Step up tripod?

ddixon

ddixon

Well-known member
I'm looking for a step up tripod, if one exists on my budget. I'm a 60 year old retired teacher who does a few volunteer videos for some non-profits and school groups for Vimeo and DVD. I shoot 97% of the time with a Canon XF100 (just under 3 pounds) and only rarely with my Canon 60D (just under 4 pounds with heaviest lens). Like so many others, for 2-3 years I've used a clone of the Fancier270/Weifert717 models that seem to be the de facto first semi-decent tripod for the budget minded. Here's mine...

It's a 75mm half bowl and has actually worked fairly well for me - as an amateur, it's still the best tripod I've ever even touched. Some say it's as good as most $500 tripods - but I always wonder when I read that what experience the writer has with other options. So, here's my real question...

Can I get something with more smoothness and control than what I have for approx. $500? Sorry, as a hobbyist that's really my limit - going from a $150 tripod to one that's 3-4 times as much is a big jump to me.

Options I've considered...

1. $230 - Manfrotto 504A bowl head to use on my existing legs
I don't know if that would be any better than what I have.

2. $500 or so - Manfrotto 504 and some Manfrotto legs
Many who use $2000 tripods say Manfrotto is garbage, but does anyone know if this would at least be a step up the garbage chain from what I have?

3. $557 - Sachtler Ace M - supposedly a surprisingly good head on lousy legs
But are those lousy legs better than what I have? If not, could I use that head on my old sticks? They do not sell the Ace head separately, and at $730 even the FSB 4 is out of my budget.

So, there we have it - thanks in advance for advice or alternate suggestions!

 
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Have you considered buying used off Ebay? Like you I have a very small budget. But I have champagne taste and lusted after tripods and heads that only pros or the rich could afford. For well under 500.00 I have outfitted myself with an O'Connor 35A tripod with a perfectly working model 30B fluid head and a set of Peter Lisand baby leg sticks with a very rough looking but working O'Connor model 30 fluid head. It didn't happen overnight, took a lot of patience and watching every day. I'm not suggesting the model 30 head as it is designed for cameras in the 10 to 30 lb range but I'm sure if you keep looking that you can piece together a much nicer kit with your funds. Make sure that whatever you buy is returnable and the seller has a good rating. Good luck with your quest.
Bill Wojo
 
I know a guy that uses an Ace with an XF100, and he's totally happy with it. He doesn't rig his camera out in any way, though. Aside from the lighter weight materials, the head still seems sturdy. I think most people worry about outgrowing the low weight capacity. That's why you see them on Craigslist. That's probably a good place to look since you can actually test the tripod out as opposed to trusting somebody on eBay. I have the S6, and it's decent but the Ace head feels better.
 
I use both Sachler and Manfrotto and Sachtler has much better and smoother heads. If you pan and tilt every now and then I would always take a Sachtler over Manfrotto.
 
ddixon said:
3. $557 - Sachtler Ace M - supposedly a surprisingly good head on lousy legs
But are those lousy legs better than what I have?
Click to expand...

Legs aren't lousy. They are less than what you might want, but given the price they are a good value. The head is really quite good, and an outstanding value. The combination should work really well for a small camera.

Talk to B&H (a sponsor of this site, yes?) and tell them you want to try the Ace M out. They've got a pretty nice return policy.
 
Thanks for the info! BTW, in my first message I obviously meant Manfrotto 502 where I said 504. The 504 is almost $500 by itself.

@Bruce - I had never really explored the B&H return policy - still pondering, but am leaning toward trying the Ace after Christmas. And, yes, lousy is a relative term based on one's standards - the legs may seem pretty fine to me. Having 30 days to try it and at worst just costing return shipping seems a no brainer at this point.
 
Manfrotto sold a ton of 503 head kits with nice sticks and a nice bag. The head's not terribly bad (I still stick an 8' kessler on it - it sure is strong). EBay often has those or the separate parts (you see more heads though, I think people keep the sticks when they upgrade).

Do a search on Red User, there have been great recommendations for older cinema heads there.

The Ace is a pretty well-loved head though. And the Miller Solo heads I have used have been very smooth, they're a good value as well.
 
Quick update. I did get a Sachtler Ace M and am comparing it to my Fancier/Weifeng clone. It's better, and I'm going to keep it, but it's surprisingly not amazingly better.
It's much taller - depending on how I set the mid level spreader, 8-14 inches taller. And for indoors the rubber feet are much better and more stable. I also always found the Fancier mounting plate very fiddly - the Ace is much better and easier.

On the old tripod I had to keep my hand on the handle at the end of a move to control springback. I had to hold it for 2-3 seconds and be very careful or I would jostle it while I had my hand there. On the Ace I still have some springback, but with small moves I don't get any. With longer moves I only have to hold it about a second, and with the adjustments I can greatly reduce the possibility of jostling.

With the spreader adjustments the Ace can also be set to a smaller footprint if necessary to be used in tighter spaces.

Here's the interesting part. I just tried the Sachtler head on the Fancier legs. I swear the springback is slightly better than with the Ace legs. I've read that springback can be caused by tension build up in the legs - so I need to do more testing over the next few days, but it seems like the old legs may be slightly more resistant to those twisting forces. I may actually end up using the Sachtler head but switching it between the legs depending on what I'm doing. Except for the height and rubber legs, the best combination may actually be the Ace head on the Fancier legs.

One thing I'm certain of, from what I've seen so far, if Sachtler would sell that Ace head separately, there would be a real market for it. And the head seems to be the main weakness of those $150 Fancier/Weifert models.

I'll post back after I've tried it more.
 
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