Travel Tripod

L

Luke Bacich

Active member
Hi all,

I've been researching travel video tripods. For my photography I use a Carbon Fibre Mefoto RoadTrip, and whilst I have better tripods, this is the one I use 90% of the time for portability. I was looking for something similar for video. I use a Sony a7r ii for video.

I originally saw the Benro Aero 4 but have read that it isn't as portable, or as good you might expect. I then read that a lot of people have tried to hack together their own travel video tripod.

My idea was to use the Mefoto Carbon Fibre legs because I like them a lot, and pair it with the Manfrotto MVH500A head. I really want a half ball for levelling so that why I picked that one. My concern is that this head is actually going to be pretty big and I'm not going to be happy with the system.

Does anybody have a different fluid head suggestion or a complete system idea?

Thank you!
 
Had to borrow a similar set of Manfrotto legs for a quick shoot this past week, & the locking levers are very weak. Tried two different sets & they both were terrible.

I have a MeFoto Globetrotter that I sometimes use for GH4 shoots in far off locations where we don't want to do the Carnet dance. Top it with Manfrotto's MVH500AH head, & use an AcraTech leveling base in between. The AcraTech is very strong, & while the head is the best I've seen for it's size, it's performance is meh, especially the pan.

http://www.acratech.net/leveling-products/leveling-base-with-stud

Wish someone would manufacturer a professional tripod system suitable for carry-on, & scaled for use with mirrorless cameras. I'd be willing to drop a couple thousand dollars on such a solution.
 
Most of these heads feature either no counter-balance or a fixed counter-balance. ( i.e. the Manfrotto MVH500AH is fixed at 5.3 lbs )

Are there any compact fluid heads that offer a good counter-balance range ?

My smallest head is the Sachtler FSB-4, which is good from 2-9 lbs, but it's not the most compact head around.
 
Bern Caughey said:
Had to borrow a similar set of Manfrotto legs for a quick shoot this past week, & the locking levers are very weak. Tried two different sets & they both were terrible.

I have a MeFoto Globetrotter that I sometimes use for GH4 shoots in far off locations where we don't want to do the Carnet dance. Top it with Manfrotto's MVH500AH head, & use an AcraTech leveling base in between. The AcraTech is very strong, & while the head is the best I've seen for it's size, it's performance is meh, especially the pan.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this - it is the exact feedback I was looking for. So your setup was globetrotter legs, with MVH500AH and the AcraTech - I was going to start with roadtrip legs (one model down from the globetrotter) and the mvh500a (has built in levelling ball). Is your opinion that going with the MVH500AH flat head with the AcraTech is a better option than the MVH500A? How portable did you find the overall system?
 
Don't imagine there's much difference between those two heads, but wonder how you plan on mounting the 60mm ball to a flat-top RoadTrip legs?

Portability is the biggest plus for my setup, usability is another question, forcing me to not make a lot of moves, & whenever practical I rent better sticks at the destination, & leave mine at home. But this is easier said then done, especially with lightweight mirrorless cameras, & recently had a Producer ship in a pair of sticks from LensRentals.

When flying I remove the head from the legs, & the whole package eats up about 1/6th the total storage space of a internationally-sized carry-on roller.
 
Bern Caughey said:
Don't imagine there's much difference between those two heads, but wonder how you plan on mounting the 60mm ball to a flat-top RoadTrip legs?
Click to expand...

I don't know what I had in my head regarding this. Drove out to a store to check this out today and instantly realised I had a problem. Your solution is excellent now I've wrapped my head around it. Based on your experience I'm guessing you think the Befree video tripod just won't cut it? I think it's going to be at least a month until I can try one, but the tiny size and weight is really calling me.
 
After thinking about it a bit I ordered a Befree Live Video Tripod Kit to test. Would mostly use it with a GH4 for some simple sit-down interviews for assignments that require everything be transported as carry-on, which happens quite often.

My current lightweight sticks serve this duty, but the head, & leveling base, are relatively heavy, & a bit bulky. This wasn't much of an issue in the past, but I've started traveling with a single-handle gimbal, ZhiYun's Crane, & need to free up as much space as possible for a few changes of clothing.
 
Wow I'll be eagerly awaiting your review. It looks like I'm aiming for the exact same set-up as you, Crane plus portable tripod. Do you still rate the Crane highly?
 
Been very happy with the Crane. No diddling with software & almost no learning curve.

Some users are flying dSLRs on the Crane, but I find it's best suited to lighter mirrorless cameras. My biggest complaint is I wish the storage case was soft-sided, & more compact, like Beholder's, however I'm sure many owners prefer the hard case.
 
Bern Caughey said:
After thinking about it a bit I ordered a Befree Live Video Tripod Kit to test. Would mostly use it with a GH4 for some simple sit-down interviews for assignments that require everything be transported as carry-on, which happens quite often.
Click to expand...

Has your Befree Video Tripod arrived yet?
 
I tried a few things out at B&H when I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago. Very impressed with the Sirui products. I bought a monopod, essentially the removable leg of this tripod:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...bsrn1205x_n_2204x_4_section_carbon_fiber.html
Matching leveling base, though the Acratech looks good too.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1024717-REG/sirui_bsrle60_leveling_base.html/pageID/accessory
I found this Gitzo bird watcher's fluid head intriguing. Works well for my style of shooting and is very light weight. Only drawback is no separate lock for pan and tilt movements. But for dynamic shooting and following fast action (like flying birds) it is really smooth.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/712034-REG/Gitzo_GH2720QR_GH2720QR_Bird_Watching_Fluid.html

All up weight for the combo is under 5lbs, and it will fit in a back pack.

Pix of my handheld Bolex rig with the monopod. 8Lbs total weight.
30248402755_e2c52994dd_z_d.jpg
 
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Razz16mm said:
I tried a few things out at B&H when I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago. Very impressed with the Sirui products. I bought a monopod...
Click to expand...

Recently picked up a Sirui VH-10X Video Head, & have used it for sit down interviews on a few travel jobs. It’s made of aircraft aluminum, & the build is very nice. The friction control on the pan is much better than any of the other heads (Manfrotto, Benro, etc) in this price or size category, & it’s more compact than most of those. With the (great) pan arm removed it’s about the size of a 24-70mm f/2.8 SLR lens. The bottom is almost exactly the same diameter as the AcraTech leveling base mentioned earlier in this thread, & when attached together they look like one unit.

So far I’ve only used it to support a GH5 with XLR Adapter, 5” Monitor, & Lumix f/2.8 zooms, but will test some heavier glass soon. With this kit I have no problem balancing the head, & can let go of the pan arm without the camera tilting up or down. And the pan arm extends to an almost comical length, which is great when making small precise moves.

The camera plate confirms to Manfrotto’s 501 standard, but haven’t tried any other manufactures’ plates as I topped mine with a RRS Lever-Release Clamp so it’s compatible with the Movcam GH5 Cage’s built-in Arca-Swiss plate.

Got mine from Amazon Prime figuring I’d be returning it, but even though it won’t replace my heavier duty heads, it’s a keeper for traveling with Mirror-less systems. Feels goofy writing this, but in my usage so far it’s almost been like a Baby Sachtler. If they add a more precise variable tension tilt control I’d have no problem calling it by that monicker.

B&H, Adorama, & Samy’s, are incorrectly displaying the older model (VH-10) which lacks the variable pan friction-control, so I attached an image below. I’ve only found one single YouTube review, but it’s worth watching if you want a better look at the head.

https://youtu.be/YK4uMqfr93c

http://www.sirui.eu/en/produkte/stativkoepfe/vh-serie/

Tilt: -65° to +90°
Four stage friction control for 360° panning
Counterweight: 2kg
Base plate diameter: 65mm
Handle length: from 30 to 47cm
Size LxWxH (with handle): 93 (370) x 145 x 125mm
Weight: 1.2kg
Max. load: 4kg
Material: Aluminium

770892_4_1024x1024.jpg
 
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I'm probably in a higher weight class than a GH4/GH5 but you could check out the Miller AIR head and the matching legs, available in either aluminum or carbon fibre. I used it in Brazil this past year with our C100 and it worked GREAT and was not that expensive. I like idea of the Sirui Bern showed above but if you need something that can travel and be used with cameras that are a bit bigger and heavier than a mirrorless camera, the Miller is good bang for the buck and IMHO, is better built than any of the Manfrotto/Benro/cheap Chinese stuff. Two preset counterbalance weight classes (up to 4.4 lbs and up to 11 lbs. built into the head), true fluid head, Miller quality, head weighs 3lbs. I used it yesterday on a shoot with a DSLR and a medium lens and it worked great. Total weight with the legs is under 10lbs but this may be overkill for a mirrorless camera. But if you have a mirrorless and then a regular sized camera, it can pull double duty, yet it's not a beast to travel with.

Miller AIR.jpg
 
puredrifting said:
I'm probably in a higher weight class than a GH4/GH5 but you could check out the Miller AIR head and the matching legs, available in either aluminum or carbon fibre. I used it in Brazil this past year with our C100 and it worked GREAT and was not that expensive. I like idea of the Sirui Bern showed above but if you need something that can travel and be used with cameras that are a bit bigger and heavier than a mirrorless camera, the Miller is good bang for the buck and IMHO, is better built than any of the Manfrotto/Benro/cheap Chinese stuff. Two preset counterbalance weight classes (up to 4.4 lbs and up to 11 lbs. built into the head), true fluid head, Miller quality, head weighs 3lbs. I used it yesterday on a shoot with a DSLR and a medium lens and it worked great. Total weight with the legs is under 10lbs but this may be overkill for a mirrorless camera. But if you have a mirrorless and then a regular sized camera, it can pull double duty, yet it's not a beast to travel with.

View attachment 129240
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I'm not clear how the counterbalance works on heads with two presets. How do you actually get it to balance perfectly if you're not extremely close to one of the two weight classes (4.4 and 10lbs)? I own an O'Connor and then some cheap Chinese heads. The O'Connor let's you dial in the exact counterbalance all the way down to zero with incredible precision and the cheap Chinese heads are basically only good for locked off shots. Motion is actually surprisingly smooth on them, but you need to keep your hand on that bar. You can't just go wherever you want, let go of the handle, and then expect it to stick right there reliably.
 
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ozmorphasis said:
I'm not clear how the counterbalance works on heads with two presets. How do you actually get it to balance perfectly if you're not extremely close to one of the two weight classes (4.4 and 10lbs)? I own an O'Connor and then some cheap Chinese heads. The O'Connor let's you dial in the exact counterbalance all the way down to zero with incredible precision and the cheap Chinese heads are basically only good for locked off shots. Motion is actually surprisingly smooth on them, but you need to keep your hand on that bar. You can't just go wherever you want, let go of the handle, and then expect it to stick right there reliably.
Click to expand...

Between the two presets and the long sliding tripod plate (it can be snugged down in several positions), I have had no issues achieving good resting balance with everything from rigged out M43 cameras (Panasonic GH5), to DSLRs to C100 or C200 without a bunch of extra stuff hanging off of it. My Sachtler DV6-SB is a better head but for flying, it alone weighs 13lbs so this was a good, viable travel tripod head and sticks for hopping on a plane and running through the jungle and on the beaches in Brazil. Curiously, it also has the BEST tripod handle I have ever used, it is the perfect diameter, the handle cover is really comfortable, it is leagues better than the Sachtler's handle. I have to say, in my experience, shooting professionally, every camera I end up using ALWAYS has junk hanging off of it and ALWAYS ends up weighing more than I thought it would. My C200, I always end up using the touchscreen, at times my Atomos Ninja Blade, a V-Mount to power it, handles, Zacuto VCT Pro Baseplate, various size and weight lenses, a lens support for my Canon 70-200 2.8 IS II, 15mm rods, etc. My relatively small and light C200 can end up weighing close to 20lbs when fully rigged on tripod. My C100, which was a tiny and light camera, ended up as heavy as 16lbs. It's amazing how much all of these various things end up adding in weight. I have to be careful in how much I rig up a camera when using a tripod like this that maxes out at 11lbs. My Sachtler maxes out at 19.5lbs. Anything larger and I have to rent. I may be testing the new Arris Alexa LF, that sucker will weigh a ton fully kitted out with a big PL zoom.

CanonC200ZacutoMutant2.jpg
 
I now own two Sirui heads....zero problems.... mounted on Gitzo CF tripods....zero problems (The heads have really surprised me). I, too, use Acratech for leveling....zero problems...

These work well with a X70 and EX-1. BTW, I use a long plate on the Sirui heads because of the fixed counter balance. That allows me to fine tune the tilt balance.
 
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