C300: Lightweight yet solid tripod for C100/C300 sized cameras/rigs?

L

Lkorver

Well-known member
My Sachtler FSB4 with mid level spreader finally kicked the bucket after 3 years of constant abuse and travel. Looking for something similar, but better :) The SB4 head was fine but the legs were a pain in the butt and the vertical range wasn't all that good, would've like to have gotten lower with the camera at times. It has a capacity of 8.8 lbs which worked well for me, I wouldn't want to go down in weight though.

Curious if you all have any set ups you really like that are durable, lightweight, and can support the C300 and a modest rig. I'd like to spend less than $3000.
 
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Gitzo Series 3 6X Systematic Carbon Fiber (X-Long) (5 lbs) + Really Right Stuff FH350 Head (4.3 lbs) = 9.3 lbs. Cost, approx $3000.
 
Le Chat Errant said:
Let's take a look at Miller SOLO DV 20.. seems nice !
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Just watched the P.Bloom review on miller solo tripod series, seemed nice. For non-dslr set ups, I think i'll need the Sprinter legs, but they don't go up very high. The telescoping legs are nice in that you can go very high and very low, but with a heavier camera set up, its hard to hold the camera and drop each leg.
 
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Sachtler Ace L CF, carbon legs and head made of plastic, found no difference with fsb4 head. Payload 6 kg. And carbon legs, no cold hands.
 
Been using a Gitzo 1325 CF for 16+ years without incident. The current version is the 3 series. I'm happy enough with the Gitzo that I just bought a second one. If you're using the Sachtler FSB 4 (or similar) you'd need the 75mm bowl adapter as well. I'm using a rig like what you're describing (C100 II plus 'stuff') and using the FSB 8 which handles my gear with ease even with an 8lb telephoto.
 
ED299 said:
Been using a Gitzo 1325 CF for 16+ years without incident. The current version is the 3 series. I'm happy enough with the Gitzo that I just bought a second one. If you're using the Sachtler FSB 4 (or similar) you'd need the 75mm bowl adapter as well. I'm using a rig like what you're describing (C100 II plus 'stuff') and using the FSB 8 which handles my gear with ease even with an 8lb telephoto.
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Do you have any issues dropping the legs on the Gitzo with the camera already attached? With a good sized rig mounted to the tripod, can you lift the camera with one hand and drop the telescoping legs with the other? I've always used the latch lock ones where you unlatch each leg, raise, and re-latch.
 
I haven't had any issues. If you go this way remember it's a different system than you're used to so it might take you a few uses to get familiar with making adjustments. I often use a rig that's about 15 lbs. The leg locks are a simple collar you tighten or loosen by turning. Other than that it should be pretty much the same: support your rig; loosen a leg camp (the leg will slide out with gravity); tighten; repeat 3 times.

Going lower is a breeze with the Gitzo. Just having a quick look it looks like the legs will spread enough that the levelling knob under the Sachtler would hit the ground first. I have the standard length knob on there - I've see a shorter one online somewhere. When using these tripods for still work with a flat based head it's easy to get down to put my lens in amongst the flowers.
 
I've been using the carbon Miller Solo DV legs (75mm bowl) paired with the Sachtler DV6SB for about a decade now, great investment. That said, the new low end Sachtler heads are less than impressive to me, much more flimsy and built cheaply in comparison. Benro will be functionally fine but are disposable, not long term investments. I would look at Vinten and Miller heads personally. My setup works well with DSLRs all of the way up to C300 weight cameras, can go super low and pretty high. I miss my old Sachtler Video 18 setup but that is too heavy to haul around these days. And when I travel, I leave the Sachtler at home and bring a crap Manfrotto setup as I will not risk a $4k tripod/head to the airlines, they have lost too much of my gear over the years. If they lose the Manfrotto, no big deal, a few hundred bucks to replace. They don't make the DV6SB anymore so that would devastate me if they lost it.
 
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i agree with puredrifting about the Miller Solo but I've got the "VJ" not the "DV" so they go a lot higher. these type of legs are not as easy to do big adjustments in height as the normal "latch" type of legs but still is managable. i have 2 sets of them and a regular type of legs as well. love the Solo legs since they are so versatile and very rigid as well.

im a huge fan of the Vinten heads. I've go 2 blue heads and an older Vision 3 head which is very versatile since you can insert different springs so i can go from a very light weight up to a heavy load just by changing the springs. i have 5 springs to cover all weight ranges.

interestingly i got to play with a Benro at my local camera store and was very impressed with the feel and for the price it seems it kicked the s*%t out of a manfrotto in that price range but agree with pure drifting that it probably wouldn't hold up over the long haul. still for about $500 it has its merit for someone on a stiff budget.

I've never had the opportunity to try out a Miller head but have always heard good things. i did buy a Sachtler FSB8 though years ago and thought it would impress more than my Vinten Vision 3 but didn't care for it in the least and sent it back and bought 2 of the Vinten Blue packages.

if you get a chance to try them out i suggest you do that. they all have their own personality and is hard to know what it really is until you get it and like i said with the FSB8 i had always dreamed of turned out to be a bust for me after having it in my hands. interestingly my son who also works with me didn't care for the Sachtler either. we are very attached to the way the Vinten's feel. it pays to try them out!!

david
 
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I have a Vinten Vision Blue and also prefer it to the Sachtler FSB4, FSB8, and DV 12SB (which costs $3350). I do prefer the Sachtler DV 20 S1 in terms of smoothness over the Vinten, but it also costs almost 10 times as much. Then the O'Connor 1030 is even smoother than the Sachtler DV 20 S1.

I used the Miller DS-20 on a shoot recently for the first time and it was pretty good but I still prefer the Vinten; I don't recall the Miller having a light for the bubble level or as many friction tension options as the Vinten. I'm planning to buy a Really Right Stuff FH-350 soon and am interested to see how it compares in terms of smoothness. I really like how it has a flat base for switching between tripod, monopod, slider, jib, etc., and is pretty light weight for a high quality tripod head.

I own a couple Benro heads and find them to be junk. Panning on my Benro S6 head is way too loose to get anything usable. Benro legs are pretty good, though a couple pieces (leveler, for example) have fallen off of mine. Manfrotto's heads are mediocre but much better than Benro's heads, and Manfrotto legs are pretty good.
 
If it were me, I would move up from a 75mm setup to a 100mm head/sticks.

I also have a lower cost Libec LS-55M which is 75mm. But the only time it gets used, is when I need to be very lightweight, or as a locked down interview B-cam. I find 100mm setups to be so much more stable, which means they can also be used to support sliders and such, as well as heavier camera setups which you might use in the future. Currently my favorite is an OConnor 30L Carbon Fiber tripod with mid-level spreader which I like very well. You might price a used set to save money. The big thing I have found out over the years, is no matter which legs you end up using, whether aluminum, carbon fiber, or heck even wood. They are all pretty close in weigh. The big anchor of weight ends up being the head. And if you want a really nice fluid head which is continuously adjustable and supports the weight of what I consider mid-range cameras, then you end up having a good chunk of weight at one end of your tripod. It would be nice if some company could come up with some composite material true fluid head that weighed almost nothing.

I guess I'm a dreamer.
 
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