deals to be had on the old pre-Vitec panorama heads (very smooth). Cartoni is only great from the Gamma and above. The motion on the Laser and the Focus isn't great. The friction doesn't work off fluid modules instead it's a friction based resistance and it shows. The build on the Focus is a disgrace. Mine went in the shop twice. Good for light use or careful users. Vinten is vastly overrated. Vision 3 is rugged and decent for the budget user. The 6,8 and 10 are way overpriced for what you get. No fluid modules here. They're all friction heads. The motion I think blows. Libec's are really cool for the money. True fliud heads and ultra smooth. The budget heads lack the adjustments of their higher end but still have very smooth movement. Panther's are sweet and expensive. Bomb proof build. Smoother then Sachtler, not quite OConnor. Not Vitec either. Yay! I ended up buying the Miller Arrow 25. I think it has the absolultely smoothest movement and excellent build. Only misgiving are only five counterbalance adjustments. If you're rig falls in between weight wise it might bug you (not me). For the money I found it as smooth or smoother than heads costing twice as much. Best investment yet. Diagonals. Sudden stops. Piece of cake. No backlash on telephotos. And you can do whip pans. Totally fluid. All resistance is module based so its resistance curve will make you cry.

If you can't afford over 2 grand for a good head, 1000-1500 on the used market will snare you a good pre Vitec Sachtler, OConnor or Cartoni. I'd rather have a 20 year old OC 50 for 800 bucks than a spanking new Bogen anything.

My ten cents.

Tim Naylor - DP
www.timnaylor.com
 
Thanks to Tim, i got a 20 year old Oconnor 50 and couldnt be happier.... though it looks like a Submarine and weighs as much as one too.....
 
Thanks, that's very useful. Why didn't you go with the Libec despite your strong endorsement?

I have a Focus, which has held up just fine , but its just too light for an adapter, even for careful moves or long lens without one.
I've been looking around for something heavier and cheaper than an sachtler but haven't been able to try many.

Incidently a friend of mine has a Dawa that has been absolutely rock solid for many years and feels surprisingly good. He got because a salesman he knew steered him away from a more expensive Sachtler and told him this was the best bargain in heads. Don't remember which model, but whenever I use it I say "this thing is pretty good you know."
 
Tim I'm curious about your final assessment of the Libec's as well.

Leni, I purchased the Libec LS-55 w/mid-spreader and IMHO it's the best sticks/head I found under $1K hands down; handles up to 22 lbs with smooth action and performance approaching heads two to three times the price. Here's a nice review of it's smaller and slightly less capable sibling from a very discriminating reviewer: http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=150

Sure, the Miller Arrow 25 + some Carbon Solo VJ's (I'd love to have BTW) are a great combo but you pay $$$ for it as well. Try and find a used OC, Sachtler, etc. in great shape at a decent price and you may be waiting for quite some time; I've never run across any here in the Bay Area...
 
I'm very happy with the Bogen 516 head (22lbs capacity) and the Manfrotto legs. Don't know why the bad wrap on these. They are smooth and work well.
 
This is so off-topic it's not funny. I set this thread up for all things Extreme. Can you guys take it to a new thread?
 
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