Anyone using the Sachtler FSB 10 tripod and fluid head?

P

Publimix

Veteran
FSB 10 is advertised as a tripod for the FS7.

Are there proud owners here (or disappointed owners with tips for an alternative?)

I will start buying the fluid head fsb10 and buy the carbon legs later. (I have a set of aluminium tripod legs with 100 mm bowl)

Any better legs for this head? (I like carbon, light and not so cold in winter).

thxs
 
A lot of this is personal preference. For me, the new FSBs lack some of the magic the older Sachtlers had, like the Video 18 or 20 or even the DV-6SB or DV-8SB. The FSBs have a lot more plastic and the motion doesn't feel like the older Sachtlers. But they are definitely competent and nice tripods. They still make the DV12SB, which is a great head but costs more than an FSB. B&H still has DV-10 kits in stock also. As far as legs, I seem to be in the minority but I hate spreaders, they are a hindrance to working quickly and efficiently. I have been shooting with the spreaderless Miller Solo DV and Solo VJ legs for the last decade and they are good for me all of the way out to 400mm lenses on S35 cameras. If you are going over 400mm focial length regularly, you probably have to have spreaders. But the Millers are remarkable for their weight (or lack of it), ease of use and reliability. I have both the carbon fiber DVs and the aluminum. Highly recommended and they are not expensive. Sachtler head and the Miller legs have worked wonders for me, shooting all over the world with cameras that weigh between 5 and 15lbs. I also just picked up a lightly used a Miller AIR head for the legs as I got a deal on it, it only goes to 11lbs capacity but it's a great little travel head. My Sachtler DV-6SB head weighs 13lbs, kind of heavy for flying while the Miller AIR only weighs 3.1lbs but holds up to 11lbs. Someone on DV Info has a Miller Compass with CF legs for $1,900.00 I think, a very good deal as new they are almost $3k http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/private...id-head-carbon-fiber-solo-3-stage-sticks.html

Nothing bad or wrong about the FSBs, lots of FS7 and C300 MKII users have them, but I don't think they are as well built or engineered as the older Sachtlers personally. I would look for a deal on a used Video 18 or 20 (I've seen them as cheap as $1,500.00 used in good shape, that's a $6k to $8k new head) and pair it with some Miller Solo VJ carbon legs but that's just me. Unless you are mobile and a one man band often, then I would go for something smaller and lighter. If you fly a lot, the Miller AIR setup with the CF Solo legs is hard to beat for around $1,100.00 all in.
 
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Thanks for your answer.

The FSB 10 head is 1500 euro and the DV 10 is 2100 euro, DV10 is 300 gram more in weight. (2 euro per gram). That is plastic vs metal I think. The FSB 10 is branded as an entry level fluid head. But the FSB10 has this side-load mechanism that looks very practical.
The more time I spend shopping for this tripod the more expensive it gets.

But now it is only a 600 dollar question.
 
Publimix said:
Thanks for your answer.

The FSB 10 head is 1500 euro and the DV 10 is 2100 euro, DV10 is 300 gram more in weight. (2 euro per gram). That is plastic vs metal I think. The FSB 10 is branded as an entry level fluid head. But the FSB10 has this side-load mechanism that looks very practical.
The more time I spend shopping for this tripod the more expensive it gets.

But now it is only a 600 dollar question.
Click to expand...

From what I can glean of your budget and needs, I recommend going with the FSB 10.
 
JPNola said:
From what I can glean of your budget and needs, I recommend going with the FSB 10.
Click to expand...

I now use the sachtler ACE L. Light and decent for what I usually do. But now I have this new project wich involves bird filming. So the tripod has to support the FS7 and a 3 kg 500mm Nikkor lens. From the specs from Sachtler.com is isn't clear for me what the differences are between the DV10 and the FSB10 are (except the weight.)

I had some bad luck with older second hand Sachlers, so I go for a new one (starting with the head).
 
Wow, for those needs, I would make sure you are spending a good amount of some heavy, beefy legs with a good mid-level spreader. 500mm and birds is getting out there. FWIW, once you get to that length, the consensus is that you need O'Connor or Ronford Baker and about $30k. THere was a DVXUser who had a whole thread on this about six months ago. I don't know if the FSB10 or any lower cost head and legs will give you the steadiness you need for that focial length with small, twitchy subjects like birds or birds in flight. I recently shot surfers with a 400mm Canon lens on some cheap legs (it was the beach and I didn't want to put my good legs into sand and surf) and the results were questionable, a lot of micro jitter here and there. Add another 100mm focal length and the images would have been unusable and surfers are much larger and less kinetic subjects than birds.
 
Thnx
30.000 is a bit above my budget. In the end it will be the most expensive one (that I can afford). I now have my eye on a slightly used Sachtler dv15
And I am not ging to film flying birds with this 500 mm lens, just sitting ducks, as to speak. :)
 
I could be mistaken, but I have a hunch that the Video 15 and the DV12 are essentially- key word "essentially"- the same head. The Video 15 just has 7 levels of drag vs 5 levels of drag for the DV12. Sachtler specs list a negligibly greater payload capability for the Video 15. But identical otherwise. Same 12 step counter-balance, same specs down the line beyond the levels of drag and payload.

When buying a tripod it is tempting to go with a model with a floor-spreader since they are less expensive then their mid-spreader counterparts. But I advise against getting a tripod with a floor-spreader. You get more torsional rigidity with a mid-spreader, a floor-spreader is a pain when you are setup in a muddy or wet area, and the floor-spreader can be a hassle when collapsing the tripod. About the only advantages of a floor-spreader is lighter weight and less complexity to need repair. But in my experience the floor spreaders break more often than do the mid-spreaders. All that said, I do know of shooters who love floor-spreaders and hate mid-spreaders. Personally, I think they are daft in that preference.

NOTE- With most Sachtler's you can buy a model that has a floor-spreader and later switch it over to a mid-spreader when your budget allows. In the photo below of a Sachtler fitted with a floor-spreader, you can see the red-colored connection points for a mid-spreader-


s-l1600.jpg
 
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Thanks, today I bought a used video 15 SB, with ground-spreader. Now saving money for the mid-spreader. A good step up from the Sachtler Ace.

The legs are carbon with speedlock. I like that system.
 
Publimix said:
Thanks, today I bought a used video 15 SB, with ground-spreader. Now saving money for the mid-spreader. A good step up from the Sachtler Ace.

The legs are carbon with speedlock. I like that system.
Click to expand...

Happy for you, that's a good score, that in my opinion, is a little nicer and definitely better constructed than the FSB-10. Enjoy!
 
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