501HDV or 701HDV Head? What legs to get Help?

D

Dave P

Member
Hi all-

looking into buying a new tripod set up and most people have recommended either the 701HDV head from Manfrotto or the 501HDV head. I was trying to figure out which one to get...I currently am using a Canon T2i but may upgrade to a bigger DSLR in a few months. I guess the 501HDV head is not a true fluid head? Will I notice the difference? The 501 HDV head has a higher weight capacity too...Any way was wondering what you guys think I should go with?

Also, any recommendations on what set of legs to go with for one of these heads?

Thanks again
 
Dave P said:
Hi all-

looking into buying a new tripod set up and most people have recommended either the 701HDV head from Manfrotto or the 501HDV head. I was trying to figure out which one to get....Any way was wondering what you guys think I should go with?

Also, any recommendations on what set of legs to go with for one of these heads?
Click to expand...

1) if you don't mount follow focus, monitor, etc. on your tripod head, go with 701HDV, which can support a 7D or 5D2 with an L lens up to 70-200mm /f2.8. Otherwise, either 501 or 503 (better), or a more heavy duty one. I personally don't like 701HDV, as it doesn't allow you to lower panning friction to (near) zero. For macro work or with a long tele lens, it won't work well. 501 is much bigger. But for the size of 501, 503 is much better though it costs a lot more. And for the size of 503, 504 is better than 503. And so on.

2) buy one of the pro series leg sets from Manfrotto, as Manfrotto provides a special column to allow you to quickly level your flat-base fluid head.

3) To your question about 501: from all I have heard/read, 501HDV is as much a fluid head as 701.

I spent close to $2000 on my own tripod gear over time. If I could start over again, my first system to own would be 701 + 4-section carbon fiber pro leg set that can fold down to near 20 in. Then invest in the same heavy duty system (519 fluid head with 546 legs) for specialty work, and also buy a super lightweight system such as a gorilla pod to take with me everywhere.
 
I'm planning to buy a tripod relatively soon, and facing basically the same decision; right now I'm leaning towards 501+055+555 (which is basically the same as 501+755, and costs about the same, but I get an extra column without bowl for 13cm added height if needed), or 501+546; and yes, the bowl is really important if you can afford some legs that come with it
 
NormanBates said:
I'm planning to buy a tripod relatively soon, and facing basically the same decision; right now I'm leaning towards 501+055+555 (which is basically the same as 501+755, and costs about the same, but I get an extra column without bowl for 13cm added height if needed), or 501+546; and yes, the bowl is really important if you can afford some legs that come with it
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I just got a 501+055Pro for my EX1R - small, lightweight, but still pretty sturdy for my setup (with room for some expansion). Even the horizontal mode works well with the camera (for straight down/up shots or portrait mode for greenscreen). Hadn't seen the 555, though...may have to look into that.
 
There is a new 502HDV head coming out this fall. It will be the same design as the 504HDV but about 2 lbs lighter. I saw pics of it at the Outdoor Retailer Photo Expo a couple of weeks ago. It is intended to replace the 501 in Manfrotto's line and looks like it might make a very nice compromise between weight, cost and smoothness.

I have a Gitzo G1380 head and G1325mk2 tripod I found unused new in the box in our local classifieds for $1000. It's stiff enough when lowered all the way to smoothly pan a 600mm lens with the 3x zoom/crop on a T3i (2880mm equivalent focal length) !!! Only problems is that it weights 10 lbs.

Keep an eye on your local craigslist or classifieds. There can be some incredible deals to be found if you have the patience.

Cheers,
Pete
 
If you got a big budget. Go with a sachtler. sure it's more money up-front but a $1,500 tripod will last you decades. if you buy a $500 tripod that lasts only 3-5 years at a time, you end up wasting a lot of money
 
Neither the 701 nor the 501 are very good, as in: "they are not cinema grade". The 501 is definitely better out of the two. But the light weight of the 701 makes it a much better hobby style fluid head, because you are FAR more likely to lug it around. The 501 is just big enough that you think twice before snagging it along for a quick shot.

There are probably better heads out there, but the universality of the manfrotto slide plate is a +1 for manfrotto. It is easy enough to try out a manfrotto at almost any photo store. If they suffice for you, then get one.
 
The miller solo heads are a great value... Very smooth for the $$. But manfrotto's approach is hard to beat, with so many pieces taking the same (affordable) plate. A system approach is really nice... Miller plates for the solo are about 90 bukcks!
 
@DaveP: yes, that's the 501+546 option I was entertaining; the legs look great, the head... I have no experience with it, but it's true lots of people don't consider these manfrotto heads "true fluid heads", no idea why, I guess there's some additional magic to the miller and sachtler heads

anyway: have a look too at the new Sachtler ACE, with a great price:
http://philipbloom.net/2011/09/09/ace/
the head looks absolutely amazing
the legs, not so much: in that review video, as kind as Philip is trying to be towards Sachtler, you can actually see the tripod hobbling around and Philip quickly putting his hand on it to keep it still... and that's with the camera on top and the tripod all the way down!!

maybe the best option would be to mount the Sachtler ACE head on the manfrotto 546B legs... but that's going to be quite expensive, seeing that the 546B legs cost just as much on their own as with the 501 head, a bowl, and a carrying case!!!

so yeah, maybe if you can wait (as I still can: I just spent my savings on a new lens, so the tripod is again in the waiting list), it's a good idea to do so until some more reviews of the sachtler come out; but if you can't, that 501+546B package has a killer price, I think you won't be disappointed
 
NormanBates said:
@DaveP: yes, that's the 501+546 option I was entertaining; the legs look great, the head... I have no experience with it, but it's true lots of people don't consider these manfrotto heads "true fluid heads", no idea why, I guess there's some additional magic to the miller and sachtler heads

anyway: have a look too at the new Sachtler ACE, with a great price:
http://philipbloom.net/2011/09/09/ace/
the head looks absolutely amazing
the legs, not so much: in that review video, as kind as Philip is trying to be towards Sachtler, you can actually see the tripod hobbling around and Philip quickly putting his hand on it to keep it still... and that's with the camera on top and the tripod all the way down!!

maybe the best option would be to mount the Sachtler ACE head on the manfrotto 546B legs... but that's going to be quite expensive, seeing that the 546B legs cost just as much on their own as with the 501 head, a bowl, and a carrying case!!!

so yeah, maybe if you can wait (as I still can: I just spent my savings on a new lens, so the tripod is again in the waiting list), it's a good idea to do so until some more reviews of the sachtler come out; but if you can't, that 501+546B package has a killer price, I think you won't be disappointed
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Hey man thanks for the info, i did see that ACE that Bloom was talking about. Honesty I could wait, but at the same time i want something that is sturdy that will last and will at the same time potentially be able to handle something heavier, say if I ditch the DSLR later on down the road. Also, have a company discount that will knock about another 50 beans off that rebate price.

Also, sick and tired of using bootleg tripod set ups and just chilling on the glidecam all the time....will most likely go ahead with the purchase...
 
I have the 501HDV and I like it. For legs I picked up Slik 700DX. The legs are pretty basic, but they get really tall and can get pretty low, and it works nicely with the 501HDV. The 700DX are a good option if your budget is strapped and you can't spend the big bucks on legs yet. They're currently $89.
 
Manfrotto 501HDV Head w/546B 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System

Manfrotto 501HDV Head w/546B 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System

I purchased the Manfrotto 501HDV Head w/546B 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System earlier this year from B&H and it is okay. Pros are it's heavy duty ... con is it's heavy [duty]. I don't have a lot of experience with other heads to compare the quality of the 501, but I would say it's average and will get the job done. I don't regret buying this setup because it was very affordable. I wil probably purchase another pair of sticks, most likely the Manfrotto 535 CF legs because of their light weight when I really need them.
I have found the 546B is very stable and I use it with a Glidetrack (legs removed) and quick release, then the 501 with quick release, then my 7D. This combo works well for me. I've even lugged it around in the sticks quite a bit ... it's heavy ... and I am sure I will get the CF legs before the end of the year.

That's my take, for what it's worth. I would give this setup 3 of 5 stars. -1 for the somewhat less than fluid 501 head. -1 for the heavy legs. But it is stable and works.
 
more info on the sachtler ace, and it's still not looking good: from the Philip Bloom video I got the feeling the legs were pretty flimsy, and now Jared Abrams has written about it too and says not only that the feet are useless, but also that the head is not as nice as you'd expect from a Sachtler
http://wideopencamera.com/cameras/quick-take-new-sachtler-ace-tripod-review/

so, that 501+546 deal looks even better now

anybody with some experience at mounting a slider (say, like the philip bloom one) on the 755xb? is it stable enough?
 
NormanBates said:
anybody with some experience at mounting a slider (say, like the philip bloom one) on the 755xb? is it stable enough?
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In this case, it's more about the size & weight of your slider. if you have a 2m slider, you can use 2 light stands in place of 2 tripods to set it up. If your slider is lightweight and short (like my Glidetrack SD 20"), any sturdy tripod should be good enough.


I recently noticed some well reviewed tripods (some with 75mm half bowl) from well under $100 up at Amazon.com. Just do a search for "WF717" and you'll see a list of good ones. Some can support over 10 lbs and as reported by reviews, do have smooth pan/tilt movements. If you just want to shoot with a small form factor HDSLR (5D/7D are not big, and T2i/T3i are really small) and a lightweight lens (50mm/f1.8 is a perfect example), the total weight can go even under 2 lbs. if all you use at any given time is just a 2-4 lb system, isn't there one of those inexpensive tripod systems good enough to substitute a much more expensive system that costs over $400 (501+546B when on sale with rebate) to over $1000?

check this out: http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2011/08/19/shooting-with-the-basics/: all his shots are stable, and he achieved it with a 7D on a light stand and 3 non-IS lenses.
 
thanks for the tips - I already have a cheap fluid-head tripod (not nearly as nice as those amazon ones) which is good enough for my DSLR and standard lenses, but I need something sturdier and more stable for my longer lenses (135-180-300), and to mount my 1m (40") slider on
 
Awesome, thanks for the follow up. Maybe after more use, you could write your impressions?
 
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