Good tripod setup for photo and video?

I went ahead and ordered the Feisol sticks. They arrived today, and they seem really solid. I'll do a more comprehensive review in the future...maybe. I don't have the video head yet, but they seem like they'll work great for photo with a Acratech ball head. I already have an idea of a modification to make to the legs that really will make a great Photo+Video setup.
 
I'm going to just tag on to this thread; I'm trying to keep a low budget as I stray into video, so I wondering will a photo tripod work well enough for pans? I know there are issues of "snap" as the tripod twists back after the end of a pan, but is this an issue for most tripods, or just some? I'm hoping to re-use my tripod while I get a fluid head. Current photo tripod is a Velbon 645A.
 
yslee said:
...so I wondering will a photo tripod work well enough for pans? I know there are issues of "snap" as the tripod twists back after the end of a pan...
Click to expand...

I think if you have a stable enough photo tripod you will be ok. Especially with a lighter camera like the GH1. I am using a photo tripod -- 3 independent, single-tube legs with no spreader -- but I chose a carbon fiber tripod for the apparent stability of the legs.

This FEISOL does have just a tiny but of play in it -- but it's actually very very solid. I don't have a frame of reference...but I can't really imagine another tripod being much more rigid. I just don't have a frame of reference.

As soon as I get my video head and camera, I'd be more than willing to zoom in on a vertical line and see if I get any windup or not with the setup I've chosen.
 
Ok -- I _love_ this Feisol tripod. The "spider" has a removable center section, so the tripod can have a plate+3/8" male screw, or you can take that out and put in a bowl.

The only problem is you do this by taking out 3 hex screws. Not a very convenient solution.

What I have done is replaced the hex-screws things with thumbscrews. I can now leave my ball-head (Which takes 3/8" Male) mounted on that plate, leave my video head (Which I'm still waiting to ship...) mounted in the bowl-mount, and I can swap the center section of the tripod out in about 20 seconds. Perfect. Perfect. PERFECT!

I have a Indislider on the way, and if it ever get it's own dedicated head...I may just buy another tripod plate so I can swap it on and off in 30 seconds flat too.
 
I'm going to make a slight detour in this thread. I found a great light weight tripod. It is not for non-static video, but it is great for static video or still photography. It weighs less than 3 pounds. It has 5 segments (6 if you count the single center extension). The biggest problem with very light weight tripods is vibration, especially in the wind. This one comes with a sling bag that you can throw a rock into to stablize the rig. I plan to use this thing backpacking in the Rockies. Here is a link to the site, which I found was only about twenty minutes from my house. The vendor, i mean. I guess I don't really know where the site is physically.

http://judsonsart.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=49&idproduct=113

OK, detour over.
 
Gitzo and Velbon tripods come with a hook to sling your bag to the centre column. The Gitzo's retractable hook is better designed than the Velbon's screw-on hook.
 
Gitzos are soo expensive though! I'll openly admit I haven't used a Gitzo, so I reserve the right to change my opinion, but my current opinion is that the Feisol is so good, that the improvements in the Gitzo are more luxuries than necessities. Diminishing returns and so forth...
 
Depends. I don't know how the locks on the Feisol work, but with the G-locks on the newer Gitzos, I can setup a tripod in 10-15 seconds. Maybe not so crucial for video where there's a lot of setup, but when you're chasing the scene for still photography it helps.
 
Oh yeah, I've had the dreaded "spinning leg" syndrome once or twice, but even then it takes like...3 seconds to fix. I just timed myself (Rather unscientifically) and I was able to go from totally compact to totally extended in 17 seconds. That included 1 of the extensions being slightly stubborn.

I love design and I'm willing to pay for it, but at the same time I would have to subjectively :D say that most people would be better served by saving $600 green backs on the Gitzo and buying a higher quality shotgun mic, or putting that towards a nice lens.
 
That's true. I couldn't quite bring myself to buy the Gitzo, so I ended up buying the Velbon at less than half the price of the Gitzo I was looking at. The Velbon turned out to be stable enough for my largest glass that I sold off my Manfrotto 055!
 
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