I love this tripod combo!!!

Flash Beaver

Flash Beaver

Well-known member
Well this little beaver's wading in tall hay tonight!

We finally got us some better sticks to fight the fish off with. We've been running around the past few months with a Bogen 3126/3001 combo right from a 1990 VHS shoulder mount acid relapse. But they were available, didn't need spreaders and most of the time I'm out with the Tortlerig anyway.

But the Tortlerig is a support, not a steadicam or a tripod. Unfortunately when trying to get a good pan of a beautiful scenic it was, like John Candy said "trying to play pickup stix with your butt cheeks!"

Yes I could get the move, in maybe 10+ attempts, when the sun and planets are aligned, but talk about lost time in the field. And then having to filter the crap out back in studio. But I digress....

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We went with the Miller Solo VJ Carbon Fiber legs with a Focus head. There's nothing like it. If you have any doubts about this head, or the great article by Jared here on the board, put it to rest, start slingin' some caine make that dough and go buy this mofo ASAP!!!

But be warned you ain't pimpin' without the right sticks, and the Miller Solo VJ sticks will definitely fit the bill. Besides looking sweet, they are incredibly light, easy to set up, and no spreader.

We picked them up from AbelCine, I'm not sure if I was feeling the love there, maybe its just because I was new and asked questions, but I got the sticks for $899 and the head for $799. When you ratchet that variable drag and feel that fluid slide you know exactly where your money went. And at just a hair over 11 pounds it ain't bad for truckin' around either.

I took this combo down to the creek this evening. I positioned the legs solid in the riverbed and just slid that little ball level 'till the green bubble cried uncle. I haven't had it this good since my DXC-3000 and my O'connor.

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I can't reiterate enough just how important it is for you guys that are new in the game to make the step up to a real tripod and head. I was out of it for a long time, and my experience with this piece of gear, has been a great reminder. You may squeal at first, but when you save time and money by getting the shot right, you'll be glad you did it.

At this moment when it comes to the Cartoni Focus/Miller VJ combo I'm hooked like a Meth addict from unincorporated Pierce County, Washington.....

When I come off my fluid head trip, I'll contribute something a little more in-depth. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to give a shout out.

Have a super day!
:bath:
 
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Thanks for the feedback, Travis. What made you choose those sticks over the kind that have two tubes per leg (sorry, don't know what the proper name is)? I'm curious what the pros and cons are.
 
You know, this is EXACTLY the combo I decided on when at NAB experimenting at the two booths... thanks for giving it a go, now I'm even more sure...

Jim Arthurs
 
Hey there Adam & Jim!

I don't really see anything wrong with a tripod with fewer stages. Incidentally this tripod can get the base where you mount the camera to 6' 8" which would help if you're need some height advantage.

But my main thing is I wanted something that could really take some extra weight for a small kessler crane, and the big thing for me was a tripod without spreaders. Because out on rivers and other places I have found spreaders to be a pain. There is a lot to be said for a good mid level spreader but for me, I've been biased toward spreaderless tripods.

Yeah, this package has been a real winner so far. I must give major props to cartoni for this head, but for some reason I really get off on those carbon fibre miller legs. Am I sick and twisted beaver or what???
 
Sproketz said:
Hey Travis, nice setup. What microphone have you got there and how is it attached?
Click to expand...

The mic is an Audio Technica AT897. A long ass mic and it needs a little help to keep it out of cameras view angle.

So we had one of our local boys fab us up a little 1 3/4 inch piece of metal that screws in to the mic posts and then the original mic holder screws into that metal chunk 2 inches up. More than enough to get the mic with the big furrie out of the way.

We love this mic and it has done well for us. I have my partner/show host lavved up with a Sennheiser Evolution, so we get audio from both.
 
Travis,

Thanks again for all the info. How well do these legs work on like a tile or industrial carpet floor. Im assuming it stays stable with those feet or does it come with others to use indoors?

Chuck
 
ChuckJr said:
Travis,

Thanks again for all the info. How well do these legs work on like a tile or industrial carpet floor. Im assuming it stays stable with those feet or does it come with others to use indoors?

Chuck
Click to expand...

Yeah its just fine. It has spiked feet that are shrouded by rubber feet. Now the one thing I will say is you want to make sure that the rubber feet are screwed out firmly so the spikes do trash someones wood floor.

As for the rubber feet I haven't any problem with grip on linoleum or carpet, but I haven't tried them yet on tiles, but if anything they should be just fine.

The spikes when the rubber feet are screwed back definitely do their job out in the river bed.

The other beautiful thing with this tripod is how tall it gets, my partner got they idea to make a camo shroud so when we start filming wild turkey hunts. I can use the thing as a shelter tent! heheheh
 
Folks, be aware that when combining the Cartoni Focus with the Miller Solo VJ, the stock tie-down cup of the Focus is too small and will go right through the hole in the Solo VJ bowl. (The tie-down cup is the thing you use to tighten down the head onto the bowl.) The Focus tie-down cup is 44 mm in diameter and the Solo VJ's hole is 48 mm across.

If your Focus comes with the stock cup, you can get the Cartoni USA distributor (STE-MAN, 818 760 8240, North Hollywood) to swap it out for the wider Cartoni Delta tie-down cup (Part # D415), which is 63 mm in diameter. They were very gracious and efficient in dealing with this for me and a couple of others that I know of, and they did it free of charge.

I gather that some dealers who sell the Focus-SoloVJ combo as a package are aware of this issue and swap out the cup up front, without the customer ever having to think about it. (This may explain why I've only seen this problem mentioned in one other thread on this forum, and once or twice on other forums, even though this combo is often mentioned. Still, I'm curious how many people are already set up with this combo and did or didn't run into this problem. Maybe most people on this forum know enough to check on this with their dealer when they order - I didn't.)

I bought the combo as a package from an aware dealer, but they overlooked the issue in my case. When this happens you can lose a week getting it straighted out. So avoid the hassle - if you order the package, ask your dealer to provide the Delta tie-down (or, perhaps, any wide enough cup with the right thread). (If you order the Focus separately for use with the Solo VJ, you probably have to wait until you receive the head and then talk to STE-MAN.)

-- javima
 
Thanks for the review, I'm pretty well sold on the Cartoni Head, now I just need to find a pair of sticks to keep everything in my price range (preferably under 1,200, closer to 1,000) I'm going to be doing a lot of packing around with the rig, so light weight is a major factor for me. Any suggestions?
 
l33t_specialist:

abelcine.com is where I bought mine; they mentioned that the two often go out as a package. B&H certainly stocks both. I don't know who else. (If by "package deal" you mean special pricing for buying them together, I know nothing about that.)
 
Thanks Javima for the heads up.

Thanks Javima for the heads up.

I got mine through AbelCine and I didn't have that problem. Maybe this was put on when I got my setup from them. I will call and ask, but I think I am okay.


javima said:
Folks, be aware that when combining the Cartoni Focus with the Miller Solo VJ, the stock tie-down cup of the Focus is too small and will go right through the hole in the Solo VJ bowl. (The tie-down cup is the thing you use to tighten down the head onto the bowl.) The Focus tie-down cup is 44 mm in diameter and the Solo VJ's hole is 48 mm across.
Click to expand...
 
Maybe some gitzo sticks...

Maybe some gitzo sticks...

Here's a set of sticks, they are rated for 26 pounds but should give you a really light combination and stay within your range.

http://www.adorama.com/GZ1325.html

and you'll need the 100mm bowl for it here:

http://www.adorama.com/GZ1424.html

It may still be a stretch in your range but wow that would be a nice comination too for field expediency.



Jeff C said:
Thanks for the review, I'm pretty well sold on the Cartoni Head, now I just need to find a pair of sticks to keep everything in my price range (preferably under 1,200, closer to 1,000) I'm going to be doing a lot of packing around with the rig, so light weight is a major factor for me. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
 
hey guys, I would like to purchase this combo outside of the US. Any of you european guys know where to get this stuff.

Asside from that. The combo looks great. If i get the focust head, and the miller legs, all i need is the Gitzo bowl adapter right? and it works as good as the miller fix correct?

If you could list the possible ways of achieving this settup for maximum efficiency that would be nice.

thx
 
Hello Digital Angel,

You only need that gitzo bowl adapter if you choose the gitzo tripod. The miller solo vj tripod legs area a 100mm bowl already.

What you may need extra, and you should probably confirm with your dealer is the larger bottom tie-down as Javima had mentioned. It is the Cartoni Delta tie-down cup (Part # D415).

Here's a miller rep in Dubai:

Oasis Enterprises 971 4282 1337 or email them oeppdjvc@emirates.net.ae

As for the head, you could probably go straight to Cartoni website, they don't show any dealers in the Emirates, but they do show a dealer in Jordan. Cartoni, is based from italy and their contact is at the bottom of their site.

So just get the focus head with the tiedown javima said to get, and the Solo VJ legs and you are all set up! :)
 
haha you actualy found me a dealer in Dubai, haha , awsome. thank you.

How much would this combo aproximately cost me from your experience.

I would also like to purchase the 36mm convertor for the HVX i believe its called the M2. I want to perfect my DOP skills, framing focus. Etc etc. Its gonna sound silly. But do u think its better investing in a better tripod, or a better image enhancer.

two questions there, what do you think?
 
Hey there, you are very welcome! As an Eagle Scout I have done my good deed for the day. :)

As for cost, my setup was $1,700 US. But I have no idea what they will charge in the Emirates or in Europe. I think you are going to have to just call the guy up in your city and see what he says.

On the 35mm converter. Well I have been peering at that M2 secretly with lust in my eyes. But when I come to my senses it is just not compatible with our current operation.
 
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