Looking for a new head... Again...

Tim Nitsch

Tim Nitsch

Well-known member
So I'm now realizing I have made a few mistakes when buying my current tripod head.

My first mistake was getting the 504HD.
But at the time I was really limited on what I could afford to drop on a tripod and I was able to get a pretty good deal on a 504 so I grabbed it while I could.
For the price it seemed like it couldn't be beat, pan and tilt felt smooth, counter balance seemed to work fine with my C100.
I knew it wasn't perfect but I was pretty happy with my purchase.

That was until I used a good head, no, a really good head. More specifically an O'Conner 1030 (second mistake)

About a month after I got the 504HD I worked on a short where we had access to a 1030 and it was one of the best and worse experiences of my life.
It was amazing because I instantly fell in love with that head and how unbelievably smooth and perfect it was. I couldn't believe how much drag you could put on it and still have flawless starts and stops on pans and tilts.
It was an awful experience because when I finished filming the short and went back to my 504HD, I instantly regretted buying it. It was no where near as smooth, the drag sucks a$$, everything about it felt like the cheap head it actually was.

I always though, how much better could the more expensive heads really be? The answer is A HELL OF A LOT BETTER!

So I already foresee myself getting a new head by the end of the year because every time I use the 504 I become more and more unhappy with it. And I feel like of all the pieces of equipment to be unhappy with, your tripod head shouldn't be one of them.
The only good thing that came out of all this is that I absolutely love the 535CF sticks that I got with the 504 and will definitely be keeping those for sure. So I'm only out around $250 for the head which I'll probably sell later to recoup some of that money.

Obviously I'd love to get a 1030 (who wouldn't) but theres simply no way I can afford a $7k head.

I'm looking in more of the sub $2k range for a 75mm ball with load capacity of around 15-20lbs for a fully rigged C100, and here's what I've been looking at so far (although I'm open to other suggestions as well):

Miller Compass15 (Payload Range 4.5-20 lbs)
Vinten Vision 3 (Payload Range 6.6-14.6 lbs)
Vinten Vision 5 (Payload Range 12-26.5 lbs)
Sachtler FSB-8 (Payload Range 2-20 lbs)
Libec RH35R (Payload Range 6.5-16.5 lbs)

Edit: Just saw the Sachtler FSB-6T (Payload Range 3.3-17.6 lbs) which payload wise is perfect but with only 3 steps of drag I feel it's a little lacking compared to the 5 steps on the Compass15 and the FSB-8 and the Vision's "infinitely variable" drag systems.

I know the Miller's, Vinten's, and Sachtlers are great heads. I've heard the Libecs are decent but I'm not sold on it yet, at this point I don't want to risk going cheap again and regretting it... again.

Currently my two front runners are the Compass15 and the FSB-8 due to their wide payload ranges.
I'm worried that I my rig will soon outgrow the Vision 3's payload range so the Vision 5 may be a better fit, but the only way I can fall with in the Vision 5's range is if I fully rig out my C100 (which now that I think of it, that's how I tend run it anyway so it might not be an issue)
I'm leaning a little more towards the Miller because it's a bit cheaper than the FSB-8 but ultimatly I'm looking for the best performing head for around $2k.

Anyone have any advice or other head suggestions?
 
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Have you thought about buying used? You already know what you really want and buying something else will pacify you for a bit but ultimately you want the O'Connor 1030. Check on Ebay, it may take a while but a lot of O'Connor stuff passes through there. Buy only if you can return it if your not happy with it. And remember, O'Connor still services these units.
I'm just a hobbyist but I wanted an O'Connor myself. No way can I afford even a used 1030. But, I could afford an old model 30 with a model 35A tripod. Dirt cheap and I rebuilt the head myself, re did the springs to work with a 5lb camera. Is it as good as there current offerings? Probably not but it's a dam site better than a lot of cheaper setups that I couldn't afford either. Even found a nice Peter Lisand baby tripod to use with it on Ebay for dirt cheap. Came with another model 30 head that works perfectly, just need to change the springs on that one. All for less than 500 bucks. That's 2 tripods and 2 heads!
I've read about everything that I can find about O'Connor heads and from what I understand the later model heads just don't seem to ever wear out. I know the model 30 heads are filled with ball and needle bearings at all the pivot points, no cheap bushings to be found. Just incredibly well built and the later heads are even better. There is a real reason they cost so much new.
So look for what you really want, just take your time. You will be a lot more happy in the end.

BillWojo
 
Tim, you may very we'll be happy with what you find. But I have a sneaking suspicion you will be upset that you spend $2k on a head that you will regret buying every time you shoot. Use what you have, save your money, and get what you really want. As suggested save coin by purchasing used. There are also a couple of models under the 1030 if you don't need the weight support. That being said, I absolutely love my 1030D/30L.
 
I own both, Compass 15 and 1030. I completely agree with your assessment of 1030 (and by the way I also have 502HD which is somewhat similar to 504HD and which I bought because of its flat mount). Compass 15 is not bad (but not up to the level, comfort and precision of 1030), and at least my copy has several annoying minor issues.

But there are a couple of things I wanted to point out. 1030 is heavy - almost 9lb whereas Compass15 is only 5.5lb. I some cases it matters and I'm very glad I have it. Another thing is the size of the ball. 1030 is 100mm; Compass15 is 75mm. It seems like it's not a big deal, but still it creates inconveniences when you need to mount it on 100mm. FSB-8 and Vision 5 you've mentioned are also 75mm.

Bottom line is that I'm looking for a quality 100mm head not more than 6lb with reasonable price compared to Compass15 and FSB-8. I'm looking currently at Cartoni Focus HD: payload 26lb, weight is only 4.4 lb (that's very important for what I need), good reviews, priced $1,125 at B&H. On a minus side, it has plastic knobs so I'm not sure. I've recently had a bad experience with Cartoni JIBO (jib). Although everything eventually was fixed, still, some bad feeling about Cartoni remains.

Anyways, I'm not sure if you considered 75mm vs 100mm issue, but if not, my suggestion would be to think about it. Finally, I share suggestions above to save money and buy a real good fluid head - something like 1030.
 
I upgraded to the Compass 15 from a 504. I got it second hand with the carbon sticks, a great bargain. It depends on what you can swing but the difference is pretty stark for me. The Compass 15 balances and makes real pans and tilts. It works. It's an intermediate step up but if it's what is in your budget, I recommend it.
 
I think you guys are 100% right, I think if I got any head other than a 1030 I would nit pick it to death like I currently do with my 504.

I saw a used 1030HD but it's missing a pan lock knob, any idea what it would cost me to get fixed?
 
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Check with Transylvania Film and TV Corp. They service O'Connor products.
I think your making the right decision, from your original post I figured that anything less would drive you crazy and in a few years you would be back on here with a post like "Looking for a new head....Again.....".
Good luck in your search.

BillWojo
 
silyn, you can build an adapter to convert FSB8 to 100mm. A friend from this board built one for me, if you are interested let me know and i'll connect you two.

adapter_finished_s.jpg
 
Patryk_Rebisz said:
silyn, you can build an adapter to convert FSB8 to 100mm. A friend from this board built one for me, if you are interested let me know and i'll connect you two.
Click to expand...
Partyk, thank you for offering; I do appreciate it. The adapter looks good. Can you give any idea (any) how much it'd be? I actually have an adapter - not attached like this; it's just a piece of metal to use Compass 15 (which I bought with matching 75mm tripod from Miller and which stays with it) with 100mm bowl. But if the adapter you showed is around $400 (or more - custom made is usually very expensive), then I'd question the wisdom of going with this solution in my situation - another not expensive but good enough head would be more versatile.
 
Tim,

I've been though almost exactly what you describe. Back in 2007 I spent about $2200 on a Cartoni Laser I think it was. It was very close to what I expected of it, but still had some stiction on longer lens moves that were visible.

I took it back and got a demo 1030B. My bank account was hurting for months afterwards, and while I regretted the tough financial decision, I'm very glad I got it. It was always a joy to use. I sold it for a 2575 in 2009, and then found the biggie was too big for me, and then had to re-buy another 1030. This one is not going anywhere, ever. I also just bought a 10-12 year old 2060. It's as smooth as the day it was born, I'm sure of it.

If you get your hands on enough 1030s, you'll probably agree with me that the 1030B units from 10-12 years ago are just as good as a new unit, with the exception of the counterbalance adjustment being a pain on 1030Bs. I greatly prefer older, grey painted 1030Bs to the newer 1030Ds. And as stated by others, if the cosmetics bother you, you can get it repainted/knobs replaced at a later date after the initial splurge.

About once every 2 months a clean 1030B will show up on Ebay for a Buy-It-Now price of $2000-$2500:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arri-Arrifl...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

The ones going for over $3K sit for a while usually.

If you make your living with a camera, an OConnor 1030/2060/2575 is an investment in your reel. I've tried everything else (we have one of everything here in Los Angeles to try at a moment's notice). Pretty much everything else does not quite match up.
 
I got a used Sachtler Video 18P head and love it. I also have a Sachtler DV10SB head but the 18 head is so much better. Go used and you can afford a very good head that'll outlast all the cameras you will buy in the foreseeable future.
 
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