Manfrotto 161MK2B Super Pro Tripod - for video?

O

OldCorpse

Rockin the Boat
I'm looking for a tall tripod that can be used for video, and I saw the Manfrotto 161MK2B Super Pro.

There are several things I like about it - primarily height: it goes up to 8' 9" with extended column, and can carry a 44lbs load. It's pretty heavy, but I don't care about that, as it would be strictly for narrative work. However, I wander how good this tripod would be for video. I would want to put a Manfrotto MA325N video head adapter on it, which accepts both a 100mm bowl and a 75 (with an inset). What I'd like to know are a few things a) is the tripod stable enough for video work (won't twist or shake) b) can you extend the column and have it be stable for video work (I know many tripods have columns that are unsuitable due to shaking) c) how tall is the tripod without the column extended.

Do you have this tripod? What are your experiences and use scenarios, likes and dislikes?

Is this tripod usable for narrative work? What are the alternatives (I'm just talking about legs here) that 1) are tall (8' or more) 2) rock solid 3) won't break the bank (not much over $500), that I should be looking at?
 
OK, I've now had this tripod for a few days, and since nobody answered this question, I'll go ahead and give some quick feedback in case someone in the future might be have a similar question.

First, I've only used this tripod for a few days, and it was for my own tests and not a professional setting on a job, just around the house and front yard, so take that into account.

The Manfrotto 161MK2B Super Pro is listed as 8' 9'' at the tallest. This is tricky - maybe you could use the full 8' 9" for still photography, but not really for video, because in order to get it high enough, you have to shorten the extendable support rods that act like a lockable spreader and it becomes too unstable to do any serious fast pans. I would say, that the maximum height you can get with this tripod for video IF YOU USE A SMALLER CAMERA or DSLR, is about 7'. I say smaller camera, because a larger camera (tripod is rated at 44 lbs max load) would give it too much torque and even 7' might become unstable. If you are using a small DSLR like a GH2, you might push it to 7' 6", but I would not go beyond that. That includes the center column, which fully extended adds 1' - and the center column is the great news about this tripod... it is ROCK solid: no twisting, no shaking, no vibration - I would use the center column fully extended without hesitation. In general, up to about 7', this tripod is a tank - though be aware, that the footprint on this beast can be pretty gigantic as the sticks can cover a very large area.

You must use some kind of bowl adapter to take fluid heads. Bern was right, that the MA325N is only for securing the bowl in one position, so it defeats the purpose. Instead, I bought this, which was featured on cheesycam:

Hi Hat Half Bowl Mount Tripod Adapter

It's not super cheap (about $100), but it works extremely well with 75mm or smaller bowls, and adds about 6" to the height of the tripod, which is all good.

Likes - I like how solid this feels, how low (relatively) it can go (17") and how high (7' comfortably, with bowl adapter & fluid head, about 8", i.e. additional 6" + 6"), how it can take 44 lbs (so for example, I can set a jib on it etc.).

Dislikes - I don't like the way you have to twist in the knobs on this to lock/loosen the legs and the spreader rods... it's very hard (so hard it hurts your fingers) and it's just a screw mechanism, you you don't have a clear point at which it is in "locked" or "unlocked" position - so there's the danger that you can overtighten, or not have it tight enough. I don't much like the feet - you have to twist the rubber/plastic ends to cover/uncover the spikes, and the plastic/rubber feels flimsy and is inflexible so when you change the angle of the leg, you lose a lot of grip surface.

Overall, I like this tripod, and it'll be useful for my purposes - to have a tall tripod that can also take jibs and sliders and heavier stuff. And it doesn't break the bank - you can get it used for about $300 or new for less than $500.
 
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