Future proof tripod

G

Gordon JL

Well-known member
Looking for the bare minimum tripod that is also future proof; in other words, I'd like recommendations for a tripod system that is as inexpensive as you can get (i'll try and also find a used one) but has these features (so as to future proof it):

smooth Fluid head
quick release baseplate


Can sustain the total weight of (including dvx100b):
mattebox
follow focus
rail / rod support / baseplate
35mm adapter (size of letus 35)
50mm lens
16:9 anamorphic adapter
firestore OR onboard external LCD
shotgun mic


​
I'm not sure of the total weight of all those addons including camera, but i'd estimate it to be aprox. 10-12 pounds maybe? I could be way off. BARE minimum to reduce costs. Thanks in advance.
edit: How are these? Found them at B&H:

poosible bare min. head:
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Davis & Sanford F-12 Fluid Head - Supports 12 lb (5.4 kg) (it's only $40, so it sounds like crap -- but it says fluid head...)

bare min. legs:
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Bogen / Manfrotto 3001BN Tripod Legs (Black) - Supports 11 lb (5 kg)
 
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Gordon JL said:
smooth Fluid head
Click to expand...

There's where you're going to run into problems. What are we talking here? TRUE fluid?

If so, you're looking anywhere from $500-$5000. No joke.

A "decent" head that gets a LOT of use in the video industry is the bogen/manfrotto 5 series. The 501 runs from around $150-$225, then the 503, up to the 516.

Anything under $200 for head and legs will be completely useless and you'll end up tossing it. In my opinion, $300 for the package IS the "bare minimum"

Search B&H for "bogen 501" and there ya go for a budget tripod.

Look on ebay, and there should be plenty of 501's with legs on there. Here's a couple.

-brown
 
Check out Sunpak Video Pro M (SUVPM) with metal fluid head, quick release platform & sturdy design to support 15 lbs. $150 w/lifetime warranty.
 
For $150 it's not a real fluid head. A lot of tripods out there says that the head is fluid but it's really just gear. Even the 501 isn't a true fluid head. If you're looking for a real fluid head the head alone is guarantee to cost you $300 or more.
 
Hey, thanks for all the suggestions guys.

I am also wondering whether or not the 503 is true fluid. Assuming I need true-fluid head tripod systems, it will cost me mayybe $250 total -- but, you guys are also saying that the head itself, if it's truely fluid, would be around $300. Which doesn't really make sense to me... What is the least expensive true-fluid head you can find? I'mj thinking the 503 is probably it, though its not exactly cheap...

If this IS true, and the 503 is the least expensive, it's still out of my price range -- in the end, I pretty much have to settle for semi-fluid head (fake) anyway -- I mean, even the popular 501 heads aren't real fluid.

So -- what's wrong with a tripod system that's $150, mimics fluid head (just like 501, but cheaper), and have good legs that support 18 lbs? I guess the answer is: it depends on the quality of the artificial fluid-head (501 being really good at mimicking true fluid, a cheap tripod being less successful).

Still, $150 for a system is a good deal. The 501 isn't true-fluid, but it gets a lot of praise. I don't think, with our budgets, fake-fluid is that bad of an idea.
 
If you're going to spend that much on equipment I wouldnt spend less than 500 on a tripod. Ditch all the stuff on rails and get a real tripod to support the camera. I went for the cheapest fluid head that would work for pans and tilts with some decent weight and spent 800 dollars on a libec h38 and some miller solo legs (ok so those legs are perhaps a bit more than needed for the "minimum", but the head isnt). Or get a really really cheap tripod and only do locked off shots. I did a whole corporate shoot on a velbon with my hvx because it was a locked shot and it really didnt matter. Yes others did poke fun at my little tripod...
 
Hi there
Having used a 501 on 351MV legs for a couple of years, I've just upgraded to the Libec LS38...
Big difference... fluid head, soomth and controlled... three stage, lighter, adjustable pan handle...Worth the investment.
Gareth
 
for all of that you want the 516 or w/e is above the 503 and can hold a bit more... the 501 would be the very bare minimum I mean you can do it, Ive put that much on it, but its not great.

cartoni makes some great stuff, there lowest end tripod goes for like 600-7 i think and its real good from what i hear.
 
Gordon JL said:
So -- what's wrong with a tripod system that's $150, mimics fluid head (just like 501, but cheaper), and have good legs that support 18 lbs?
Click to expand...

All inexpensive fluid heads "mimic" real fluid heads. But you can get a usable head that will do a job for you. I use the 503 regularly for corporate video. It aint a Sachtler, but I get the job done.

The tripod legs need to resist the torque of panning with the fluid dampening set up stiff. All inexpensive heads will suffer "stiction" to some degree, the tendency to stick until they start to move, then they'll move smoothly once they're moving. If the tripod doesn't resist torque, it will wind up and then release when the head starts to move, making the start of your pan jerky.

Single tube tripod legs need to be large diameter (huge?) and preferably graphite to resist torque. Better to have multiple tube legs, and the fewest stages possible. Check out the Bogen 3046. They're always on ebay, relatively cheap, sturdy (and heavy).
 
You can put alot more weight on a 501 then what they say.....That is just for there protection. Tri pods are rated 10 to one so if a set of sticks ways it can hold 18 then in the real world it has to hold 180 lbs and so on.
 
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