A Bogen Question. I'm not ashamed.

samrwamr

samrwamr

Active member
Alright, I've got a Bogen question.

(I realize there are a billion topics on this, but we each have our own needs!)

I'll cut to the chase -
-- On a tight budget, need sticks. Obviously.
-- 503 head a little out of budget, 501 fits right in. Sufficient?
-- 3046 legs look like a good bet. Eh?
-- Budget to NO more than $400. any other suggestions?

Yes or no - Bogen 3046 legs with 501 head.

Oh - Also I need to support a crane - most likely a CobraCrane I Plus. Will these handle it?
 
I love my setup. bogen 501 head dual grips, and 3001pro legs couldnt ask for better.
I dont know if a cobra crane will work on light stuff like that.
 
i have the solution for you. get the 503 head. you won't regret it. the head is the most important thing for smooth fluid shots. for now, skimp on the legs. at markertek.com for $139 you can get this bescor tripod that includes a set of decent sticks with a 75mm halfbowl, a decent floor spreader, and an absolute crap fluidhead that you will want to throw away immediately.

this was my first tripod and i still use the legs and spreader for my jib. my jib is a camcrane 200 which is comparable in weight to the cobra II and i never have a problem. i guarantee you will be nicely surprised at these legs for the money. after buying mine, i quickly scraped up the cash for my 503 head and i love it. 503 will mount to this halfbowl as well.

http://www.markertek.com/SearchProduct.asp?item=TH%2D660&off=48&sort=prod

TH-660.JPG
 
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Concur with Cheezweezl : *do* get the 503 head. I've had the 501 for two years before I bought the 503, and believe me, there's a whole world of difference. The 503 is a genuine fluid head, where the 501 is a Teflon-based friction head.
 
Well, this is a toughy. I just played around with a 501 at Wolf Camera, and to me it seemed pretty DARN smooth. I don't know if I can justify $100 for somethings thats a little smoother than that.

What about Gitzo fluid heads?
 
I just received my 100b and im ready to get some friends for it to play with. Im not rolling in the cash (im expecting to put 200 bucks a month towards camera toys).

I still have to buy
a shotgun mic
Cables
Mini DV palmcorder (for capture)
field monitor

I hear all sorts of people say "get the 503 head". But how awesome is it? You know my budget. I was looking at...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...576&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

But you guys are making me lean towards...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=359710&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

Be level with me here guys. Is it worth risking not being able to get a field monitor or some lighting if I get the 503 head?
 
don't get the crapper, spend at LEAST 400 on a tripod and get a 503....

the $200 difference isn't gonna be the end-all for when you go to buy lights or a monitor, as these will both be well over $400
 
I'm happy with my 501 head and a set of Slik 700dx legs. Like most of my gear, it doesn't impress anyone but it gets the job done with no complaints. I'm more interested in doc and ENG work, though. Narrative filmmakers can get all crazy about the most subtle aesthetic minutiae (prima donnas...) :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
It is true, to some extent, that fiction work is more demanding than doco work (although I know quite a few people that would dispute that). But to answer Rubop's question as honestly as possible :

Rubop said:
Be level with me here guys. Is it worth risking not being able to get a field monitor or some lighting if I get the 503 head?
Click to expand...

Do invest in a tripod over a field monitor, by all means. I don't even have one, I use the viewfinder and the LCD, and I rent one when I really need it. And if you do mainly documentaries, the lighting may not be as important as it is for fiction...
 
I went for the 501, and took the hundred bucks I saved and bought an extra battery (DVXuser battery, of course!). And the 503 is not a true fluid head either, it has friction plates with lube between them like the 501(do a search).

I did a lot of reading on these two heads, and as far as I can tell the only huge difference is the spring in the 503 which is not user adjustable, and will eventually wear out, maybe . For a $110 more, I would hope that the 503 is smoother, and I'm sure that it is.

Another thing that swung me more towards the 501 is the threads I read about the 503's tendency to drift back at the end of a pan.

Who knows, this is such a polarizing issue on this forum and it seems to me that most people love the head that they have, whichever one it may be. I will eventually invest in a real fluid head (the cartoni focus looks pretty sexy), but for now I 'm quite happy with the 501.
 
Oh yeah, as far as sticks are concerned, I went for the 3182 (3181 but black). These legs have a 75mm half-ball leveler. A ball leveler is invaluable. If you have ever set up a tripod on an uneven surface and tried to get it level by adjusting the legs, you know what I mean. I got a mid-level spreader and some rubber feet with it as well. I couldn't be happier. Well, maybe after I figure out a case solution for my sticks I'll be a little happier. ;)
 
Yeah.

I probably will not be doing a lot of shooting on uneven surfaces, and I'm not sure if I want to sacrifice a center column for that. What do you think?

Otherwise I'm goin for the 501 with 3046 legs.
 
I guess I shouldn't harp on the center coumn too hard, :costumed-smiley-047 I use my old Smith/Victor for short (1' or less) crane shots all the time. I do a lot of nature stuff, so until I got a ball head, I was constantly adjusting leg heights to get a level shot.
 
Yeah. I will be doing a lot of crane stuff with this.

And the more I think of it, the less I think of how many extreme uneven surfaces I will be shooting on.

So thats it - 3046 with 501!
 
If it's your first tripod, get the 501 and 3046. I got the same setup on ebay for about $200. A very solid setup.
You can always upgrade to the 503 when you have the money...if it is indeed worth it...because I bet you I can get smoother shots on my 501 than some can get on their 503. The ONLY bad thing about the 501 (at least mine) is that if you harden the pan knob, you get a little jerk when you start a pan. You can almost eliminate that if you set it up so that you start your pan at the end of the jerk. And if you loosen the pan knob, then the jerk goes away.
 
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