Manfrotto Photo Video?

[Bruce Watson]

... I do not want one of those big bowl type video head.

For video, yes you do want a "bowl type video head". Else leveling the head is a nightmare, and for pans to work, they need to be level. Almost level isn't good enough for most video work. I've tried this both ways; half bowl leveling systems were designed for a very good reason.

 

[Bruce Watson]

What about the decently reviewed Benro S6 on carbon fiber legs, Bruce?

Don't know, haven't touched one. But that picture looks like a stills photography set of sticks -- no spreader, no bowl. So it won't likely be sufficiently stiff during a pan or tilt, and it'll likely be a PITA to level the head, which also makes good pans difficult. And I have no idea how good the head is, but if it's a friction head and not a true fluid head, I'd avoid it.

 

[Bruce Watson]

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 agree. But the head is remarkably smooth, and it adjusts down to nearly zero load so it's possible to come close to counterbalancing even the lightest of cameras, which the FSB4 can't do. And it's way less money, so it should feel cheap in comparison to its much more expensive siblings.

I just wish the sticks were better, but supposedly the L sticks are somewhat better. IDK, haven't put my hands on an Ace L yet.

 

[TheDingo]

But that picture looks like a stills photography set of sticks -- no spreader, no bowl. So it won't likely be sufficiently stiff during a pan or tilt, and it'll likely be a PITA to level the head, which also makes good pans difficult. And I have no idea how good the head is, but if it's a friction head and not a true fluid head, I'd avoid it.

Actually the Benro S6 tripod kit is pretty good for video. It does have a simple and quick leveling mechanism, the tripod is designed to be stiff for video work without a spreader ( like the Gitzo and Miller equivalent tripods ), and the counter-balance mechanism is pretty good for a low cost head.

I don't think the Benro S6 head is designed to take the weight of a Canon 1D and a 70-200 2.8 lens, so in this case it probably would be too small.

 

[BobbyMurcerFan]

I agree. But the head is remarkably smooth, and it adjusts down to nearly zero load so it's possible to come close to counterbalancing even the lightest of cameras, which the FSB4 can't do. And it's way less money, so it should feel cheap in comparison to its much more expensive siblings.

I just wish the sticks were better, but supposedly the L sticks are somewhat better. IDK, haven't put my hands on an Ace L yet.

The Ace L is quite expensive however; it looks to be identical in price to the FSB-4. The Ace L's 0 to 13 lbs capacity is certainly better than the FSB-4's 2.2 to 8.8 lbs. But the FSB-4's Speed Lock 75 CF legs look much better.

 

[BobbyMurcerFan]

Okay, I checked out both Ace tripod systems today. I have to say that the Ace heads are VERY nice, like Bruce mentioned. The legs feel okay. But I really like the Speed Lock 75 CF legs b/c they are so easy to adjust.

 

[cookinghusband]

For video, yes you do want a "bowl type video head". Else leveling the head is a nightmare, and for pans to work, they need to be level. Almost level isn't good enough for most video work. I've tried this both ways; half bowl leveling systems were designed for a very good reason.

Usually I will take out a proper tripod with bowl head when I can drive, I have to keep the weight down if I to walk for a couple of hours, since I do not have a crew to carry the stuff for me.

 

[Bruce Watson]

Usually I will take out a proper tripod with bowl head when I can drive, I have to keep the weight down if I to walk for a couple of hours, since I do not have a crew to carry the stuff for me.

I feel your pain. Literally. I used to do a fair amount of large format stills photography with a 5x4 camera. I went for extreme light weight gear and still ended up with a 16 kg kit. I'm not a big guy so that's brutal climbing up and down the mountains. OTOH, I've got some nice big prints on my walls now. rogar-BigGrin(DBG)

If you need to go light weight, half bowls and spreaders have to be sacrificed. Even the lightest video tripods/heads weigh considerably more than my LF stills tripod / ball head (about 2.25 kg). It's interesting to me that this niche need doesn't seem to have been addressed well by the tripod companies. One would think that as cameras continue to get smaller, lighter, and have more capabilities, that at least one of the big tripod companies would step up. Hmmm....