Sachtler Ace L - Lime Green "Freddie Wong Signature Edition"

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zijital

Veteran
In short Sachtler is selling a limited edition of the Sachtler Ace L head on aluminum sticks for $200 less than the Ace L / CF sticks price.

From Sachtler (with light hearted video)
http://www.sachtler.com/freddie-wong/USD/

News Shooter article:
http://www.newsshooter.com/2016/09/...ddie-wong-signature-ace-tripod-from-sachtler/

For reference:
  • Ace M head (0-8.8lb) w/ Aluminum Tripod is $620 at B&H
  • Ace L head (0-13.2lb) w/ Carbon Fiber Tripod: $1,035 at B&H
  • Ace L "Freddie Wong" head (0-13.2lb) w/ Aluminum Tripod: $783 at B&H


So if you're in the market for a Sachtler Ace and need the L instead of the M (because why not have 7 steps of counterbalance instead of 5 and have a head that can hold 4.5lbs more), but you don't need the CF sticks, then this is a nice deal. But if you want CF sticks & the Ace L head, then stick with the "non-signature" edition.
 
As the owner of numerous Sachtler tripods and heads over a couple of decades, I will just say that as far as the ACE series in general, there is no free lunch, you get what you pay for. It was inevitable that Sachtler would make a tripod head and legs to meet a Bogen price point but proceed with caution. My current workhorse Sachtler is over 11 years old and is still going strong. I don't think the ACE line will provide the same experience.
 
I owned one of the first ACE M tripods for about a year. I sold it because the ACE M head that I owned had some kick-back when coming to the end of a pan. ( I always had to cut the last second of a pan because of the dang kick-back ) I then upgraded to a Sachtler FSB-4 which is smooth as silk at the end of a pan.
 
I think you're right PD, but OTOH we don't all need 11 years of heavy duty service. Sachtler, Bogen/Manfrotto, Vinten, and Gitzo are all owned by Vitec (as you all probably have known for a long time).
http://www.vitecgroup.com/Productservices/Productgallery.aspx

There have been some benefits from this consolidation; e.g., Vinten decided that mid-level spreaders aren't so bad :). Seems like over the years Vitec has extended the Vinten and Sachter brands downmarket. I first noticed this with the Vinten Vision line a dozen or so years ago. IIRC, Vision was a precursor to the current blue line. Sachtler with FSB and ACE. Perhaps (and this is just a guess), some of the lower-cost Vinten and Sachtler parts are made in Manfrotto's factories. But I guess there's nothing wrong with that.

I'd say today's sub-US$1000 tripods are much better than the less expensive jerkypan tripods of the old days. Sure, they won't hold up as long under daily ENG use and abuse, and perhaps they can't be rebuilt as easily, and they use fluid cartridges or something rather than "true" fluid heads (sorry; I'm not keeping up with the tech there). But lots of people aren't out with sticks every day in all sorts of weather and travel. And we have lighter cameras.

I think the ACE line is pretty cool (though note I've only seen them in use a couple times, and I think those were fairly new units). I'd guess if you aren't shooting every day, and you're a couple pounds or a kilo under the head's max rating, you'll probably get at least two-three years out of the system. And after three years, you'll need a new camera anyway :)...wait, I mean :-(...and can then decide if you need to personally own a more expensive tripod system. And then the main problem with the "old" tripod will probably be less-smooth pans and tilts...so use your "old" tripod for a stationary second camera.

I say this as a guy who owns a Vinten Vision system and a C300. I'm mainly a writer/producer (in the doc/journalism sense) with a fair amount of location audio tossed in (fits my background; have great audio kit). When I can, I work with (or for) better camera operators and rent better cameras, tripods, etc. So my old mid/low-range tripod isn't out every day (or even every week) and is still doing fine. And I doubt I'll ever drop $4,000 on a new tripod system.

I think the challenge will be for event/wedding/doc folks who need a sub-$1000 tripod that they need to use 4+ days per week. It would be cool to see a "days of use in all conditions before needs service or replacement" rating for tripods.

I'm blathering. Last word: I kinda like the goofy green trim on the limited-edition ACE.
 
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It makes sense that they offer a $200 discount for having to been seen using a tripod with that lime green anodizing. :laugh:
 
Andrius Simutis said:
Bright green accents. C'mon people! What ever happened to production black?
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Hipster color scheme. I don't really care about the color.

To me, Sachtler has always been the pinnacle of camera support, alongside O'Connor. They will always be expensive, built like a tank and will allow for the most buttery smooth moves and ultimate reliability. They will last a decade or two and are a finely crafted piece of machinery. The ACE lineup, to me, dilutes the brand. It's like buying a Cadillac Cimarron that turns out to be a re-badged Chevy Cavalier, you're not getting a Cadillac, you are buying an econobox with Cadillac badges. I can't blame Sachtler, to a point. Cameras are getting lighter and smaller and I am sure they don't sell a ton of Video 18 and 20s anymore, gotta build up sales in new markets. But if you want functionally decent with kind of crap build quality, we already have Benro. My current DV-6SB has been a great head and kind of successfully bridged the gap from the big heavy older stuff and the new lighter stuff. The new FSB10 seems like a GREAT direction for pro users and only sells in the $3k to $4k range, perfect for all of those FS7, C300 MKII and smaller RED cameras. As long as buyers of the ACE lineup understand that they are not really getting a Sachtler, they are getting Sachtler "lite", no harm, no foul. I think most buyers of the ACE lineup probably don't have an understanding about mass and weight. No lightweight tripod will provide rock-steady movement, all cheap heads and legs will have whiplash and windup, there is no subsitute for weight and mass, the laws of physics cannot be refuted. It just makes me sad to see a premium brand sort of cheapen itself but I guess you do what you must to survive and stay relevant.
 
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I haven't used any of the Ace series, but have used the FSB 4, 6 & 8 over the last 6 years and they're rock stars. I can totally see the Ace heads not holding up to the same use and abuse, but I'm also guessing that they're probably a lot better at panning & tilting than Manfrotto heads.

Ugh, I had a Manfrotto 503 for years that served me well for something I spent $300 on. But after I switched to Vinten, I always notice the subpar pan quality of Manfrotto.
 
I'm not a fan of Sachtler heads. Love the Speedlock CF legs and I have three sets, but I don't like the way the heads operate. Some guys love them and they have always been well built, no doubt. With that being said, I have a client who has the lower end/lighter capacity Sachtler stuff for their producers kits and like the ole saying, "you get what you pay for". The stuff is junk and is falling apart in a year or less.

Sachtler is trying to hit a certain price point in a certain market. Just like how some manufacturers will make a product for Wal-Mart to sell at price point X, but it's not the same thing you would buy from a normal retailer(walmart item is inferior build quality, cheaper materials, the model only exists there).
 
puredrifting said:
As long as buyers of the ACE lineup understand that they are not really getting a Sachtler, they are getting Sachtler "lite", no harm, no foul. I think most buyers of the ACE lineup probably don't have an understanding about mass and weight. No lightweight tripod will provide rock-steady movement, all cheap heads and legs will have whiplash and windup, there is no subsitute for weight and mass, the laws of physics cannot be refuted. It just makes me sad to see a premium brand sort of cheapen itself but I guess you do what you must to survive and stay relevant.
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I have the ACE L CF setup with floor spreaders. I also own a Vinten Blue tripod. You're right, Vinten is just better, but with almost double the weight. Weight is a factor especially with one man band multiple location shoots which I do basically all the time. And when traveling. With the ACE I can easily get my pack down to one bag. With the Vinten I often needed a second bag. For an interview setup Ace is just as good as Vinten. For telephoto tracking shots, yes it's definitely harder to nail that with the ACE. But different tools for different jobs. I wouldn't attempt to strap the Vinten to my back for filming a march. I would do it in a second with the Ace.

Let me just say while the Ace is not for every job, I'm glad Sachtler made it. For lightweight tripods, it's a cut above Benro and Manfrotto.
 
brettsherman said:
I have the ACE L CF setup with floor spreaders. I also own a Vinten Blue tripod. You're right, Vinten is just better, but with almost double the weight. Weight is a factor especially with one man band multiple location shoots which I do basically all the time. And when traveling. With the ACE I can easily get my pack down to one bag. With the Vinten I often needed a second bag. For an interview setup Ace is just as good as Vinten. For telephoto tracking shots, yes it's definitely harder to nail that with the ACE. But different tools for different jobs. I wouldn't attempt to strap the Vinten to my back for filming a march. I would do it in a second with the Ace.

Let me just say while the Ace is not for every job, I'm glad Sachtler made it. For lightweight tripods, it's a cut above Benro and Manfrotto.
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I am frustrated that since I have had the airlines lose gear and they won't replace it, I have traveled all over the globe with a piece of crap Bogen MDVe legs and the newer Manfrotto MVH500AH head, which replace the older 701DV head. If I was shooting with a small DSLR, might be workable but I am often with my C100, Ninja Blade, big battery and 70-200 2.8 IS II on location and the Manfrotto really struggles with it, I can just get smooth enough moves with a lot of concentration. I just can't see trusting even a $1k tripod to those clowns, much less my $4k Sachtler. At least if they lose my Bogen/Manfrotto, it's a few hundred bucks to replace, not the end of the world. I have thought about upgrading to a slightly more expensive Benro for travel, but something more in the $500.00 to $600.00 range. Quite the paradox, I do a lot of my highest profile shoots overseas with my POS tripod, yet I sometimes shoot much smaller projects here at home with my nice $4k Sachtler. I need to pony up for the FSB10 and then I can shift my 11 year old Sachtler to travel and just pray that they don't lose or destroy it.
 
The Ace series doesn not go down to 0. At about 1.2 pounds it either kicks back on a tilt OR drops if you put the tension all the way down. There is no intermediary setting for cameras this light. Your only choice is to tighten the friction. Not good. This means that generally a bare bones A7S for instance does not function well on it. This is not the case with their old CineDSLR tripod for instance, which functions for all weights up to about 7Kg..
 
brettsherman said:
Let me just say while the Ace is not for every job, I'm glad Sachtler made it. For lightweight tripods, it's a cut above Benro and Manfrotto.
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This.
It fills a need for lighter cameras and lighter budgets while still providing good quality. I bought one when they were around $500 and have no regrets. Clearly it's not the same as the big ol' Sachtlers I used when shooting sports events for TV back in the day, but when I was doing those I had a PA standing behind me whose job was just to carry the tripod!
As it is now I don't even carry the ACE a lot of the time because it's too heavy for one person to handle with the camera and lenses.
 
yoclay said:
The Ace series doesn not go down to 0. At about 1.2 pounds it either kicks back on a tilt OR drops if you put the tension all the way down. There is no intermediary setting for cameras this light. Your only choice is to tighten the friction. Not good. This means that generally a bare bones A7S for instance does not function well on it. This is not the case with their old CineDSLR tripod for instance, which functions for all weights up to about 7Kg..
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The FSB-4 goes down to zero. I've used it with a bare a6300 and it worked perfectly. But I agree that CineDSLR and DV heads were much nicer than the current Ace's.
 
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BobbyMurcerFan said:
The FSB-4 goes down to zero. I've used it with a bare a6300 and it worked perfectly. But I agree that CineDSLR and DV heads were much nicer than the current Ace's.
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I was going to suggest the FSB-4, but couldn't remember if it rebounded or not. In any case a far better head than the Ace series.
 
FSB-4 has a "0" (Zero) counter balance spring setting. the FSB-6 or FSB-8 do not, they both start at a "1" that is good for something around a 3lb rig.

If you have the FSB-4 spring on "0" and the tilt drag on "0" it will just flop forward or back & clunk at the end of the range.
 
What about Gitzo? I have two Sachtler tripods, both excellent, both heavy. I too travel "world wide" and often to places that you can't lug a conventional set of sticks into. I gave up traveling with my Sachtler legs, so as a result I now use my Gitzo Ser.3 6X Systematic 4s Long legs for everything except my Konova Jib. These legs are super light at 4.3 pounds and can carry 55 pounds, they extend to almost 5 feet and can function at super low height as well. These legs together with my vintage Video 14 Sachtler head (Made in West Germany) fit into baggage with my clothes. No more "oversize" and special handling with the golf clubs. I have used them with my previous camera which configured weighted 16 pounds ++ at the top height in sports scrums and newsers and they are rock solid. They are however not cheap.
B
 
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