Tripod head for smooth motion

[visualmind]

Hi,

I am shooting on an EX1, and I have two tripods with the Manfrotto HDV501 and 501PL heads. Primarily, I do event photography. Often, I get the framing I want, and the subject starts to wander off. After the head has been sitting in a single position for a while, when I finally move it, no matter how hard I try, there is a little "jerk" getting it started going (usually with pan, not tilt). Once it is actually in motion, the movement is perfectly smooth.

The lock knobs are disengaged, and the pan and tilt tension knobs are both very close to MAX (if they aren't, it is hard for me to keep a consistent speed once with head is actually in motion). If the pan tension is at the lowest value, the jerkiness at the start isn't really an issue, but it is impossible to make a smooth move.

The issue occurs with both of my fluid heads (both of which are relatively new and unused).

Any suggestions for how to make smoother camera movements after the head has been sitting idle for several minutes?

Thanks!

 

[TMerry]

I have had similar experience. Unless there is a reason that you can not press stop, give the head a wiggle, hit record again and then do your shot with the pan, that is what I would try. I try to give my head slight movement every couple of minutes between any crucial shots with live events I'm covering.

 

[visualmind]

I have had similar experience. Unless there is a reason that you can not press stop, give the head a wiggle, hit record again and then do your shot with the pan, that is what I would try. I try to give my head slight movement every couple of minutes between any crucial shots with live events I'm covering.

Thanks for the response. I wish I was doing something wrong here! Unfortunately, it is almost always impossible to stop recording because I am often on a single-camera shoot at an event (and every moment needs to be captured; think weddings, public speeches, etc).

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

Thanks for the response. I wish I was doing something wrong here! Unfortunately, it is almost always impossible to stop recording because I am often on a single-camera shoot at an event (and every moment needs to be captured; think weddings, public speeches, etc).

I've not had this problem, as I mainly was shooting still photography when I was active in the wedding biz.

But you may try to experiment with different oils, perhaps a 3-1, or light mineral oil, and see if that stickiness is lessened. The 'grease' that may be there could have come to the point of 'gumming' up the works, or gotten dust/dirt/grit and become more 'solid' over time.

Another idea is to actually tighten the set screws, apply pressure to the handle then loosen the set screw gradually to begin the motion. This could handle 'lash' in the mechanism, where initially there's little resistance because there is no motion, then the mechanism starts to move, but your pressure is a bit greater because of the inital momentary lack of resistance... hence a jerk.

 

[Postfade]

"After the head has been sitting in a single position for a while, when I finally move it, no matter how hard I try, there is a little "jerk" getting it started going"

Time to buy a 'Pro' tripod then. It's why Vinten/Sachlers/Millers etc cost probably more than your camera, they are smooth. I gave in and bought a Vinten 3AS and now pans are smooth even when the head has been parked.

 

[pwyll]

I have heard of using rubber bands attached to the arm so you get a soft start by pulling on the end of the rubber band. Never tried it



fluid head??? What does that mean when Bogen say "fluid head"? The phrase has become meaningless - like "broadcast quality".

 

[Bob Gruen]

First, reduce the drag away from max. Most tripods will twist before the head starts to move, which adds to the jerky start you are mentioning. It is only a small amount, but the longer you lens the more you see it.

To smooth out your motion, try the rubber band trick: afix a stout rubber band to the very end of your tripod handle. Operate the head through the rubberband. It helps because the rubber band has a force per length property that works in your favor, smoothing out your motion.

Bob