Sachtler's new "Revolutionary" tripod

morgan_moore said:
When I didnt buy Speedlocks I was mainly put off by the red flip levers which I thought would break.. maybe some speedlock owners can chime in..
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Some owners have chimed in, but I'll just add this- I regularly work on reality tv shows and the Sachtler legs used on those shows are almost always the standard legs, not the "Speedlock" legs. That could be a function of budget and / or rental equipment stock, but I suspect that it is to some extent a function of durability. Or, a function of perceived durability.

I've used the Speedlock legs and they are handy. Nice not to have to bend over to operate those levers on the lower section. But the system does add a minimal amount of weight. And one veteran Cam Op I know prefers the traditional Sachtler legs because they can be easily repaired should a lever have an issue. Whereas the SL's can break in a manner that makes for a difficult repair. Possibly a repair that requires shipping the legs off and having to be without them while the repair is performed. The SL's have more moving parts and more that can break.

The most common failure I see out in the field on Sachtler tripod legs is the failure of the mid-spreader on the FSB series tripods. The FSB spreader is rather flimsy and imo short of the Sachtler quality that the company is known for.

The Flowtech system looks interesting. Although not all that different in operation from the telescoping leg systems such as Gitzo that have been around long time. There is a tripod called the "Quickset" that uses blade type legs similar to the Flowtech concept. But the Quickset is a pretty junky tripod that lived in the budget production world only. "Junky" not so much because of the blade style legs but rather because of the overall build quality.

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After having to use a Quickset tripod early in my career I always felt sorry for anyone I encountered using them. I have faith in the Sachtler name enough to anticipate that they better executed the bladed-leg design. I'd be willing to give the Flowtech a try were I looking for a lightweight and minimalist set of sticks.
 
Back in the 90s when I was shooting still photography, I owned a German made Cullman Titan CT400 tripod. It was built like a tank and weighed like one. I sold the Cullman and bought a lighter weight Gitzo. There is nothing new or revolutionary about the Sachtler flowtech 75 quick release mechanism. See the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGbYj-b5qSU

Enjoy.
 
Josh Bass said:
Doug, do you still have to skinny the legs up to lower the tripod with ease, or can you lower it easily when it's spread out?
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Josh, I have to squeeze the legs in just a little bit (usually by nudging the center of the spreader upwards) to be able to adjust the height, which I think is probably for the best. I think there should some resistance there in case one of the leg locks accidently gets flipped up.

One thing I really like, that I forgot to mention, is that the legs are about 8"-10" shorter than my 35L when the tripod is collapsed, thus making it easier to fit into a small car or to pack for travel or hiking. But the maximum height when fully extended is exactly the same as the 35L.
 
Josh Bass said:
Thanks. I don't know the 35L. . .I'm familiar with the FSB6, DV4 (which I have) and DV6 systems by name.
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If you ever see the 35L in action you will be amazed. The best tripod ever invented, by far. They are worth their weight in gold and I'm keeping my eyes open for a spare.
 
Doug Jensen said:
If you ever see the 35L in action you will be amazed. The best tripod ever invented, by far. They are worth their weight in gold and I'm keeping my eyes open for a spare.
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The 35L is pretty awesome! I sold the last one I had, but I always enjoyed how to tell the AC how to not get his thumb/finger cut off by the wire.
 
Oconnor told me they discontinued the 35L simply because it didn't sell very well. And I pointed out that someone had to see it in action to "get it", and unfortunately it was a few years ahead of it's time. If we had had Vimeo and Youtube ten years ago so that the 35L could have been demonstrated properly it would have swept away the competition and everyone would be using one today. My students' jaws always drop the first time I deploy my 35L in one of my workshops. It looks like magic or mind control because you don't see my hands doing anything when the legs are going in or out. Penn & Teller should have been the spokesmen.
 
I did a shoot with a guy about ten years ago that had a set. I remember him talking about them like God himself had given them to him. It's too bad he was one of those guys that was just such a self-centered, smug bastard that was always talking about himself and patting himself on the back that you automatically tuned out whatever he was saying. Otherwise I may have actually paid attention and taken interest in them and gotten a set(I think it was just before I bought my first set of SpeedLocks).
 
Doug Jensen said:
If you ever see the 35L in action you will be amazed. The best tripod ever invented, by far. They are worth their weight in gold and I'm keeping my eyes open for a spare.
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I've got one in great condition for sale. And a perfect condition OConnor DV head as well. You can search for it in the marketplace section.
 
Thank you for the suggestion but it's not what I'm looking for. I would only be interested in a 35L that had a standard 100mm bowl and I don't want one with a center column (never even seen that before) or the head. But thanks anyway. Looks like a nice setup for the right person.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Thank you for the suggestion but it's not what I'm looking for. I would only be interested in a 35L that had a standard 100mm bowl and I don't want one with a center column (never even seen that before) or the head. But thanks anyway. Looks like a nice setup for the right person.
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Yeah. It's a 35LC actually (see attached for documentation).
The advantage is that you don't have to readjust and then re-level the legs for heavier setups or small adjustments, just move up or down the center column.
I will probably sell it seperately as I have had several offers...

Screen Shot 2017-09-15 at 07.48.18.jpg
 
Doug Jensen said:
I've had a Flowtech since NAB and have been using it all summer with my FSB6 head whenever I've been shooting with one of my lighter cameras such as the FS5, Z150 or the FS7 when it is stripped down. I love the Flowtech and people who have worked for me over the summer love it too. It's everything the demo videos say it is, and more.

I also own an OConnor 35L with 1030D head that I use with my F55 and FS7, so I know how a quality system should perform. In fact, the reason I got my hands on the Flowtech in the first place is because I've been pushing Sachtler/Oconner for a couple of years to bring back the 35L. So when they had something to show me, I was one of the first to get my hands on one. the classic 35L is a tripod like no other, as anyone who owns one would tell you. It is one of the most important pieces of gear I own and cannot be replaced if something were to happen to it. The Flowtech isn't quite as fast to deploy as the 35L but it is close, very close. And being able to drop the height down to almost ground level means I don't need to bring my baby legs anymore.

In my opinion the tripod is very well-built and more rigid than the 35L which can twist a little when you torque it. For $1K it is a no-brainer.

I'm looking forward to the release of the 100mm model soon. My understanding is that the 100mm version will have exactly the same legs -- but with a 100mm bowl. So if the legs are build for 100mm heads, then I wouldn't worry too much about using them for 75mm heads.
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Doug - thanks for your feedback on the tripod & the longer term use of it. Very helpful!

I got a set earlier this week and used them on a job on Thursday. I think they're great and they fill a gap for me. I have a number of Gitzo's with bowl adapters. Nice and sturdy but a two-man operation for the most part to raise and lower them on set. Especially when they have a heavier camera on them. So, I was looking for something with a bit more speed and a bit more video/film DNA to them (mid-level spreader, etc.). The Flowtech is perfect.

A couple shots on set with them. Situation was literally what they were designed for - one-man band operation. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZE0W6ojGwt/?taken-by=jonroemer_ and https://www.instagram.com/p/BZHNAHEhD0L/?taken-by=jonroemer_.
 
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Nice setup. It's good to hear you've become a fan of the Flowtech75, too. Here's a couple of pictures I took with my phone last month on a shoot in Newport with my FS5.

Flowtech_DougJensen_04s.jpgFlowtech_DougJensen_03s.jpg
 
Hi All,

I am the OConnor Product Manager and would like to say thanks for the kind words about the 35L (I also own an 35LC). It was a great tripod but, I am told, wasn't so good from a business perspective, although I agree with Doug that it would have been a different story if we had had a more developed internet when we launched it!

Regarding the Flowtech, I have not had a great deal of involvement with the project (other than a professional interest and having a quick play with each iteration as it was being developed), but I personally think it is a triumph. This is entry level for Vinten/Sachtler and is designed for a much lower payload than the 35L and since the levers are all co-located at the top you can get away without the single point release. The 35L was only single stage and didn't have great torsional rigidity at height. The flowtech has 2 telescoping stages (a significantly bigger engineering challenge) allowing it a better height range...to go lower and pack away more compact.

What I also liked, playing with the final version at IBC, is the way that as you extend it the larger middle stage always deploys before the thinner lower stage meaning it deploys in the most 'torsionally rigid' way (more than twice that of the 75mm speedlock it replaces I was told.)

What I really love however is that we bought the plant and invested in being world leaders in this technology, buying carbon on the reel and braiding our own individual carbon sections rather than cutting lengths from 'off-shelf' pulltruded tube. This means we can optimise the geometry of each leg stage and the orientation and structure of the weave for optimum performance opening an array of options as we develop products going forward for all our brands.

The development team did an excellent job in my opinion but I'd encourage you to try it yourselves if you get a chance, and let me know what you think?

If you have any questions on OConnor, or supports in general, I'll do my best to answer.

Steve Turner
 
Hi Steve,

I got an OConnor 1030D Ultimate recently and when I unboxed it, there was some signs of fluid leakage. It was just a light coating on some of the head surface, like it had run out of somewhere. It this a concern? I wiped it clean and have not seen any further signs of leakage. I have photos of it.

Thanks,
Mark


UPDATE: I sent Mr. Turner some photos and he had their quality control look into it. Turns out to be something rare but nothing serious; a little residual fluid got into a hard to see area and during shipping, it came out. I cleaned it up and no more appeared, so we're good to go. Very nice to get a concern laid to rest so quickly!
 
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