F5: Tripod Head?

OConnor has a surprise for NAB. I don't know how much I should say but it's meant to bridge the gap between the 1030 and the 2065.

so about that surprise... i wonder if anyone has seen oconnor at NAB? anything interesting with in tripod products?
 
WTF?! Seriously? SOMEONE at O'connor actually thought this was a good idea? There are a thousand "rig" manufacturers out there. Give me a 1030 with at least 40lbs capacity and +/-90 degrees tilt and leave the erector sets to Zacuto and Red Rock and the countless others.
 
WTF?! Seriously? SOMEONE at O'connor actually thought this was a good idea? There are a thousand "rig" manufacturers out there. Give me a 1030 with at least 40lbs capacity and +/-90 degrees tilt and leave the erector sets to Zacuto and Red Rock and the countless others.

i dont think u r right, i also dont believe in the whole concept of that rig, but they presented a few interesting ways/ideas of making things differently, and its good, other manufactures can look at it and make something interesting as well. Zacuto also went through a lot till they created a useful rig and still i dont believe its finished 100% as u cant move/adjust cam position back and forward ....u have to unscrew the screws under it....(i have not used it yet my self, but its what i see on their images), about their previous shoulder rigs... i could not believe some one could use it at all. something similar to current zacuto rig, is tiltas rig, that i use for like 3-4 years, there are others as well, i dont believe zacuto just came to that idea just by them selfs, they probably seen tilta`s and other at previous NABs , and came out with in some parts better ideas.... so its always useful!
 
Actually, I wouldn't write Manfortto off so quickly... I used to own a Sachtler 7+7 and Sachtler sticks and their baby legs with my Aaton package. It was a wonderful set-up until I set the sticks into a swimming pool for that "right above the surface of the water" type shot, and the sticks were never quite the same. I sold them off with the camera; seems the glue used to hold the legs into the castings suffered and the stainless tubes would pop out and come undone all too often.
When I went digital, I looked around and discovered the Manfrotto ART series 526 head which was every bit as good as the Sachtler at half the price. I also got a set of two-stage carbon fiber Manfrotto legs to go with it. This almost eliminated the need for baby legs, except when using a doorway dolly, as the low angle footprint is too wide unless you use dolly sideboards which aren't an option when going down a narrow passage. It was also a move up to a mid level spreader design which was new to me.
So over the past couple of years the Manfrotto 526 has been a wonderful investment, however the instant "all-up' or "all down" design of the sticks has been a little frustrating. One day they were in collapsed position and they locked-up. I mean, here I am on the set and they wouldn't open! So I physically broke the new-fangled connection in order to get the camera set-up and working. After this, the legs won't stay in the up position and kind slide down toward the ground when transporting the tripod.
In spite of being carbon fiber, the tripod is heavy because it's a two-stage set up.
I'm adding an FS7 to my package now, and absolutely want a second Manfrotto 526 Head for it, however this time I think I'll go with a single stage set of sticks, bottom spreader, and baby legs. Perhaps I'll get the largest of the Real Right Stuff carbon fiber sticks with no spreader at all.
For the record, I've never cared for the springy to and fro feel of the Miller and O'Connor sticks, and see that the latest Manfrotto designs have copied this parallel plate design with the see-through gap in the middle, (perhaps because the patent has expired and they're cheaper to manufacture?)
One thing I recommend to everyone is go get yourself a set of very short Induro brand baby sticks which they call a hi-hat, not the traditional type of hit-hat mind you, but worth every single penny just as the Manfrotto 526 heads are.
This month I'm again doing a feature with the "low to the water" type shot in a swimming pool, however this time I'll put low boy combo stands into the water and use a Dana Dolly type slider just above the water level instead, lol!
 
That 526 looks like the updated version of the old 116 mkiii. I had one about 20 years ago and it was quite nice. Personally I wouldn't put them in the same league as the top end Sachtlers, Ronfords and O'Connors but that's personal taste. The main difference is that they're not "true" fluid heads, they're friction heads, they just use fine silicon grease. I see the 526 has some sor of counterbalance, which is another area where the expensive heads tend to excel compared to the cheaper ones. But for about 1/5th the price it sounds like a decent bit of kit.
Steve
 
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