Anyone using the Manfrotto 504HD?

S

Symon

Active member
Hi All,

Just joined dvxuser and hope to share in your knowledge as much as possible. Not much to give back atm, but I will try :D

Anywho...I'm looking at the 504HD setup (with the 546 tripod) as something I can use for a long time to come. I'm impressed with it's capabilities and yes, it's looks too ;)

But being a canny investment...I'd like to know if anyone has used/is using one and if it's worth the cash? Are their fluid heads good?

I have other tri-pods for photography and it'll be solely for shooting video.

Appreciate your time :)
 
Huge thanks for the links. I always like to read real-life reviews rather than product reviews on sponsored sites etc.

Pretty big failings, too. And not good reading :(

Looks like I'll have to hunt an alternative and this will likely cost a whole load more!

Unless these are both early models that have since had their kinks ironed out? [/clutchingatstraws]
 
Here is what I did: buy used pro gear, instead of new semipro gear.

I got heavy duty (150mm bow) Vinten sticks and head of Ebay, for less than the new Manfrotto combo. - couldn´t be happier.

Frank
 
Indeed, indeed :)

Soooooo...off to look into the Vinten :D

Need something sturdy and able to pan smoothly with no fuss. Something it seems the 504 fails at.

Cheers fella :)
 
I bought a Manfrotto 519 not long ago, with the 536 leg set (546 isn't better function-wise but looks too much), and intended to use it with my DLSR cameras. It's designed for a top load from 3 to 22 pounds. So it's not designed to work with a very lightweight camcorder (tho it actually works pretty well except that it always bounces a bit back at the end of panning). Other than that it's not a 1 size fit all head, it's perfect for both still and video purposes.

I tried Manfrotto 701, 501, 503, 504, 526 at B&H. 519 felt better than 701 up to 503. 504 looks odd and I didn't like that in the beginning. 526, not for me. I concluded 519 would be THE one. If I had to complain about it, that could only be its weight: 2.9 kg. BTW, 519 looks beautiful. A gorgeous head.

PS - panning with 519: as long as the load is at least close to 3 pounds, panning is exactly as expected. Tiny movements are fine. No extra movements whatsoever at all. Same with tilting, except that it takes a while to find the perfect balancing.
 
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