what is wrong with the sachtler DV 6 SB head?

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daktulus

Well-known member
I tried the Sachtler DV 6 SB head. I did a rather fast pan and when I finished the pan I let go of the handle and the head swung slightly back, because of the fluid I guess (using 3, 4 or 5 fluid pan setting).

Is this normal?

The problem is: when I use the 2 or 1 pan fluid setting, the pan can´t be controlled as well, I feel the panning speed is not as steady as panning with a higher setting.


I cant remember having had that effect on the bigger sachtler heads with heavier cameras. Is this only happening with the DV6? Should I better get a DV8, or does it also swing back?


The 503 Manfrotto head doesn´t have the good Sachtler fluid feeling panning, but at least when I finish the pan it doesn´t swing back.




Also: I intend to put the DV 6SB on a Manfrotto 525 tripod. Is that a good idea?
 
It's called backlash. Not sure you should be getting that at any setting.
Curious why you are not getting a smooth pan at the lower settings. That head is supposed to be very good.
 
daktulus said:
The 503 Manfrotto head doesn´t have the good Sachtler fluid feeling panning, but at least when I finish the pan it doesn´t swing back.
Click to expand...



Eeks. First off I beg to differ. I use a 503 and it certainly does have some backlash. I've been strongly considering the very head you speak of as an upgrade. Maybe I'll rethink it though as it sounds like your 503 experience was better than your DV6SB has been. If it's even close I don't even wanna think about upgrading.

One thing I never did understand fully since there was no tripod manual (and no I'm not "mentally challenged" I just advocate for them on the internet) with the 503 head is, you have the tension knobs and then the L shaped lugs as well. Are the L lugs just to quickly lock those respective axis or are they to be used to add tension for shooting? I tried using the horizontal lug to tension my horizontal pans before and it added so much nasty springy backlash I quickly decided that this was probably not it's intented purpose and might even be damaging. But even with the lugs "loose" as in "freely loose" there's a little backlash. I shoot riders and horses at max zoom, filling the frame (read as :most sensitive to tripod/shooter error) on the DVX and for "Western" events they often move at a crawl so I need a decent amount of tension to keep the pan steady. The 503 has been what I'd characterize as decent, but at some point I'd like to step it up. Thanks for the post, it's right on the money (as far as my own curiosity) and I hope you get some informed responses.
 
I had the pure HVX200 with P2 cards on the 503 and the DV 6SB. I like the heavy fluid resistance on the Sachtler 6SB better, but the backlash is enervating, it is hard to finish a pan without backlash.

Am I doing something wrong?

If I always have to fight the backlash the 503 is easier to handle, though the fluid resistance is not strong enough.


I can´t test the DV 8 SB, because the dealer doesnt have one. Is the 8 SB a significant improvemnet over the DV6 ?
 
I have a dv6sb and I have no backlash whatsoever.... Do you have the carbon fiber legs that might give you some flex?
 
I tested the dv6sb with the HVX and the sachtler original carbon fiber legs, but clearly the head moved back when I finished the pan.

Is there something that can be adjusted on the sachtler head , maybe some kind of spring?
I checked and everything was loose. Try to do a fast pan in position 4 or 5, do you get a backlash?
 
I have a dv6sb and no backlash... Not sure what is going on with yours. Did you ever forget to lock the settings wheel into place before panning?


J
 
what do you mean by locking the settings wheel?
I just put it in fluid resistance pan position 5 and panned. What is there to unlock?


Did you try to do a fast pan in position 5 and end abruptly, no backlash at all?
 
I would second the opinion that you should check that the backlash is not coming from the tripod legs - they might flex under the 'greater' load when you turn up the resistance? That would be why it does not happen on lower settings.
 
Dacktulus, I don't speak english, sorry my faults.
I have the sachtler dv6SB. When I bough it, it had the same problem (backlash) that you said. I return it to sachtler to adjust and it come back perfect. 0 backlash. It's not what settings you use. If it has backlash, the fluidhead isn't in good condition.
But on the other hand, I find its very dificult to balance perfectly cameras like hvx200 or ex1 with the big battery, because even if the plate is in the end, the camera fall down for the back side
 
thanks CarPa, this is very valuable information.
Has anybody else experienced this kind of backlash with a DV6?

So I guess this dealer has an old Sachtler head and it can be fixed by Sachtler?
 
OK, here´s the official Sachtler informantion: every 1 in a thousand of the Sachtler DV6 SB has a backlash, but will of course be reapaired or exchanged for a tripod without backlash. The phenomenon is under investigation by Sachtler.
 
No backlash here.. but 3,4,or 5 is a lot of friction for a fast pan. I find it hard to make a fluid diagonal with a light camera like the Canon A1 or HVX.
So the vertical and horizontal together. (piviting point) Had no problems before.

I have DV6SB and carbon legs from Miller 1501 Solo, if I make a hard swing, a leg lifts..:-KnockedOut(D
 
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