tripod leg recommendations for HMC150 and GH1?

[tikigod19]

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...

thanks very much for your reply.
Interestingly I already have 2x 701HDV heads which I'm very happy with so I'm just looking for legs. The 755XBK looks very nice, the only thing its missing is the mid level spreader which after reading up I think I'd like to go for as it sounds like I'll be able to set up the tripod with one hand when in a rush, perfect at a wedding when a bride and groom enter a room and catch you off guard.

Do you get any more stability with the legs that are kind of multi legs.. like the manfrotto 546 and if so is that extra stability a bit overkill for a light DSLR like the Gh1?

in summary I'm after relatively lightweight legs that go as low as possible but still have a decent maximum height, with a mid level spreader. I'd like 3 section as opposed to 4 section so it is nice and fast to set up and probably hollow single legs as opposed to the multi type above (unless someone can advise me otherwise)

 

[tikigod19]

also is this going to be a passing fad or worth considering? I love the idea of quick height adjustment and taking up less space in a crowd. I would still pull out the tripod for speeches and possibly ceremony if there is time but am I mad to consider it?

in fact... thinking about it, I use my glidetrack on the tripod all the time so this isnt an option.

back to tripods..

 

[MadHMC150]

thanks very much for your reply.
Interestingly I already have 2x 701HDV heads which I'm very happy with so I'm just looking for legs. The 755XBK looks very nice, the only thing its missing is the mid level spreader which after reading up

I was impressed with the strength of the 755 legs.. they are way thicker and stronger than the 190 series (which I wouldn't recommend for anything but pictures). When it comes to how quick you are going to setup it really has to do with leveling. On cheap tripods you have to mess with each leg. On both the 755 and the 546 there is a ball head function that will let you level the quickest way possible. Funny you mention the glidetrack... we used a zazaslider with the 755 legs and a 7D and loved the results. The 546 legs are going to be more stable but at the same time those sticks are big and a lot heavier.

About the monopod - I tried one like that and never really used the head much... I just use a standard beefy bogen monopod. If I am going to be run and gun or on long shoots ill use a HaloRig Mini (for dslrs) so I can get both moving shots and set it down whenever I need to on the monopod.

 

[tikigod19]

i'm in the process of building a DSLR frame at the moment as the flash bracket technique I tried last time went horribly wrong.

Ok at 3.5kg compared to the existing 055's 2.2kg that I have means the 546 legs are out realistically. The 755 are not really that different in height range and weight to the 055's I already have.

Someone swears by the Velbon 538 on here so i'm now considering that as a cheap legs only option with mid level spreader. at 2.1kg its a fraction lighter than what i've got but the minimum height of 59cm is no less than what I'm used to which along with the mid level spreader is the reason for changing legs.

I'm really stuck.

 

[MadHMC150]

I recommend buying from a reputable dealer and go with your gut - you always can exchange.

 

[Bucknfl]

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.



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...

I never liked the way mid level spreaders causes the tripod legs to move further out as you go higher, it's much easier to tuck in to tight places with a ground spreader.

 

[Greg Smith]

I never liked the way mid level spreaders causes the tripod legs to move further out as you go higher, it's much easier to tuck in to tight places with a ground spreader.

Depends on the spreader. Each arm of the (mid-level) spreader in my Sachtler can be adjusted for length. I usually leave them extended all the way because that gives you the broadest and most stable footprint, but you can slide them in to pull the legs closer together as well. (This is one of those things that demands a picture and is very difficult to describe in words, I'm afraid!)

- Greg

 

[MadHMC150]

I never liked the way mid level spreaders causes the tripod legs to move further out as you go higher, it's much easier to tuck in to tight places with a ground spreader.

Totally agree..

Depends on the spreader. Each arm of the (mid-level) spreader in my Sachtler can be adjusted for length. I usually leave them extended all the way because that gives you the broadest and most stable footprint, but you can slide them in to pull the legs closer together as well. (This is one of those things that demands a picture and is very difficult to describe in words, I'm afraid!)

- Greg

Good point, good floor and mid level spreaders are adjustable and lock down to a desired spread.

 

[Bucknfl]

Depends on the spreader. Each arm of the (mid-level) spreader in my Sachtler can be adjusted for length. I usually leave them extended all the way because that gives you the broadest and most stable footprint, but you can slide them in to pull the legs closer together as well. (This is one of those things that demands a picture and is very difficult to describe in words, I'm afraid!)

- Greg

Yes I've used that mid level spreader and am not a fan of that adjustment. To each his own. I have a Sachtler video 18 and its on its 3rd camera, and 12 years old. Sachtler is an investment that will last longer than a lifetime.

 

[Greg Smith]

Yes I've used that mid level spreader and am not a fan of that adjustment. To each his own. I have a Sachtler video 18 and its on its 3rd camera, and 12 years old. Sachtler is an investment that will last longer than a lifetime.

To be honest, I'm not overly impressed with that set of sticks in general. I bought my DV-6SB head a few years back, and didn't have any legs with a 75mm bowl to use with it then, so I went for the cheap Sachtler aluminum set offered bundled with it. I can't say enough good things about the head, which does everything I want it to and is very precisely built and beautifully finished. But the legs are not up to the same standard. They're not especially rigid, especially in the "twisting" plane, and don't adjust as smoothly or lock as tightly as I would expect based on the quality of the head. (However, the finish and workmanship are top-notch as you would expect.) I've heard good things about the Miller Solo spreaderless carbon fiber legs, and plan to at least try them out sometime soon as a potential replacement. A lot of my work is outdoors, often on uneven and/or soft and muddy ground.

- Greg

 

[Michael Carter]

I've got a Miller solo setup... and a Manfrotto 503 with the beefy 351MBV sticks.

I've put an 8' Kessler on the manfrotto setup... that may eventually tear it up, but man, it's tough.

The Miller setup (the head is the DS10) cost about twice the manfrotto. The head is a bit smoother... can't say if it's $500 smoother though. The sticks are the alloy ones, they're lightweight and strong, and they snap-outwards like my stills legs to go very low.

When you get rails, matte box and FF on a DSLR, you'll wish you spent more on a head though! There are used 503's on ebay from time to time in the $200-$300 range.

One awesome thing about the better manfrotto video gear - it all uses the same plate & release; there's a really butch release plate for about $60 that you can bolt to all sorts of rigs; and CPM makes a carbon mounting system (uses the same manfrotto plates) for $30. So you can really have a system-approach to mounting. I'm about to buy a 701 head to dedicate to my slider, the 4 minutes it takes to swap a 75mm bowl head from tripod to slider is just too much some days.

On the other hand, just a spare Miller plate is about a hundred bucks... makes it harder to tale the system approach. I don't know if you can even get a Miller QR system for rig mounting.

So, I just bolt a Manfrotto release system to the miller's camera plate and everything matches up on set.