FS7: Anyone using Secced tripods?

Ben Scott

Ben Scott

Veteran
Hi all,

Been happily using my Miller Air for most scenarios and a Manfrotto 509/536 combo for heavier needs. But I'd rather use the Miller 75mm bowl legs and so was looking at a relatively inexpensive 75mm bowl head with a higher payload. In this instance the Secced DV10, which like all their gear is a Sachtler 'inspired' design with a 10kg capacity.

Have read good things but does anyone have first hand hand experience of them?
 
Their gear might be Sachtler inspired, but it is a FAR CRY from being Sachtler. I used one of their tripods. head and legs for a year. A tv station I was working for bought them for a new station's eng trucks. It was heavy, poorly built, awkward to handle. Cheap. Someone broke into the truck one day and all they got was the tripod since the cameras were stored in the station overnight. Luckily they rented a Sachtler until the insurance dealt with it. You get what you pay for. I own two Sachtlers, and a Gitzo series three 6X long with a 75mm bowl with an older (made in West Germany ) Sachtler video 14 head-35 pound capacity. How much weight are you looking at on the legs, a set of Sachtler DV4 legs perhaps?
 
Thanks for your input. Appreciate it. Seen a lot of people very happy with them but it's hard to know what their experience of 'proper' tripods is to gauge it.

I'm fine for legs, but FS7 plus OTUS plus monitor and possibly v mount takes a Miller Air way out of its comfort zone, and the Miller Compass 23 is about £1500

Sachtler Video used is still around £950 in the UK which is more than I want to spend on my in-between head.

I'd like to stay 75mm for this one to help keep weight down. I doubt I'll be going over 10kg with thec camera.

I have a larger setup for when weight isn't an issue.

Cheers
 
Ben Scott said:
Thanks for your input. Appreciate it. Seen a lot of people very happy with them but it's hard to know what their experience of 'proper' tripods is to gauge it.

I'm fine for legs, but FS7 plus OTUS plus monitor and possibly v mount takes a Miller Air way out of its comfort zone, and the Miller Compass 23 is about £1500

Sachtler Video used is still around £950 in the UK which is more than I want to spend on my in-between head.

I'd like to stay 75mm for this one to help keep weight down. I doubt I'll be going over 10kg with thec camera.

I have a larger setup for when weight isn't an issue.

Cheers
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Speaking of Sachtler knockoffs, lately I've been seeing these "Cam Gear" tripods on sets. One was even from a respectable rental house. I am admittedly a Sachtler snob, but this Cam Gear stuff is in my experience flawed beyond any cost saving. It just feels cheap. Very noisy. It creaks and groans when spreading the legs. No self-illuminating bubble ( at least not on the two tripods I used ). Both of the Cam Gear tripods I used were knockoffs of the Video 20. I can't speak to their lighter stuff. Yes, the cost of a quality tripod can be outrageous. Particularly for an O'Connor. But for anyone on a budget I suggest you make do with a used Vinten or the Cartoni HD until if and when you can afford something on the higher quality end.

Ben- the FSB-8 does surprisingly well with loads over its rating. I just don't like the spreader that comes with the FSB 8- seen several of them that came apart and had to be rigged. I wish the FSB 8 setup came with a spreader more like the one on the more heavy duty Sachtlers.

You said you want to stay in the 75mm size but few if any 75mm heads are going to do well with loads over 20lbs. If you are determined to keep the lighter 75mm legs you may want to look into obtaining a 75mm-100mm adapter and go with a used 100mm head. The good ole' Vision 10 LF is rated for 33 lbs. I've used them with beta cams rigged with a b4 zoom and Lectro receivers and they held up well under the weight. Currently one on the Bay for $990, and it is in the UK. Yeah, the off-white color of the Vintens is weird and kinda girly. But so is the off-white / cream color of the Canon 70-200mm. :happy:
 
As I said, I already have a 100mm setup that I used to use with my old Red.

This is is a case of just slightly wanting to slightly up the capacity over the Miller Air head. I doubt very much I'd ever be near 10kg but stated load capacities are often optimistic. dont know the Cam Gear stuff you mentioned but will steer clear of I see it.
 
I loked at them a few years back, wasn't impressed with the build quality, so bought a Saachtler. The E-Image tripods aren't bad. I've got one of their heavy duty set-ups.
 
Cool thanks mate, appreciate the input. Having tried your large E-Image tripod I was very impressed. I wonder if their GH08 with an 8kg payload and 75mm bowl is worth a punt.

Or maybe I should suck it up and get a Miler compass.
 
Ah yes, forgot you'd played with that. Not sure about the GHO8, though it has similar spec to my Saachtler FSB8 at nearly 1/3rd the price!

I'll probably be down at ProAV later this week, so can check it out if you like?
 
I have the FSB8 and find it excellent but the stock legs are garbage for the money. I'd buy the FSB8 head and some cheap carbon legs separately if I had my time again.

I sometimes find I'd like more counterbalance steps as some lens combinations you can feel that 2 isn't enough and 3 is too much. But it's a relatively cheap head that I really enjoy using on my better legs.
 
Im using the Miller DS20 head with their carbon legs. Its sturdy and good quality but may lack all the bells and whistles that some need. About 1200 pounds.
 
There are so many Sachtler knockoffs you can't even count anymore. But none of the ones I tried were any good to be called a Sachtler knockoff. Secced and Camgear defintelly suck in comparision to a real Sachtler. Same with Eimage.
 
Fairly unanimous opinions here. Thanks all.

Seems there's no mega bargains to be head in the tripod arena just yet, so I'm just going to suck it up and go with a Miller Compas 23 instead on my existing 100mm legs and keep my Miller Air head and 75mm legs for lightweight 1-man band shoots.
 
Nirv said:
I have the FSB8 and find it excellent but the stock legs are garbage for the money. I'd buy the FSB8 head and some cheap carbon legs separately if I had my time again.

I sometimes find I'd like more counterbalance steps as some lens combinations you can feel that 2 isn't enough and 3 is too much. But it's a relatively cheap head that I really enjoy using on my better legs.
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What don't you like about the legs? I've been looking to upgrade to the FSB8 because I used to use one and I miss the Speedlock where you can extend the both stages of legs with one lever. Now that I'm using a Benro it feels like such a pain to have to reach down to the floor all the time to extend the bottom stage.
 
Yes, on Miller Compass 23 or Sachtler DV 12 / 10. Recently saw a used Sachtler dv 12 head ( non-SB ) for $1200 on the bay. The non-SB Sachtlers go for less than the SB's. "SB" is the "speed balance" feature which, while I've used SB tripods for years, is a feature I hardly ever use.

Cartoni HD's get praise for their price, but the word is that the knobs are cheap and break. Vinten 10 is another good value used. I operated on Vinten 10's for years with a beta cam. The beta cam was more weight than the Vinten 10 was rated for, but it was still tolerable.


As far as the knockoffs, it was mainly the creaking legs of the Camgear that annoyed me and a stubborn mid-spreader. Maybe they improve as they loosen up with age? ( the ones I used were only weeks out of the box ). They are not far off from the real thing, but the cost saving over a well cared for used Sachtler isn't that great. A Camgear 25p ENG ( carbon fiber legs & mid-spreader ) is $5k new. I've seen Sachtler Video 20's with carbon legs and mid spreader in the $5k range used.

One note on the Miller Compass 23- it has the "euro style" wedge plate. A quote from the Miller Canada site:

"The difference between the (2) models is that the Compass 25 has (5 + 0) drag settings on the pan & tilt, while the Compass 23 has (3 +0) drag settings on the pan & tilt. The other difference is the Compass 25 uses a sliding platform & the Euro camera plate, while the Compass 23 just uses a sliding camera plate. By making these small changes in the head it allows Miller to create a significantly lower priced system."

Image of the "euro style" plate:

28-09-201514434467021861-image-2.jpg

and the other style ( non-European style? 'U.S. style'? ) plate on the Compass 25:

1038.jpg

I'd rather have the latter wedge plate, but not a deal-breaker on the 23 for me. The different wedge plate system is also a primary difference between the Sachtler dv 10 and 12, along with fewer tilt / drag settings.

Normally I would recommend something like the Sachtler 18 for a primary tripod, but I know that you tend to run lightweight rigs and while the Sach 18 is the industry standard for full-sized cameras, it is likely overkill for you unless you are going to be using V-mounts, a lens such as the Canon Cine-servo, and mounting gack like wireless hops / video transmitter / teradek. Sach 18 SB head is a full 2 lbs heavier than the Compass 23.

Hope my advice on the Compass pointed you in the right direction! ( okay, that was really corny. I need to get back on a set, and soon. )
 
Thanks man, and excellent punning :)

The plate on the 23 is the same as the one on the Air so less mucking about for me going from system to system. That said the smaller plate on the 25 means I'd be able to move my shoulder mount closer to the centre of gravity without hitting it like I currently do.

It'll basically be between the 23 and 25 but I know the 23 is recommended a lot for Dragon/Epic setups and part of me would rather put the £500 difference between them towards another new lens. But at the same time I imagine the 25 would last me the next 10 years or so...


A lot of the stuff I do is very lightweight 1-2 man crew stuff for which the Air will still be perfect. The other stuff is Follow focus, monitors, V Mounts and matte box/filters etc so adding about 5kg to the package, at which point the Air understandly struggles.
 
The Miller heads are excellent value for the money. Remember that a tripod is a long term investment, and you'll likely run through several cameras while you own it. I used to own a Soviet knockoff of a Sachtler Video 25 and boy was I happy to get rid of that beast.

For a super-cheap back up tripod, I've found the Davis & Sanford tripods from Tiffen to be a good value. They're very basic, but they have an excellent load-capacity for dirt-bottom prices. I use them for lock offs or in situation where they may get destroyed.
 
Sachtler DV 12 on Millar Solo 100 legs. That is my dream "light weight" setup. Although I suspect that the twist-lock legs would drive me nuts. So, maybe my dream lightweight is more a Sachtler DV12 on Sachtler speed lock legs...which, isn't much of a "light weight" setup.

Anyone have experience with twisties? Are they maddening compared to lever lock legs? Bad idea for a Run & Gun tripod?
 
JPNola said:
Anyone have experience with twisties? Are they maddening compared to lever lock legs? Bad idea for a Run & Gun tripod?
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I have the Induro GIT505XX. I really like it, very tall, lightweight, nice to look at. The twisties feel good but it is annoying to adjust the height for taller subject but not terrible. It's the price you pay for the stability of a non center column tripod.
 
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