Need A Tripod for Sony EX1 - $1500 budget

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scriptsupervisor

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I'm in Los Angeles - and believe it or not, having a rough time actually finding a dealer with a great selection / display of tripods on their floor. There are plenty of pictures of the tripods, and online shopping, but I'd like to actually get a feel for them in person - any recommendations of where to go?

Also anyone that can recommend a system they love that would come in at or under $1500 including fluid head, legs, everything?

My main goal is RUN & GUN, LIGHTWEIGHT, the ultimate in speed, convenience and fast setup, non-clunky parts, stable, etc. Good range - shoot low angle to at least to 6' high.

Thanks for any input!
 
I purchased the Miller DS20 head and Miller Carbon sticks. It is a little more then your budget but you could go alum sticks and be right there. I have traveled all over with this tripod for my EX1/Nano setup and it works great and is very compact.
 
I'm pretty happy with my Libec, and in your price range there are some VERY good offerings. But you're into the Miller, Sachtler range too. I don't know that O'Conner offer anything for you though. LOTS of good options in your range.
 
If the requirement is to go from really low to really high, then only the Miller single-section legs will do that. The Vinten, Sachtler and Libec legs don't really go that low at all. I have owned a set of those poziloc legs off the Vinten Blue before, and I wouldn't call them lightweight at all.

I'm a Sachtler fan and would recommend something like the FSB-6 - but again, it doesn't go low. The only thing I can think of is the Sachtler Soom, which comes with "tri-spread" baby legs that also act as a spreader for the tripod - but then the Soom system is outside your budget.

I can't comment about the Miller heads at all.

If the OP had a requirement for really low (almost ground level) to really high (over 6'), and be lightweight, that essentially excludes the Libec, Sachtler and Vinten legs.
 
Thnx, Found something called the Miller Compass 20 head at Abel Cine today, is that the same head? This might be different because the system was $2899 - maybe just different legs - great system though. Thnx for the tip about Miller. Do love the carry straps they have on those things.
 
Found the Sachtler FSB 6 today too and really liked it. If I don't have anything on my EX1 but a light, any reason why I can't/shouldn't go with the FSB 4 to save $400? It's recommended for 8.8 pound loads- the ex1 is like 6... Any thoughts ?
 
If it's well within the payload of the tripod, then it should be OK. The Sachtler all seem to have the same legs (for FSB2, 4 and 6), so all you are getting is a slightly different head. You need to be pretty sure that you aren't going to need extras in futre (rails, mattebox, monitor etc.) which may push you above the head's maximum rating.

I didn't think the Sachtler legs went spectacularly high or low. I had the CF75 legs, and they could take the tripod head from just above knee height to my head height (I'm 6 feet tall). It depends what you mean by "low". The ground spreader versions can go slightly lower than the mid level spreader ones.
 
thnx everyone for all the help and recommendations. This is my first tripod, and I tend to like buying things only once that I'll use for a long time. So without the field time/experience of actually using all this stuff, I'm relying on your guyz's kind info.

Would it be nuts to get a bargain basement Matthews M-25 tripod for $170 - then in 6 months buy like a miller compass 20 head for $1800 to put on it. I like the legs of this Matthews because they're just so simple and light. The legs for the higher end tripods seem to have so many bells, whistles, joints, knobs. Instant setup speed has utmost importance for me. Thnx guys.
 
i think the Miller Solo VJ legs are the best all around bet if you want to get crazy low and high. very rigid, sturdy & lightweight being CF but your @ about 1k just for the legs.

i currently have a Vinten Vision 3 head that is very nice and you can put in different springs ( i have 4 different ones to accomodate everything i might do) to change the weight factor & its counter balance. with that said i will be adding either the FSB-6 and/or FSB-8 soon not to replace my Vinten but add to my collection. my kids will probably inherit my Vinten and ill move to one of the Sachtler's. my hunch overall is that the Sachtler FSB on up (not lower end rebadged manfrotto's) are probably the best regarded for their overall performance and build quality.

if you dont have the cash to get the perfect legs and perfect head at first purchase id go with the FSB-6 or 8 with their stock legs and later when you can afford it get the Miller Solo VJ. this would be extreme high quality and usability in both pieces.

david
 
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scriptsupervisor said:
Would it be nuts to get a bargain basement Matthews M-25 tripod for $170 - then in 6 months buy like a miller compass 20 head for $1800 to put on it. I like the legs of this Matthews because they're just so simple and light. The legs for the higher end tripods seem to have so many bells, whistles, joints, knobs. Instant setup speed has utmost importance for me. Thnx guys.
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I don't think this is a good idea. You want good legs that are rigid, otherwise they will "wind up" as you pan, then spring back when you end the pan, causing your framing to be slightly off. This happened especially when your drag is set high and you usually set your drag high on a telephoto shot where errors in framing are magnified even more. Even the best head will be no good if it's put on a bad set of legs because the torque has to go through the legs.
 
I recently bought a new camera system and got a Libec RS-450 with mid-spreader to go with it, and it's one heck of a tripod. It might be too much for an EX 1, but they also make an RS-250/350 for lighter cameras. Price range is roughly $1~1.5k depending on the model. edit: here's a review http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=228

+1 to what Tim Le said - either get a good tripod, or don't get one. If you want instant setup speed, practice setting up the tripod. All those knobs don't really need constant attention, and counterbalance only needs adjustment if the camera's load changes.
When the move, you mostly need to check the spirit level to make sure the camera's on flat, if not, adjust the bowl so that it is.
 
Tim Le said:
I don't think this is a good idea. You want good legs that are rigid, otherwise they will "wind up" as you pan, then spring back when you end the pan, causing your framing to be slightly off. This happened especially when your drag is set high and you usually set your drag high on a telephoto shot where errors in framing are magnified even more. Even the best head will be no good if it's put on a bad set of legs because the torque has to go through the legs.
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Thnx Tim - you guys are helping me so much! I need someone to keep me in line with my original goal by letting me borrow your experience.
 
scriptsupervisor said:
Found the Sachtler FSB 6 today too and really liked it. If I don't have anything on my EX1 but a light, any reason why I can't/shouldn't go with the FSB 4 to save $400? It's recommended for 8.8 pound loads- the ex1 is like 6... Any thoughts ?
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Check eBay. You can get a significantly better used setup for around $1,500. or less. I just got a Vinten Vision 5 for a grand including shipping. Three years ago I found a Sachtler head on Miller legs on eBay for $850. and used the sh!t out of it until selling it recently for 800 bucks.
 
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