smoothest tilt u can get? (despite DSLR lack of weight)

J Davis

J Davis

Veteran
A DSLR with a prime like a 50mm gets pretty light and this can cause a problem when
tilting and trying to avoid lash back in the image when coming to a halt.

I'm interested in learning what others have found to be the best head (and settings) for this situation.

So far the only head I've had decent results with ultra lightweight cam has been Cartoni F100 with the quick release plate
pushed so far forward the camera almost overhangs the head, then a little drag to compensate.

For me, none of the bogen heads worked (701, 501, 503, 516) and I havn't had a chance to test with the miller or sachtler.
 
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J Davis said:
A DSLR with a prime like a 50mm gets pretty light and this can cause a problem when
tilting and trying to avoid lash back in the image when coming to a halt.

I'm interested in learning what others have found to be the best head (and settings) for this situation.

So far the only head I've had decent results with ultra lightweight cam has been Cartoni F100 with the quick release plate
pushed so far forward the camera almost overhangs the head, then a little drag to compensate.

For me, none of the bogen heads worked (701, 501, 503, 516) and I havn't had a chance to test with the miller or sachtler.
Click to expand...

I use the Davis sandford provista with fm18 fluid head less than $200 with a free dolly and buttery smooth. I prefer it over the manfroto 501 setups the schoool has that costs 3x-4x as much.

To add weight I put my tripod quick release on the bottom of my indirails pro xvsm shoulder rig. Also saves a ton of time going from shoulder to sticks. Having a good quick release system is worth it. Sticks to shoulder to glide cam to slider in seconds.

Anyway that's a good solution.
 
sorry I should have clarified, I'm talking just DSLR and a prime lens

not rails, matteboxes and other stuff that adds weight
 
J Davis said:
A DSLR with a prime like a 50mm gets pretty light and this can cause a problem when
tilting and trying to avoid lash back in the image when coming to a halt.

I'm interested in learning what others have found to be the best head (and settings) for this situation.

So far the only head I've had decent results with ultra lightweight cam has been Cartoni F100 with the quick release plate
pushed so far forward the camera almost overhangs the head, then a little drag to compensate.

For me, none of the bogen heads worked (701, 501, 503, 516) and I havn't had a chance to test with the miller or sachtler.
Click to expand...


Bogen is pretty yuck. Just from my experience (and lots of it).

Try some Libec Heads and Sticks. And, of course, add weight to the camera. That's the easiest way to overcome any issues with the DSLR as a whole.
 
I have spent a lot of time studying this question;

http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=15263

The Libecs, Bogens, bottom of the line Vintens and Cartoni's are all made of cheap plastic and virtually none of them offer a true innerspring/fluid solution which can deal with only a barebones camera and small normal lens. The Millers are well made and metal but even the DS20 is unable to deal with light loads.

There is only one which does, and it does it well. The Sachtler FSB4 (0-4kg). Great drag adjustment and perfect tilt. No rebound or drooping. The spring is perfectly matched.

The SAchtler FSB6/8 can carry the same minimum payload between each other, but unfortunately that is already too heavy.

The other issue is center of gravity. This is lower for DSLR's compared to video cameras. Thus if you raise the height of the DSLR camera off the fluid head it will compensate for the lighter weight.

I think Sachtler and these other manufacturer's would be wise to create a dovetail plate which adds about 300gr. and raises the camera to about the equivalent of an add-on motor drive's additional height. Suddenly all of their fluid heads would be available to DSLR users for their minimum weight requirements and they could also chose the head which gives them the maximum payload they need as well.
 
Do you rate a sachtler fsb6 higher than a cartoni f100? If so why?
(genuine interest, not a critique)

edit:
both have the same payload range and go down to 2lb which is almost about a DSLR with a prime
 
There is a neat trick you can do with a rubber band, I use it all the time with cheaper tripods and panning, not tried it with tilt but it should work.

Just loop one end of the elastic band round the pan handle, stick your finger in the other end, and pull with it. The stretch in the elastic band helps to smooth out the human movements that the cheaper tripods can't remove. When panning, it helps to get rid of fishtailing, and helps with really smooth pans.

You can also sometimes weight your camera so it natually pans down. I have done this a number of times, where the camera is unbalanced and when you let go, it acts against the fluid in the tripod head and the weight helps to tilt down slowly.

If money were no object, then you cant beat a big, decent fluid head or even better, a nice big geared head, but elastic bands work well too.
 
J Davis said:
Do you rate a sachtler fsb6 higher than a cartoni f100? If so why?
(genuine interest, not a critique)

edit:
both have the same payload range and go down to 2lb which is almost about a DSLR with a prime
Click to expand...

I have not tested the Cartoni f100, but it only has one spring. The Sachtler has two. What does this mean? It means that the spring Cartoni uses needs to be very strong to support 22 lbs. As all spring systems have a sweet spot I would say that this head is probably less performant in the lighter range.

Both are supposed to work around the same range on the light end (2.2lbs). I can confirm that the FSB6 rebounds at it's lightest setting with only a bare camera and small lens and would need about 500gr. more weight before it would perform properly. Given that the Cartoni supports even more weight on the high end than this Sachtler, I doubt it will be adequate for our barebones setup as well.

I prefer Sachtler's variable steps of drag. The Cartoni is supposed to be continuous which is often code for a friction or at least hybrid fluid head. The cheaper Cartoni's than the f100 are plastic, so until I can see it in person, I would be very hesitant to take it over a Sachtler.
 
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jonE5 said:
I use the Davis sandford provista with fm18 fluid head less than $200 with a free dolly and buttery smooth. I prefer it over the manfroto 501 setups the schoool has that costs 3x-4x as much.

To add weight I put my tripod quick release on the bottom of my indirails pro xvsm shoulder rig. Also saves a ton of time going from shoulder to sticks. Having a good quick release system is worth it. Sticks to shoulder to glide cam to slider in seconds.

Anyway that's a good solution.
Click to expand...

I feel like that head gives good pans but good tilts not so much. The main thing I like about the head is that it's solid compared to the manfrotto stuff which can do better but only if everything is adjusted right, they develop a lot of play very quickly and need ot be adjusted.
 
hoarp001 said:
There is a neat trick you can do with a rubber band, I use it all the time with cheaper tripods and panning, not tried it with tilt but it should work.

Just loop one end of the elastic band round the pan handle, stick your finger in the other end, and pull with it. The stretch in the elastic band helps to smooth out the human movements that the cheaper tripods can't remove. When panning, it helps to get rid of fishtailing, and helps with really smooth pans.

You can also sometimes weight your camera so it natually pans down. I have done this a number of times, where the camera is unbalanced and when you let go, it acts against the fluid in the tripod head and the weight helps to tilt down slowly.

If money were no object, then you cant beat a big, decent fluid head or even better, a nice big geared head, but elastic bands work well too.
Click to expand...

i've done this, it's fantastic, get the thick ass bands and tighten head to taste. nifty.
 
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