There's not much out there in the affordable range that has a good counter-balance mechanism. This might be out of your budget, but the tripod I would consider an upgrade from the Benro S6 is the Sachtler ACE M which is starting to creep up in price. ( it was in the low $500+ range, and is now almost $600 )
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Great Low Cost Video Head : Benro S6
- Thread starter TheDingo
- Start date
There's not much out there in the affordable range that has a good counter-balance mechanism. This might be out of your budget, but the tripod I would consider an upgrade from the Benro S6 is the Sachtler ACE M which is starting to creep up in price. ( it was in the low $500+ range, and is now almost $600 )
I tried out the Manfrotto 500 and the 502 at the store after I returned my S6, and it was a lot easier to get slow and smooth pans with both the 500 and the 502. If it weren't for the crappy legs that came with the Manfrottos, I probably would have gotten the 500. Ideally I would love to get the Benro's legs and a 500 head, but I don't think Benro sell the legs separate from the heads.
I did a little bit more research and found a review on Amazon that described the exact same problem I had with mine. I also agree with some of the reviews where people were saying that the pan was way too loose. Maybe there's a bad batch out there somewhere. Anyways, I just wanted to throw this out there so that potential buyers are aware. Definitely make sure you can try it out at a store before you purchase (or at least purchase from a place with a good return policy).
I did a little bit more research and found a review on Amazon that described the exact same problem I had with mine. I also agree with some of the reviews where people were saying that the pan was way too loose. Maybe there's a bad batch out there somewhere. Anyways, I just wanted to throw this out there so that potential buyers are aware. Definitely make sure you can try it out at a store before you purchase (or at least purchase from a place with a good return policy).
If it weren't for the crappy legs that came with the Manfrottos, I probably would have gotten the 500
The problem I've had with Manfrotto heads in the past was that I could never get a proper counter-balance set up with my camera. Properly balanced you should be able to point your camera in any direction then let go and the camera will stay pointing exactly where you let go without having to lock anything down. The Benro S6 head could do this, but I've had a lot of trouble duplicating this with the lower cost Manfrotto heads.
Good to know about the counter-balance issue with the Manfrottos. Personally, I can live without a perfect counter-balance setup. On the S6, I can't even pan unless I loosen the pan lock all the way, then it becomes impossible to pan smoothly because it's so loose! I value panning way more than I do for counter-balance, so I'll most likely go with the Manfrotto. I guess at this price point, no tripod is perfect and there's going to be a compromise somewhere.
BTW here's a video review of the S6 where the guy describes the same issue I had with mine.
BTW here's a video review of the S6 where the guy describes the same issue I had with mine.
BTW here's a video review of the S6 where the guy describes the same issue I had with mine.
He does like the Benro S8 video head for panning.
Benro S8 Video Head with Heavier Built Benro Tripod : $395 with Rebate
That's not a bad deal for what you're getting, but unfortunately it's still a bit over my budget and I would like to have the tripod by this weekend for a shoot. I ended up going with the Manfrotto 500 with a set of Induro AT213 legs from Amazon. Total came out to be $300 and I have Prime shipping. The only downside is that the Induro legs don't have an adjustable half ball head for leveling, but it's a compromise I'm willing to make. I'll definitely check out the S8 once it's available at my local camera shop though, maybe it'll be an upgrade further down the line.