Head weight capacity for a "full" rig?

modernPrimitive

modernPrimitive

Active member
Hi,

I've found a manfrotto 501 fluid head second hand that's rated for 6Kg. My camera and heaviest lens come in at around 1.7Kg. I still want to add rails , a ff, a mattebox and possibly an LCD monitor to the rig. Since I don't know what those items weigh yet would a 6Kg rating be good enough? I have done a rough calculation based on estimates but the opinion of experienced DPs would be far more valuable ;)
What about the legs? I'm assuming if I get legs rated at 6Kg or above all should be well?

Thanks.
mP

PS: 6Kgs is approximately 12lbs
 
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Nobody?

Well I added the weights of various items from those I could find on B&H to and 6Kg seems adequate. I'm not sure about a weighted shoulder rig though, I think you'd need to go up to 8-10Kg for that...
 
Depends no which rig you get, some are heavier than others, same with the rest. Matteboxes seem like they can get heavy, especially once you add filters, and monitor may be as well. What is 6kg to lbs?
 
6 kilograms = 13.2277357 pounds.

I'm looking at the Proaim shoulder rig - the one with the counter-balance weights (I'm sure the weights could be removed easily for mounting). In terms of monitoring, the smallHD. I have some massive lenses though...still waiting for a vintage Zeiss 180mm which looks about the size of a cine lens.

Thanks for the help...
 
That head is not great, but I've found that the more weight you have on it, the smoother your movements can be. The important thing is that it is balanced, so keep those counterweights on.
I've had everything on there that you describe, (rails, ff, MB, monitor) plus a big battery acting as a counterweight, and it worked just fine, weighing about 15 lbs.

If you're willing to haul around a bulkier, heavier tripod, I would suggest a used O'connor model 30 or similar. Many thousands of $$'s in its day. You can find them on ebay now for about the same price as a new manfrotto setup, and they are light-years better in terms of smoothness. Very important for those long lenses without image stabilization. I had to take out 2 of the four counterweight springs, but once I did that it will stop at any angle and stay balanced.
 
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Thanks Tim,

I hear you, but living in South Africa has it's drawbacks in terms of postage of such a heavy item! I have been looking locally of course but there seems to be nothing available.

Thanks for the input everyone.
 
when I get off my tripod, I usually have the following...

19" carbon fiber rods
RedRock Shoulder Pad
RedRock Follow Focus
RedRock DSLR BasePlate
RedRock offset kit
RedRock Hand Grip x2
RedRock Micro Finder Loupe
RedRock Micro Arm (short)
RedRock Micro Handle
Proaim Mattebox (I don't use the french flags)
ND filters x2
Zoom H4N
Rode Video Mic
Small HD monitor
----------------------------------------------
Total weight - 12lbs (give or take .5 lb depending on lens)
 
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