Tripod Legs & Head Question

N

NickC

New member
Hey guys, sorry to start another n00b thread, they seem to be in abundance here, but I just want to make sure I'm making a good investment before I spend quite a bit of money...

Anyway, I'm looking into buying a Kessler KC-8 Crane package for my DVX, and am looking for a decent tripod.

I've come across this little combo package here:
http://www.adorama.com/BG503351MVB2.html

And was wondering:
a.) The head says it supports up to 13.2lbs, and the crane is 20lbs. Would I run into any problems here?

and

b.) The price kinda seems too good to be true. I've read that people recommend buying $1000+ tripods for their DVX's, which I just acn't afford at the moment. Would I be better off waiting, or will this be a pretty good tripod?

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Never buy a tripod without trying it first :)
Once you've tried a few pans and tilts you'll know if and how much you'd want to pay for it.
 
The price for that combo is completely normal...adorama is not one of the scam stores that everyone hears about.
 
So while the above info is a great help, no one has really answered my first question.

Will these be able to handle the Kessler KC-8?
 
Don't worry so much about the leg as the head. People on here have reported using that combo with the Kessler with no problem. But the 503 head might not be up to the task of handling the crane over a long period of time, as the weight wears it out. I would suggest just buying the fluid head swivel from Kessler and spare your tripod head.
 
Alright, one last question, sorry to be such a bother...

I'm probably going to end up getting just those sticks, a 501 head, and the fluid swivel head for the crane. Now, my question is, in the instructional fluid swivel video, the guy said that using the it would result in the loss of manual control of the crane.

Does that mean I'll have to shoot with the camera 'locked' in one position and not be able to pan up and down while maneuvering the crane?

That'd be a pretty harsh trade-off.
 
Yes, that's exactly what it means. For those who have a motorized head, though, it makes perfect sense. Also, some people use a crane with a pan/tilt head mounted at the end. This can be a very effective way to shoot films with a short crane. If you look at some of the great shots from many major motion pictures you'll notice that they have many, many scenes which are shot with a very limited - but effective - range of motion.
 
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