Hvx/cartoni Focus??!!!??!!

Justin Marx

Justin Marx

Well-known member
I just bought the Cartoni Focus, and I mounted my HVX. It seems as though it is wobbly when mounted.. if I grab the camera by the handle and push it just a little it woobbles on the head.. Does anyone have the same problem? It seems as though the bottom of the camera does not rest on the head.. so it has space to wobble.. All my cheapo heads and the expensive ones are level with the bottom of the camera..!!??!!

HELP!!
 
Justin, make sure it is not the carbon plate. Cartoni changed them back to metal some months ago, however, it sounds like you may have the carbon one. If so, dealer should be able to swap it out for you.

I found with my Brevis rig, the carbon plate wobble was extremely pronounced, now ok with the metal plate.
 
I bought mine late last year from B&H and have no problems with it, although I did reverse the plate hardware so the HVX would balance more easily (it was front heavy).

The plate appears to be made of cast metal, not carbon, which I'm sure would be light as a feather if it were. If yours is an older carbon one (and I was unaware they ever made them that way), then it would appear to be pretty seriously old stock at this point. Perhaps you could ask your dealer to exchange it for the current model.
 
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Guys thank you very much.. Spoke to the boys at Ste-Man and they are sending me the METAL plate.
Sad I got this head right before a shoot to find this out! Also sad that they said they would overnight it to me for delivery today, only to find out that they said they would but somehow did not ship it..

Hope this plate solves to problem, otherwise the head is going back..
 
Justin, metal plate will make a huge difference. I know you are an M2 user, and the adapter rigs can get pretty heavy, especially with on-board monitoring, which may start pushing toward the outer limits of the load capacity of the Focus. I don't have the monitor yet myself with my Brevis, however, I factored this in and also picked up a Bogen 526 with 528XB legs, which will also be useful for my dolly/jib rigs and it, or the Focus, will be useful for a B-Cam setup. What I am eluding to is, not only do tripods have load capacity, the adapter setups create a lot of weight that moves away from the centre pivot point of the tripod pan/tilt, affecting tilt mostly. I find it essential to balance up the camera rig, which requires a plate connected to your rails that can be adjusted freely to this balance point position. Any wobble/flex/backlash is more pronounced with my longer lenses, over say 150mm. Just some feedback and personal observations. I am mostly learning.
 
Do you think I should return the head? I got it a few days ago, and LOVE this STIX, but am not BLOWN away by the head.. LOL sorry, that didn't sound right!!

What would you guys get with the M2 Setup?? It's pushing the 20lb mark EASY w/monitor, etc..
 
I like the Focus, no plan on selling it here. I have only been using the Bogen 528XB sticks with my jib at the moment, and not really used the 526 head more than a few times, minor play. I would say that the Bogen has a more durable finish, noting the Focus release plate handle is plastic and could be broken during use/drop/carting, etc. I just have not used the 526 head enough to make comparative comment. I really like the feel of the Focus, and it suits my lighter rig (no on-board monitor, yet). I need two tripods/sticks, so I spread my choice across to models. The 526 has a 30 lb load capacity, compared to the Focus at 22 lb. This is where someone more experienced makes comment. :beer:
 
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