Bogen 501 vs 501HDV vs 503 vs 503HDV

RyanKR

RyanKR

Active member
I understand there is weight differences. But is there truly a big difference between the HDV? would I be better off getting a 501HDV than a regular 503? Or just spend the extra money and get a 503HDV? What is the deal with quick release?

sorry for n00b questions. and also sorry if there is a thread like this. I looked, but didn't see any that answered my questions.

-3460 (503) Pro Video Head (Quick Release) - Supports 13.2 lb (6 kg) $278.95

-503HDV Professional Video Fluid Head- Supports 17.6 lbs (8.0 kg) $337.95

-3433 (501) Pro Video Head (Quick Release) - Supports 13.2 lbs Discontinued

-501HDV Fluid Video Head - Supports up to 13.2 lbs (6.0 kg) $173.95
 
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Honestly--- I don't like any of the Bogen/Manfrotto's. Lot's of folks here have had good experiences with Cartoni. Personally, I would spend the money and go with a Sachtler. The FSB-6 is perfect for HVX+accessories. Yes. It is costly. Those Bogen's are fine if you are just doing a locked down shot. Introduce any movement and then compare the difference between the Bogen and a better head. You will be convinced.

Ned Soltz
 
On this topic - can I buy an older film camera tripod and use an adapter to mount a camcorder on it ? Has anyone does this before..
 
For the money and your apparent budget range, the 503 HDV is definitely the way to go. I've used one, and it's an improvement on the Bogens in this range.

However, if it's at all possible rearrange your budget priorities and spend the money for a higher range tripod head. I can think of few camera components that are more important to spend a premium on. A good starting point would be a head in the $1,200.00-$1,500.00 range, and thats not even what I would consider "premium" per se.
 
FWIW, I'm very happy with my Manfrotto 519 head. It works really well and with my heavy 35mm adapter, etc.
 
hotchkiss said:
For the money and your apparent budget range, the 503 HDV is definitely the way to go. I've used one, and it's an improvement on the Bogens in this range.

However, if it's at all possible rearrange your budget priorities and spend the money for a higher range tripod head. I can think of few camera components that are more important to spend a premium on. A good starting point would be a head in the $1,200.00-$1,500.00 range, and thats not even what I would consider "premium" per se.
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Can you maybe send me a link to some of the stuff you are talking about.

Thank you
 
I have a Bogen 516, and I am happy with its performance. It provides smooth pan and tilts.

I've tried the 501 and 503 lines. They are useless for pan and tilts in my opinion. But then again, if you are going to spend $500 on a 516 head, you can spend a little more for a Cartoni. But the 516 line and up perform well.
 
RyanKR said:
Can you maybe send me a link to some of the stuff you are talking about.

Thank you
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Ryan,

The Vinten Vision 3 is a nice head in the $1,200.00 range. There are also some Sachtlers around that price point. Miller has some in the range as well. Manfrotto has the 519 at the lower end of this spectrum. I have'nt used one, but it looks like it's worht checking out. I know many here like Cartoni heads , but I still have a bad taste in my mouth after having to use a Cartoni kit some years ago- wasn't impressed, maybe they've improved.

As for premium heads, I used to have a Sachtler 18P which can handle everything from small cameras up to the big'uns. The price of admission? $4,600.00 in 1998 dollars.

B&H's site or evsonline.com are good resources to check out the options.
 
Yeah i'm looking at the Bogen 519 and comparing it to the Cartoni F100. Both very similar price range and same weight support. Anyone here have a Cartoni F100?

Bogen 519 $867.95
Cartoni F100 $799.95
 
hotchkiss said:
Ryan,

The Vinten Vision 3 is a nice head in the $1,200.00 range. There are also some Sachtlers around that price point. Miller has some in the range as well. Manfrotto has the 519 at the lower end of this spectrum. I have'nt used one, but it looks like it's worht checking out. I know many here like Cartoni heads , but I still have a bad taste in my mouth after having to use a Cartoni kit some years ago- wasn't impressed, maybe they've improved.

As for premium heads, I used to have a Sachtler 18P which can handle everything from small cameras up to the big'uns. The price of admission? $4,600.00 in 1998 dollars.

B&H's site or evsonline.com are good resources to check out the options.
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Thank you. theres still a bit of research I need to do. That is a lot of money just for the head :/

I'm still an amateur at this stuff, I may have to wait for few more paychecks haha
 
A $1500 tripod head? I use a $300 bogen and I'm happy with it. Of course, I'd much rather be running around with the cam than stuck in the ground anyway. You bought a portable camera for a reason, right?
 
Kidding , right?

Kidding , right?

ProfessorU said:
A $1500 tripod head? I use a $300 bogen and I'm happy with it. Of course, I'd much rather be running around with the cam than stuck in the ground anyway. You bought a portable camera for a reason, right?
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Interesting thinking there. By that same logic, why spend the money for an HVX at all? Go get a $400.00 mini dv special at Best Buy.

Ryan, if you're not making money with your work, spending the coin for a higher end tripod is imprudent. Unless of course you are funded by someone else ;-).

Like most anything else, you get what you pay for, and tripod heads are no exception. There's a erroneous logic often displayed on these boards- that a tripod is a secondary consideration , and that a tripods price should somehow be proportionate to the cost of the HVX or DVX. This belief is articualetd all too often here, to the detriment of others who are seeking good advice. A good tripod is worth it's weight in gold, and may cost as much. ;-)

For your situation, the 503 HDV is a good way to go. If at some point down the road your situation justifies a higher quality head, you'll be in a good position to buy one.
 
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Yes I agree, I was not going by that logic haha

But I plan on eventually making money with my camera, I just need more equipment to start such as a tripod and lighting. I think I will choose between the 503hdv or if i feel like I need more I will go with the 519.

Now for the legs, do they make as big of a difference as the head does?
 
RyanKR said:
Yes I agree, I was not going by that logic haha

But I plan on eventually making money with my camera, I just need more equipment to start such as a tripod and lighting. I think I will choose between the 503hdv or if i feel like I need more I will go with the 519.

Now for the legs, do they make as big of a difference as the head does?
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In my opinion- yep. Consequently, it makes more sense to invest your hard earned cash into the best set of sticks now, and compromise on the head for the time being.

This is where you'll find two schools of thought, those that like floor /mid spreader types of tripods and those who like sticks that are spreader-less. I'm passionately in the latter camp. Manufacturer's of this type include Gitzo , Miller and Bogen. I wouldn't consider Bogens video offerings to be in the professional realm.

Their advantages:

• larger diameter tubing, greater structural rigidity
• fewer junctures to wear and get floppy and sloppy over time
• simpler construction
• no spreader to get in the way, extra weight, greater complexity... AND with floor spreaders shooting on rocky or uneven ground is a PITA...
• folds up to a much smaller package, less cumbersome to carry
• Comparing carbon fiber models, GItzo types are typically lighter.
• Last but certainly not least, you can get a GItzo right down on the ground- way lower than a spreader type. Typically, the ball tightening shaft is the limiting factor on how low it can go. It will hit the ground before the tripod reaches it's lowest level.

Drawbacks:

• Some spreader designs are faster to set up, but usually not the ones in the more affordable price ranges ( Sachtler hot pods). However, this advantage is now negligble compared to the new twist lock designs offered by Gitzo and Miller. The point is more or less moot, while the spreader design tripods still have all of the liabilities.

As an added bonus, their are alot of used Gitzos in the market place, both metal and carbon fiber. You can get a heck of a tripod for a great price. If you want to go with an aluminum model the price gets even cheaper and heavier- but rock solid.

As for a total package, my recomendation would be to go with the 503 HDV head and a carbon fiber Miller or Gitzo set of legs. You'll have a killer set of legs with a head that will get you by, and with practice give you good results. If you decide to go used on the legs, you could get a whole package (head/sticks) in the $700.00-$800.00 range for carbon fiber and in the $500.00 range for aluminum. Your mileage may vary. For the money, you'd have a great set up.

I would forgo the Bogen 519 head and go cheaper, because the 519's price point does not get you into the really good stuff. I don't think it would be worth the extra money over the 503 HDV. Save your change and make a substantial upgrade at a later time.

my three cents.
 
hotchkiss said:
In my opinion- yep. Consequently, it makes more sense to invest your hard earned cash into the best set of sticks now, and compromise on the head for the time being.

This is where you'll find two schools of thought, those that like floor /mid spreader types of tripods and those who like sticks that are spreader-less. I'm passionately in the latter camp. Manufacturer's of this type include Gitzo , Miller and Bogen. I wouldn't consider Bogens video offerings to be in the professional realm.

Their advantages:

• larger diameter tubing, greater structural rigidity
• fewer junctures to wear and get floppy and sloppy over time
• simpler construction
• no spreader to get in the way, extra weight, greater complexity... AND with floor spreaders shooting on rocky or uneven ground is a PITA...
• folds up to a much smaller package, less cumbersome to carry
• Comparing carbon fiber models, GItzo types are typically lighter.
• Last but certainly not least, you can get a GItzo right down on the ground- way lower than a spreader type. Typically, the ball tightening shaft is the limiting factor on how low it can go. It will hit the ground before the tripod reaches it's lowest level.

Drawbacks:

• Some spreader designs are faster to set up, but usually not the ones in the more affordable price ranges ( Sachtler hot pods). However, this advantage is now negligble compared to the new twist lock designs offered by Gitzo and Miller. The point is more or less moot, while the spreader design tripods still have all of the liabilities.

As an added bonus, their are alot of used Gitzos in the market place, both metal and carbon fiber. You can get a heck of a tripod for a great price. If you want to go with an aluminum model the price gets even cheaper and heavier- but rock solid.

As for a total package, my recomendation would be to go with the 503 HDV head and a carbon fiber Miller or Gitzo set of legs. You'll have a killer set of legs with a head that will get you by, and with practice give you good results. If you decide to go used on the legs, you could get a whole package (head/sticks) in the $700.00-$800.00 range for carbon fiber and in the $500.00 range for aluminum. Your mileage may vary. For the money, you'd have a great set up.

I would forgo the Bogen 519 head and go cheaper, because the 519's price point does not get you into the really good stuff. I don't think it would be worth the extra money over the 503 HDV. Save your change and make a substantial upgrade at a later time.

my three cents.
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Wow thank you so much for your help. I'm very glad you told me this. I'm definitely going to go for the 503HDV and get some nice sticks. Is there anything i'm going to need to adapt the Bogen to the Miller/Gitzo? I'm looking at the sticks right now and there are a lot of different ones is the same price range. Is there something I should be looking for such as a certain stage?
 
My pleasure !

To adapt the head to the legs you'll need:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/150732-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_3284_3284_75mm_Half_Ball.html

and this,

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/86400-REG/Gitzo_G1422_G1422_75mm_Bowl_Interface.html

Gitzo's number modeling is wacky and confusing, to say the least. Do you want to go carbon fiber? I'll assume so. The Gitzo G-1325 is what I'd suggest ( I have one) . It doesn't have the snap locks (or whatever they are called) , but no biggee. At $557.95, it's a bit more expensive than what I had estimated, but you'll have a light weight rock'in set up, for not too much more than the Bogen 519 head by itself.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/145131-REG/Gitzo_G1325_G1325_Mountaineer_Carbon_Fiber.html

Good luck
 
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