C100: Tripod Advice

remsyatassi said:
I have a Cartoni Fluid HD and it is a terrific option, though a bit heavy.
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it is not, i never read any good reviews about it, if fact cartony knows about problems with it, but did nothing to change it, and still selling it.....
even bh shows that, look at images at BH , and read reviews: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/687140-REG/Cartoni_F125_Focus_HD_Video_Tripod.html

all is known is that it just constantly breaks...... i read about that model on several sources! But other models of Cartony seems to be good, but their price is much higher...
 
Libec's 250, 350 and 450 are pretty nice sticks for the price. I had an RS-450 that was a pretty nice tripod, but WAY overkill for what I had after I went from a rigged-up FS100 to the C100.
 
michasacuer said:
Hi Guys! What about Manfrotto 535 tripod for Canon C100 and 50cm edelkrone slider?
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Hi Michasacuer,

I personally own the manfrotto 535 carbon legs although not that particular slider. I have used my legs with a Rhino slider though and it is very solid (although not sold on the mounting options just yet). The only issue with these legs is moving them around with the slider attached. It's a little clunky/awkward to carry around - as I said, still looking for the best setup.
 
michasacuer said:
Hi Guys! What about Manfrotto 535 tripod for Canon C100 and 50cm edelkrone slider?
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The 535 and 536 legs are strong enough for a slider and very adaptable. They can be awkward to work with, though, since they don't have a spreader and the legs can get unwieldy. One note- if you find that the legs flop down when you lift the tripod, the leg joint can be tightened using the two hex screws underneath the leg at the pivot point. Also, Manfrotto sells a ground level spreader that works alright.
 
rustincerveny said:
I am trying to pick out a tripod for my C100. Anyone have experience with the Sachtler ACE M with the C100? Trying to stay below $1000.
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Not sure if you bought yet but there is a killer deal on a used Sachtler DV4 II and legs in the used equipment board here for $650.00. A MUCH better head than the ACE stuff. Jump on it. Weight capacity is 16.2lbs. I would buy it if I hadn't just bought the Miller AIR. This tripod setup is better than anything else on the market for under $1,000.00
 
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Reviving this thread once again... I'm in search of a good quality fluid head for under $2000. I already have a 75mm Ball tripod, so I just need a smooth head to use with my C100 cameras (and soon with a C200).

From what I've gathered in my online research, I'm interested in the Sachtler FSB-8, but I'm open to other suggestions. I need super-smooth pans/tilts. I won't be using heavy cinema lenses, just Canon L photo lenses. I might add a 7" field monitor on top of the camera, but for the most part I won't be adding more than just the C100/200 + lens. This is a big purchase, and I want to make sure it will last many years, so build quality is an important factor as well.

Eventually, I'll go down to B & H and try out their tripods there in person, but I'd love to get your thoughts first.

PS- What's the difference between the FSB-8 and the FSB-8T?
 
The 'T' has something to do with the plate. It's supposed to be smaller and different than the traditional plates. Maybe the way it locks...not exactly sure. The head is the same.
 
The FSB-8 uses the same quick release plate as Manfrotto's fluid heads, the 501pl style. I think it is the better option.
 
Thanks, NorBro and cpreston!

Any thoughts on getting an FSB-8 vs a Vinten, Cartoni, Miller or something else in the under $2000 price range?
 
Sachtler is cruddy. Not enough tension at full tension until you get up to the Sachtler 18 and 20. Vinten is nice and smooth, but may not hold up over time; mine has gotten a bit wiggly.

Cartoni is always reviewed as smooth, but that it falls apart thanks to plastic materials and perhaps other reasons. Miller is pretty nice; haven't used them as much, just one shoot and playing around at B&H with them.

I want a Really Right Stuff FH-350 head. It's just under $2k. I love the quick release flat base design of it for slider, jib, monopod, and tripod use. I actually haven't felt it in person so can't comment on the smoothness of it. Build quality looks nice and I've heard good things about it. Weight capacity at 10 lbs is a bit low for a $2k tripod head, but if your rigs are generally less than 10 lbs you should be fine.

I'd also like an O'Connor 1030 or Sachtler 20 S1, but those are more than $2k and not as suitable for smaller setups, slider, etc., so the Really Right Stuff head still has its place.
 
I dunno. I wouldn't say "Sachtler is cruddy" at all. I personally use a CineDSLR and love it. Most of my colleagues around here use various Sachtlers (FSB-6, FSB-8T) as well and are happy with them in general.

The RRS FH-350 is incredibly nice. It was definitely smooth as butter, but at $2k for it's carrying capacity it's silly overpriced. The fact that it uses Arca-Swiss QR dovetails is really nice. I wish everyone would just standardize on A-S dovetails... it'd make life easier. The photo world largely already has.

Why would you put a fluid head on a monopod? Wouldn't the monopod just turn freely making the fluid damping nearly useless?
 
rustincerveny said:
I am trying to pick out a tripod for my C100. Anyone have experience with the Sachtler ACE M with the C100? Trying to stay below $1000.
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Assuming you are a pro, I am going to be the contrarian and instead of suggesting other sub optimal tripods, I am going to ask you why you budgeted for your camera system incorrectly? The C100 was a $5,000.00 + camera new. Even used or on closeout, you probably paid at least $2,500.00 to $3,500.00. So why are you proposing a too small, cheap and light weight tripod for a camera that when fully rigged out, could weigh 13 to 15lbs? My C100 weighs that much with a full Zacuto Recoil rig and a Ninja Blade, depending on whether I have the 17-55 2.8 IS or the 70-200 2.8 IS II mounted. Theoretically, if you spent $5,000.00 for your camera, you should be spending a minimum of half of the budget on suitable camera support, unless all you shoot are locked off shots. If you actually need to professionally move your camera, on the tripod, you need a quality, heavier, more stable, smoother and reliable tripod and $2,500.00 is a good target area. This means that your budget for camera and support should have been at least $7,500.00. If you could not afford $7,500.00, you bought too expensive of a camera.

Don't feel bad, about 60% of camera owners and about 80% of sub $10k camera owners make the same mistake. I've seen $40k RED Weapons mounted to $500.00 Manfrottos. Some people just don't get it, completely misplaced priorities. They buy too expensive of a camera for their camera package budget and then compromise for the rest of their camera system with no name extra batteries, cheap sound gear if they are one man banding it, cheap lenses and most significantly, cheap, sub-optimal camera support that is not mechanically capable of performing smooth, stable moves. Too many people bought a C100 who could really only afford a 5D MKIII, just like many bought a C300 MKII who could really only afford a C100. I would rather have a 5D MKIII and a quality professional tripod, batteries, lenses than a C100 with a crappy, flimsy tripod. Have you put your C100, fully loaded with everything you regularly use, with your most commonly used lens mounted, on a scale? What does it weigh with battery, cards, most commonly used lenses, baseplate or tripod plate, recorders, cables, EVFs, monitors? I see a lot of people with pretty heavy rigs mounted on crap tripods that can't even perform well with a minimal camera. Kind of a waste of time and money.

IMHO, as the owner of two current Sachtler tripods and former owners of a Video 18 III and a Video 20, the Sachtler ACE systems are Sachtler in name only, they are not built like real Sachtlers and do not perform like real Sachtlers, they were built to price point to stop people from buying Manfrottos. The ACEs I have used were terrible and flimsy. I have not used the Libec RS-250RM, but generally Libecs are okay for a cheap tripod. The other thing to ask yourself is are you going to upgrade to a bigger, better, heavier camera anytime in the future? Few people buy enough tripod, not only for their current camera but for their future camera. When are you buying a 4K camera? Will it be bigger and heavier than the C100? Nothing is more frustrating than using a flimsy, unstable and poorly made tripod to try to create professional moves.
 
jbregar said:
Why would you put a fluid head on a monopod? Wouldn't the monopod just turn freely making the fluid damping nearly useless?
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You can hold the monopod still with one hand so it doesn't turn freely while you pan and tilt with the other hand. If you have a good fluid head on top that should work (much) better than panning and tilting with the monopod.

I personally think it's idiotic that Manfrotto's number one selling video monopod that so many people use, the Manfrotto 561, came with a head that didn't pan. I skipped buying that head and bought the monopod separately from the head, getting the 562, and putting a 701 head on there. Worst case scenario you decide you like panning from the monopod base more (which I sometimes do as the 561 has a fairly good panning feature, but it depends and I like the choice) and simply lock the pan function on the head. What I like most is that I can then take the head off and put it on my slider, a tripod, jib, etc., and not have to worry about some dummy 561 non-panning head being a dummy.



puredrifting said:
Assuming you are a pro, I am going to be the contrarian and instead of suggesting other sub optimal tripods, I am going to ask you why you budgeted for your camera system incorrectly? The C100 was a $5,000.00 + camera new. Even used or on closeout, you probably paid at least $2,500.00 to $3,500.00. So why are you proposing a too small, cheap and light weight tripod for a camera that when fully rigged out, could weigh 13 to 15lbs? My C100 weighs that much with a full Zacuto Recoil rig and a Ninja Blade, depending on whether I have the 17-55 2.8 IS or the 70-200 2.8 IS II mounted. Theoretically, if you spent $5,000.00 for your camera, you should be spending a minimum of half of the budget on suitable camera support, unless all you shoot are locked off shots. If you actually need to professionally move your camera, on the tripod, you need a quality, heavier, more stable, smoother and reliable tripod and $2,500.00 is a good target area. This means that your budget for camera and support should have been at least $7,500.00. If you could not afford $7,500.00, you bought too expensive of a camera.

Don't feel bad, about 60% of camera owners and about 80% of sub $10k camera owners make the same mistake. I've seen $40k RED Weapons mounted to $500.00 Manfrottos. Some people just don't get it, completely misplaced priorities. They buy too expensive of a camera for their camera package budget and then compromise for the rest of their camera system with no name extra batteries, cheap sound gear if they are one man banding it, cheap lenses and most significantly, cheap, sub-optimal camera support that is not mechanically capable of performing smooth, stable moves. Too many people bought a C100 who could really only afford a 5D MKIII, just like many bought a C300 MKII who could really only afford a C100. I would rather have a 5D MKIII and a quality professional tripod, batteries, lenses than a C100 with a crappy, flimsy tripod. Have you put your C100, fully loaded with everything you regularly use, with your most commonly used lens mounted, on a scale? What does it weigh with battery, cards, most commonly used lenses, baseplate or tripod plate, recorders, cables, EVFs, monitors? I see a lot of people with pretty heavy rigs mounted on crap tripods that can't even perform well with a minimal camera. Kind of a waste of time and money.

IMHO, as the owner of two current Sachtler tripods and former owners of a Video 18 III and a Video 20, the Sachtler ACE systems are Sachtler in name only, they are not built like real Sachtlers and do not perform like real Sachtlers, they were built to price point to stop people from buying Manfrottos. The ACEs I have used were terrible and flimsy. I have not used the Libec RS-250RM, but generally Libecs are okay for a cheap tripod. The other thing to ask yourself is are you going to upgrade to a bigger, better, heavier camera anytime in the future? Few people buy enough tripod, not only for their current camera but for their future camera. When are you buying a 4K camera? Will it be bigger and heavier than the C100? Nothing is more frustrating than using a flimsy, unstable and poorly made tripod to try to create professional moves.
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Something to keep in mind though is that some people rarely do tripod moves that need to be smooth. While I appreciate a good tripod, a lot of my work veers toward Steadicam, slider, dolly, jib, handheld, etc., such that doing basic tripod pans and tilts with utmost smoothness may take lower priority. Of course lower priority means I still do tripod moves, just not as often and as such it becomes less prioritized to spend big money on early on.

Say back when I was doing mainly weddings, I rarely did tripod pans and tilts for b-roll as slider and Steadicam always seemed more interesting, at least for the style of weddings at the time. Generally for weddings if I'm doing a tripod move for b-roll it's because I'm feeling lazy. Though the smooth heads do make making adjustments quicker which is beneficial.

My C300 Mark II setup for one-man-band work is only around 10 lbs, so less than your C100 setup. My C100 setup is about 7 lbs. I'd imagine both would be fine with a Really Right Stuff head at 10 lb capacity.

My cinema setups with the C300 Mark II are often around 20-30 lbs, for which I've generally been using a co-worker's Sachtler FSB-10 tripod head, which is decent, but not that great.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Sachtler is cruddy. Not enough tension at full tension until you get up to the Sachtler 18 and 20. Vinten is nice and smooth, but may not hold up over time; mine has gotten a bit wiggly.
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The Sachtlers in my circle are holding up fairly well. Not the ACE models, but definitely some sub 18 models (I can't keep track of all their model names). And around here, there are still people who service higher-quality tripods. At least, I think they're still in biz. Had my Vinten serviced a few years ago; as good as new. And we can still get parts...

Really Right Stuff is making interesting products. I just don't want to be first in the pool around here to find out how long their heads last (or don't) under pressure.

But the general point: Don't cheap out on your tripod; crappy ones can degrade shots from day one, and don't last long. Good ones will work smoothly for years, outlast several cameras, can (usually) be repaired, maintain resale value...
 
I tried an FSB 8. It was pretty smooth, but the pan handle was junk and I would still get micro vibrations on long lenses. It doesn't have as much resistance as other heads, but it does allow you to remove almost all resistance which neither my Vinten or O'Connor allow. The Vinten 8AS I have is a nice little head to operate, but it has a lot of plastic. I have no complaints about the the O'Connor 1030 other than I wish it was a bit smaller. Also, the minimum resistance is much higher than most other heads I've used.

I actually have quite a few of the Manfrotto 500AH heads that I use whenever I need to stay mobile or put a head on a slider or jib or anything else where weight is a consideration. The 500AH is a little underspeced for a fully stripped down C100, but it is smooth and light. It doesn't have any adjustability, but the pan and tilt are so much smoother than any other Manfrotto head I have ever used. If I need a locked off shot or intend to operate the C100 from the handgrip rather than the pan arm, the 500AH is near perfect. If you got a 500AH and an FSB8, you could use the same quick release plate and have two head options.

If you do event work, I would avoid the FSB8. It doesn't have enough resistance, the resistance is stepped so you can't make changes while shooting, and it just not as solid as some other heads. I don't know what would be better in that price range, though.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
You can hold the monopod still with one hand so it doesn't turn freely while you pan and tilt with the other hand. If you have a good fluid head on top that should work (much) better than panning and tilting with the monopod.

I personally think it's idiotic that Manfrotto's number one selling video monopod that so many people use, the Manfrotto 561, came with a head that didn't pan. I skipped buying that head and bought the monopod separately from the head, getting the 562, and putting a 701 head on there. Worst case scenario you decide you like panning from the monopod base more (which I sometimes do as the 561 has a fairly good panning feature, but it depends and I like the choice) and simply lock the pan function on the head. What I like most is that I can then take the head off and put it on my slider, a tripod, jib, etc., and not have to worry about some dummy 561 non-panning head being a dummy.




Something to keep in mind though is that some people rarely do tripod moves that need to be smooth. While I appreciate a good tripod, a lot of my work veers toward Steadicam, slider, dolly, jib, handheld, etc., such that doing basic tripod pans and tilts with utmost smoothness may take lower priority. Of course lower priority means I still do tripod moves, just not as often and as such it becomes less prioritized to spend big money on early on.

Say back when I was doing mainly weddings, I rarely did tripod pans and tilts for b-roll as slider and Steadicam always seemed more interesting, at least for the style of weddings at the time. Generally for weddings if I'm doing a tripod move for b-roll it's because I'm feeling lazy. Though the smooth heads do make making adjustments quicker which is beneficial.

My C300 Mark II setup for one-man-band work is only around 10 lbs, so less than your C100 setup. My C100 setup is about 7 lbs. I'd imagine both would be fine with a Really Right Stuff head at 10 lb capacity.

My cinema setups with the C300 Mark II are often around 20-30 lbs, for which I've generally been using a co-worker's Sachtler FSB-10 tripod head, which is decent, but not that great.
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I'm sure everyone here has already considered this, but I would be very leery of maxing out my weight capacity if the counterbalancing is critical for my work since the weight limit is based on a very specific center of gravity above the base plate for all of these systems, RRS included. For example, the Canon cameras are very tall in design. If you are hanging gear on the higher side (Monitors, audio gear, etc), that can push your system well over the counterbalance limit even if the weight is still under the claimed spec.

Then again, it sounds like your work doesn't rely on surgical tripod moves. I've done a few concerts from the back of the room recently, and even with a perfectly balanced O'connor, on a very long lens you definitely come to appreciate the need for smoothness, perfect starts and stops, and total predictability.

It's good to have these discussions so that others can hear what the strengths and weaknesses of each system is in relation to the type of application. Otherwise, people just hear things like: "Sachtlers are cruddy" or "Sachtlers are industry workhorses for a reason."
 
ozmorphasis said:
It's good to have these discussions so that others can hear what the strengths and weaknesses of each system is in relation to the type of application. Otherwise, people just hear things like: "Sachtlers are cruddy" or "Sachtlers are industry workhorses for a reason."
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Good point. Everyone definitely has different needs. Eric seems to not really rely on a top line tripod often because he is often using other support methods. Also, if you mostly shoot lock off interviews, you don't need a good tripod. OTOH, I drag tripods all over the world, shooting fast paced documentary and BTS footage and live and die by my moves with lenses like the 100-400 IS II, alternated with shoulder mount operating. I am often constrained by flight weight limits so I cannot take a gimbal, slider or Steadicam so to me, spending some money on a good tripod is money well spent.
 
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