I'm mainly a stills photographer but am trying to get more into video and have been doing timelapses but would like some normal speed footage and pans etc to break it up a bit. I'm using a GH3 and have been looking for a solution that will allow me to do both photo and video with minimal weight/hassle. The manfrotto photo video head seems like an ideal solution but I'm worried it will be a sorta jack of all trades master of none product. Has anyone here had any experience using it? Thanks for any help.
Manfrotto Photo Video?
- Thread starter Dheorl
- Start date
Bruce Watson
Veteran
Tripods for stills photography and for video are completely different animals. In particular the tripod heads are completely different. A stills photography tripod is designed to keep the camera... still. No motion.
A video tripod is designed so that the camera can move, in particularly in pan and tilt. This changes the leg design so the legs can take the torque of panning and resist wind-up, which can show up in your footage as kick back (if you let go of the pan bar, or just ease up on it without watching the viewfinder, you can see it push back toward the direction you panned from). In the tilt direction, you're more concerned about balancing the camera / head so that when you let go of the pan bar after the tilt, gravity doesn't pull the camera down. In both pans and tilts, you want the camera to stay right where you leave it.
The quality of a video tripod / head system shows up in a bunch of areas. The ones mentioned above (wind-up, balance, drag, etc.) and in particular how smoothly you can start, stop, and continue pans and tilts.
A good fluid head is considerably more complex and difficult to build than your standard ball head. So are the legs that it works with. So expect to pay more for a good system. This isn't so bad though because a quality tripod system can serve you for a good long time through a number of camera systems. IOW cameras and lens come and go, but a good tripod system tends to stick around.
I've had and used various Manfrotto products as have most all newbies to video, because it's difficult for a newbie to believe, really, that they should have to pay so much for a quality tripod. It's OK to go through this phase; consider it part of the learning curve. Some of the better Manfrotto products are fairly well liked, but most of those are designed for a heavier camera kit than you are talking about.
For smaller lightweight cameras like the GH3, there aren't that many choices. Most tripod systems want more than 2kg to work well (that balance and drag thing), and the GH3 with a heavy lens is going to be considerably less than that. The tripod companies aren't worried too much about this segment yet, but it's pretty clear to anyone paying attention that the trend in cameras is toward smaller and lighter.
I'm heading in the general direction of the GH3 myself, and have been watching this segment for a couple of years. It seems like the best choices for a GH3 right now are the Sachtler Ace M, and Ace L. The Ace tripod head is nicely smooth, but the aluminum legs for the Ace M are fairly easy to wind up. And the Ace L is newly on the market and there are few performance reviews available.
If you find any other tripods that can balance such a light load, be sure and append them to your thread. You aren't the only one looking for a good answer to the GH3 tripod question.
A video tripod is designed so that the camera can move, in particularly in pan and tilt. This changes the leg design so the legs can take the torque of panning and resist wind-up, which can show up in your footage as kick back (if you let go of the pan bar, or just ease up on it without watching the viewfinder, you can see it push back toward the direction you panned from). In the tilt direction, you're more concerned about balancing the camera / head so that when you let go of the pan bar after the tilt, gravity doesn't pull the camera down. In both pans and tilts, you want the camera to stay right where you leave it.
The quality of a video tripod / head system shows up in a bunch of areas. The ones mentioned above (wind-up, balance, drag, etc.) and in particular how smoothly you can start, stop, and continue pans and tilts.
A good fluid head is considerably more complex and difficult to build than your standard ball head. So are the legs that it works with. So expect to pay more for a good system. This isn't so bad though because a quality tripod system can serve you for a good long time through a number of camera systems. IOW cameras and lens come and go, but a good tripod system tends to stick around.
I've had and used various Manfrotto products as have most all newbies to video, because it's difficult for a newbie to believe, really, that they should have to pay so much for a quality tripod. It's OK to go through this phase; consider it part of the learning curve. Some of the better Manfrotto products are fairly well liked, but most of those are designed for a heavier camera kit than you are talking about.
For smaller lightweight cameras like the GH3, there aren't that many choices. Most tripod systems want more than 2kg to work well (that balance and drag thing), and the GH3 with a heavy lens is going to be considerably less than that. The tripod companies aren't worried too much about this segment yet, but it's pretty clear to anyone paying attention that the trend in cameras is toward smaller and lighter.
I'm heading in the general direction of the GH3 myself, and have been watching this segment for a couple of years. It seems like the best choices for a GH3 right now are the Sachtler Ace M, and Ace L. The Ace tripod head is nicely smooth, but the aluminum legs for the Ace M are fairly easy to wind up. And the Ace L is newly on the market and there are few performance reviews available.
If you find any other tripods that can balance such a light load, be sure and append them to your thread. You aren't the only one looking for a good answer to the GH3 tripod question.
What about the decently reviewed Benro S6 on carbon fiber legs, Bruce?
Sorry, I get the feeling I wasn't specific enough in my OP.
I'm looking for a tripod that will give me both the ability for smooth pans, but also easy positioning and portrait orientation for stills. One option seemed to be this head from manfrotto. I'm worried it will be a jack of all trades master of none type of deal and was wondering if anyone had any personal experience with it.
I'm looking for a tripod that will give me both the ability for smooth pans, but also easy positioning and portrait orientation for stills. One option seemed to be this head from manfrotto. I'm worried it will be a jack of all trades master of none type of deal and was wondering if anyone had any personal experience with it.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
It is possible
Also worth considering and this is what I do.
1) have a video tripod
2) add this when I need an upright photo the manfrotto 324RC2
Also worth considering and this is what I do.
1) have a video tripod
2) add this when I need an upright photo the manfrotto 324RC2
Grug
Veteran
DON'T DO IT!
I had to use one of the Manfrotto photo/video heads on our b-cam for a feature when the original head we had broke. It's atrocious for video work, essentially unusable for pans or tilts. I'd strongly suggest you stay away.
Photo and video heads are built for completely different purposes, so you really need a separate head for each.
I had to use one of the Manfrotto photo/video heads on our b-cam for a feature when the original head we had broke. It's atrocious for video work, essentially unusable for pans or tilts. I'd strongly suggest you stay away.
Photo and video heads are built for completely different purposes, so you really need a separate head for each.
+1 on separate heads. My video head has a ball leveler attached to it so my tripod doesn't need a bowl. I use arca swiss style plates and clamps on everything: video head, ball head, mini tripod, glidecam, monopod. You can get good clamps and plates for low prices. I suggest looking at Sirui instead of Manfrotto.
Not a fan of any of the Manfrotto video heads. I've owned 5 different models and hated all of them.
The Benro S6 head with aluminum legs can be bought for $300 from B&H Photo.
Up from this is the Sachtler ACE tripod which sells around the $500 mark.
After this, you are into the more professional video tripod kits which sell in the $1K - 4K price range.
I own both the Benro and the Sachtler tripods listed above, both work great for video and can be adapted for still photo portrait mode.
You will need to buy an adapter to mount your camera in portrait mode with pretty much any video tripod, as video tripod heads are not designed to be used vertically.
The Benro S6 head with aluminum legs can be bought for $300 from B&H Photo.
Up from this is the Sachtler ACE tripod which sells around the $500 mark.
After this, you are into the more professional video tripod kits which sell in the $1K - 4K price range.
I own both the Benro and the Sachtler tripods listed above, both work great for video and can be adapted for still photo portrait mode.
You will need to buy an adapter to mount your camera in portrait mode with pretty much any video tripod, as video tripod heads are not designed to be used vertically.
reygun
Well-known member
I actually have hands-on and have been using the Manfrotto MH055M8-Q for almost two years now, and I've been very pleased with its video capabilities: smooth pan & tilt and decent friction controls. It's lightweight, yet durable enough to handle a light video rig (I use a DSLR rigged up to 10lbs for video). I have it mounted on a Gitzo Traveller tripod. I have dedicated photo heads and legs as well as a dedicated video head and legs, but I travel a lot for both photography and video--and find myself going to this MH055M8 setup most often now.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=760106&is=REG&Q=&A=details
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=760106&is=REG&Q=&A=details
...But can you you properly counter-balance your video camera with this head, so that it will hold position in any direction when you let go, without having to lock anything ?
This is the main problem I've had with Manfrotto video heads, in that they are terrible at properly counter-balancing a video camera so you can have smooth camera movement without locking anything.
henryqiu
Well-known member
Not a fan of the head you mentioned. I tried it and didn't like it.
Additionally, I don't understand why you want a video head that allows shooting vertically, or a photo head that allows smooth tilt and pan. Having 2 heads is a much better choice.
I had the same question for quite a while and finally found the best answer for my needs:
1) Tripod: I just bought a Sirui T-2204x in Beijing for the equivalent of US$ 200 (the 5-section version of it is available at B&H for $311). Why? It's lightweight (1.2kg), stable (15kg max load), well machined (6-year warranty), high enough (at least for me), and can fold down to <17 inch.
2) Head: Manfrotto 701HDV most time. It has very smooth pan but tilt is a little too sticky though. If I have to have smooth movements in all directions, I'll carry my Manfrotto 502 (much bigger than 701). Also, if I still had to shoot vertically nowadays, I'd take the same ball head that I used to carry almost everywhere.
The system is good enough for all my Canon cams/lenses (heavier than equivalent GH3 kits, I believe). Today I did a hiking (>2km one-way) on a small hill (about 600m bottom to top) with T-2204x (for the first time) and 701 and 2 cameras and a few lenses. My 100-400mm lens did shake a little uncomfortably when tilted up or down (I just don't see a way to reduce the tilt tension). The best thing was, I didn't feel the weight at all, yet it was stable enough for multiple exposure (> or = 10 sec) night shots in mild wind.
A dual-tube video tripod would be too burdensome for traveling light. A Sachtler (video) tripod would cost way too much without adding use value, even if its weight were no issue. A (video) tripod with a half bowl joint implies, you'd either need an adapter to mount a ballhead, or you'd have to mount the ballhead on top of your video head.
The Benro S6 may be a good alternative, though I haven't seen or tried it first-hand. By specs, I doubt it can outperform Manfrotto 502, which is a fantastic video head (a bit too big for carrying in, or hanging on, an everyday backpack).
henryqiu
Well-known member
The 3 Manfrotto tripod heads I own (701, 502, 509) can counter-balance almost all the time, though not always. For lightweight cameras, 701 is good enough, 509 is overkill, and 502 is the best. Not sure why you can't.
I haven't used the 509 head, but I've used the 701, 501 HDV, 503 HDV, 502, 504 heads and found the ability to properly counter-balance a range of camera weights to be poor.
I've had more success with Benro, Libec, and Sachtler heads because the counter-balance had more adjustment so achieving proper balance was simple.
cookinghusband
Well-known member
While looking at the MH055M8 I am also looking at the Gitzo GH2720FQR, I do not want to use 701, 502 or 509. I am only using a 1D and a 70-200 2.8 so I do not want one of those big bowl type video head. I need to travel into the wiid and walk hours by myself.
Which has a combined weight of almost 7 lbs with no other accessories, so you will need a decent sized head and tripod to properly support it and achieve smooth video movement.
cookinghusband
Well-known member
All other accessories will be on the tripod, and both these head can take at least 6Kg
BobbyMurcerFan
Well-known member
I've seen the ACE upfront in person at Filmtools in Burbank, and I have to say that I wasn't very impressed. It just had a cheap feel compared to the Sachtler FSB series. I realize a GH3 or similar DSLR may be a little light for a Sachtler FSB 4... I wonder if someone makes weights to add to a baseplate. (I saw the stone bad, but that looks rather unwieldy.)
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
I think you might need to do some expectation management with video heads.
I have a miller arrow 25 - its lovely and also very heavy
I also have a frotto 501 - its crappy and light
truth is I have to choosethe right one for the job and accept some of thetrade offs
Also if you dont have a bowl head - you cannot level the sticks and cant pan - for video you need a bowl.
S
I have a miller arrow 25 - its lovely and also very heavy
I also have a frotto 501 - its crappy and light
truth is I have to choosethe right one for the job and accept some of thetrade offs
Also if you dont have a bowl head - you cannot level the sticks and cant pan - for video you need a bowl.
S
...I suspect that the 6Kg rating is for a locked-off head, as neither of these heads appears to have a proper counter-balance mechanism, so who knows if they will pan smoothly with a fully kitted out camera?