tripod leg recommendations for HMC150 and GH1?

T

tikigod19

Well-known member
Hi all I have recently changed from sony HDR-FX1 to HMC150's and have noticed quite a lot of camera shake in comparison. I have been told this might be down to insufficient tripod legs.

I currently use manfrotto 190xb legs and find they don't quite get down low enough for my liking so this would also be a nice thing to look out for in a new set of legs. I'd like something as light as possible (unless this lack of weight is what causes the camera shake) and also something that is quick and easy to extend and reduce leg length.

I look forward to hearing your recommendations up to about $500
 
tikigod19 said:
Hi all I have recently changed from sony HDR-FX1 to HMC150's and have noticed quite a lot of camera shake in comparison. I have been told this might be down to insufficient tripod legs.
Click to expand...

Now that surprises me. I don't really recall a lot of shake problems with the 151. You do have OIS turned OFF right? We've used cheap Velbon 7000 legs with Manfrotto 501 heads and didn't see any problems outside of the usual unstable floors or some one kicking the legs ;)
 
yeah I did have it turned off. To be honest it was more from my 2nd cam operator who may have been having an off day but compared to his FX1 work it was considerably more shakey. We use 701HDV heads as I found the 501 overkill and too heavy but I'm worried about taking out all of this weight and possibly adding to the issue...
 
tikigod19 said:
I currently use manfrotto 190xb legs and find they don't quite get down low enough for my liking so this would also be a nice thing to look out for in a new set of legs. I'd like something as light as possible (unless this lack of weight is what causes the camera shake)
Click to expand...

Dont the legs fold up upwards letting you get super low?

Anyways this tripod and the 701 head are VERY light weight, and IMO not a "solid tripod" for the 150. But thats me.

I use this type of setup and love it:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...01HDV_546GBK_501HDV_Head_w_546GB_2_Stage.html

ALSO buy a 2nd handle for your head, WELL worth it.
 
sewolla said:
I agree that the 190 with 701 head may be a bit light for critical work. I currently use this set-up on my two HMC150's:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/523634-REG/Manfrotto_475B_Tripod_Legs_Black.html

also like this one too:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...o_501HDV_546B_501HDV_Head_w_546B_2_Stage.html
Click to expand...

I also have the Manfrotto 546B tripod with a 504HD Fluid head and the Libec T68 tripod and H22DV head. Both heads are nice but I think the quality and smooth operation of the T68 is slightly better than the 548B. They both work well with the HMC 150.
 
MadHMC150 said:
Dont the legs fold up upwards letting you get super low?
Click to expand...

yes but you have the center column which is about 40cm and that is not collapse-able so thats your minimum height. Plus that is always too much effort when in a rush!
 
Last edited:
thansk guys i like the look of the 546B. Does look quite light though. I like the fact its lowest height is 30cm compared to 35cm on the 190. The key difference being to achieve 35cm on the 190 you have to fully extend the legs outwards which isnt always practical if limited for space so I usually just reduce the leg height to minimum which only goes down to about 55cm.

the 3.5kg weight of the 546b is much mroe than the 1.8kg of my existing 190XV legs so hopefully this will help out with camera shake. It's funny I've spent ages wanting to reduce the carry around weight of my set up hence going from 501HDV to 701HDV and now I need to add more weight..!

What benefit does the ground spreader give you? I've noticed all high end video tripods have this but I've never owned a tripod with that feature.

Any other suggestions before I go ahead and buy?
 
oh it appears i actually have 055XV legs which are 2.25kg with a min height of 48cm or 61cm the way I do it, which means the 546 would be much lower (just what I want) at 32.5cm. The tallest height is also higher on the 546 so it seems much more versatile in terms of heihg range.

I notice the 546 comes with a mid level spreader or a ground level spreader. What would be the best to get?

The only issue I can see with this spreader is that if I'm on uneven ground I like to quickly pull one of the legs towards the center to give me a level (albeit slightly less stable shot). I dont think I'd be able to do this with the spreader whether it be center or ground level.
 
Ah, yeah it has a fixed center post.

The Libec is also a popular tripod and I read the owners usually love them. I have yet to use one.

Either a ground or mid level spreader is going to give you extra stability. I opted for the ground which gives me a lot more service area on the floor and makes it very hard to move/slide around.

503hdv is a better head then the 501hdv of course, but 2x the money.
 
do you know which Libec model people tend to recommend?

I've read up on the differences between mid and ground level and I think I like the idea of sacrificing a little bit of stability to be able to set up on uneven ground. Plus when outside theres less tripod to get covered in mud!
 
I think ground level spreaders are a big pain in the rear end, and prefer a mid-level spreader that can be kept permanently attached to the legs (or a spreaderless rig like the Miller Solo). Ground level spreaders give you another item to carry around and set up, and they really only work well on flat, smooth indoor floors where you have plenty of free space around the tripod. Then, they make it difficult to move the whole setup "just a little bit" if that is necessary to compose the shot. I pretty much refuse to buy one or even work with one unless there is absolutely no way around it. Just one curmudgeon's opinion.

- GDS
 
yeah thanks guys I think I've decided to go mid level.

One thing I do like is the twist release legs on the gitzo legs. I have an old set and I find it quicker to extend and collapse legs with these rather than the lever release however all similar spec gitzo's I search for seem to be double the price of the manfrotto we're discussing? any reason for that or just bad online shopping on my part?
 
tikigod19 said:
do you know which Libec model people tend to recommend?
Click to expand...

Libec LS-38 is what I was referring too...

Yeah I shoot mostly on clean hard surfaces so ground spreader is where its at. And I don't have to remove them ever so setup/breakdown is a breeze. Also having a ball head will let you get leveled quickly. Trying to level legs by adjusting each one is a PITA, IMO.


Greg Smith said:
I think ground level spreaders are a big pain in the rear end, and prefer a mid-level spreader that can be kept permanently attached to the legs (or a spreaderless rig like the Miller Solo). Ground level spreaders give you another item to carry around and set up, and they really only work well on flat, smooth indoor floors where you have plenty of free space around the tripod. Then, they make it difficult to move the whole setup "just a little bit" if that is necessary to compose the shot. I pretty much refuse to buy one or even work with one unless there is absolutely no way around it. Just one curmudgeon's opinion.

- GDS
Click to expand...

I am not sure why you are ranting on this... I don't have to remove the spreader, it folds up and packs away nicely.
 
Last edited:
lucky I didnt go ahead and buy this as I've done a u-turn and gone 100% DSLR. i now need to look for a lightweight video tripod with the same low min height and also a mid level spreader for speed to set up and collapse when at weddings... any suggestions? This time I promise it will lead to a purchase!
 
Jim Simon said:
They're still a PITA compared to mid-level spreaders.
Click to expand...

To each their own of course... I use them both every day and don't see any difference. I do see a difference however when im shooting a light weight setup with a lot of drag on the head - the legs of the mid level tripod start slipping or hopping around on our smooth floor. I had to keep my hand on the sticks to keep it still. Meanwhile the floor spreader is a rock in comparison and also our mid level with big feet negated the problem too.

tikigod19 said:
lucky I didnt go ahead and buy this as I've done a u-turn and gone 100% DSLR. i now need to look for a lightweight video tripod with the same low min height and also a mid level spreader for speed to set up and collapse when at weddings... any suggestions? This time I promise it will lead to a purchase!
Click to expand...

You may want to look at the 701 and 755xb legs http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...701HDV_755XBK_701HDV_Head_w_755XB_Tripod.html
Its compact, plenty enough stability in the legs for a DSLR and the head is decent...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top