Tripod options...again

C

Christian m

Well-known member
I know this kind of has been discussed before, but now sachtler and vinten have made a few changes to their lineups(and additions...).

Basicly I need a larger tripod system than I had for my old cam, the DV6Sb. Did take the system with me last weekend and tested it while on the ground waiting for the heli. At first glance the only big issue are the legs twist WAY to much to be of any use with telephoto. But the head could work as kind of "emergency" solution...if it had 100mm bowl.

Ofcouse it would be nice just to call the dealer and order a Sachtler Video 18 system(or a panther X15)...but then there was the question of money. Another point is the fact I bought the hpx500 primary for shooting the next 8months, with the option for reselling it or keeping and continue working with other projects. That mean that if i let go of the Dv6 system today i need the system i buy for the 500 to work fine with smaller cams as the hpx170.

The shooting conditons here in Norway rules out a lot of options, need to be able to use the tripod in cold winter, it was -30 celcius last winter when shooting. The DV6 head managed this with ease. Libec and Manfrotto are not an option and if the gear in use in Norway gives any direction it's that sachtler pretty much owns the market together with Vinten. But from vintens webpage i can't find that any of the vision 8-11 are rated for use in below zero?

Anyone used the DV12 with Hpx500? The 500 setup are canon kj16x77 lens, idx endura 10 battery and the odd shotgun mic, camera light and a light clamp-on Vocas MB.

At the moment I also consider buying a pair of 100mm sachtler legs, adapter and use the DV6SB head another month when I get to know a bit more regarding needing to be very run and gun with my gear or if a more ridgid system will be needed. I know the ENG crews of NRK(public broadcaster here in norway) use the DV8SB on 75mm cf legs for their Xdcam 2/3" setups which weighs in a lot more than my hpx.
 
I've got the Sachtler 15SB with 2-stage carbon fiber legs and a floor spreader.

It's works really well with the HPX500. It manages the cam body, Hytron 100 battery, 8" Panasonic LCD monitor, and Fujinon HA 16x6.3 with ease. Have also mounted 15" LCD teleprompter system on it, and it handles that too, though I wouldn't try a ton of pans & tilts with it.

Spending the money on the Sachtler was painful at first, but it's been well worth it, and it also works well when I mount my DVX100b on top of it.
 
I have an DV 12 and it works great with the 500. If you're going to use it cine style with all the stuff hung off it get the 15. Eng style the 12 is fine.
BTW read the manual. Tripods can last a long time with proper care and feeding.
If you can, try the tripod you're going to buy.
 
How do Miller and Vinten compare to Sachtler? Anyone used vinten Vision 8 in the winter?

The only thing that i've decided so far are Cartoni, Libec and Manfrotto are not an option...
 
I've been using a Vinten Vision 8 for about 7 years. It's a great tripod. Matched up with Vinten's carbon fiber legs...it's a wonderful thing. Not problems in hot or cold weather.
Jim
 
Another fan of Vinten, here.

I've used the same Vision 6 for eight years now. In fact, I shot a youth deer hunt in December in NW Minnesota a few years back. Worked beautifully.

I was in a pinch a week ago and used a Vinten Pro10DC. We normally only use them for our Z7U's, but I forgot my Vision 6 so I took the 10DC with me and I was very impressed with it. Worked just as well with the 500 as it does with our little Z7U's...and it was only $1300.
 
How does Vinten Vision 8 cope with lighter cameras? Either my old Z1 or a new hpx170 will be a second camera and the tripod should hold that to.

The only reason I'm "sceptical" to vinten are the fact that they only state -40 to +60 temp. range for vision 100 and above....and it's important for my work that a system works good in cold weather. Beside that I know vinten make some great gear, the studio pedestals at the college I studied are from about 1967 and still going strong....
 
Is the Miller Solo VJ an option? Think it can take some weight and it's light.
 
If you use springs in your Vinten, the lightweight of your smaller cameras will only cause the tripod head to want to automatically spring itself back to level. Not a big deal.
 
Vinten discontinued the old vision series and replaced it, which come with a broader range regarding weight it takes. The new Vision 8as seems like good head for the Hpx500.
 
I have the Vision8 and really like it. My biggest complaint is that the spreaders rest on the floor/ground instead of part way up the legs. This sometimes makes it a bit clumsy when working from uneven surfaces.

-Brad
 
I've been using a Miller DV25 for my 500 and for a Betacam before that. I find it to be a lot of tripod for the money. I use it with a teleprompter often even add my EZFX mini jib with no trouble. It's always a good idea to buy more tripod than you need so you can handle add-ons and you'll have greater stability. As for snow, we have some of that around here and that's just one of the reasons I like the mid-level spreader. Good luck.
 
Regardless of what make I'm going with mid spreader, working mostly outdoors rules out ground spreader.

The options so far are Sachtler Dv10/12, Vinten Vision 8AS or maybe Miller 25.
 
To be honest I'm a bit sceptical to Cartoni, only had a about 30 seconds to test one when a friend brought one with alu legs for his gear on a gig. As what goes for value it's very good(or extremly good actually), but put up against its competitors(not in price, but weight range) it comes up short against at least Sachtler. The only vinten head i've been using are the Vision 11 and 100 indoors for larger studio setups, and they both just feel better with no drift back what so ever. Ofcourse being a lot more expensive it's a bit unfair to compare Cartoni Focus to them, but I'm willing to put down a certain amount of cash for a proper but sensible system.

At the moment the Vinten 8AS seems to fit both my budget and demands as it's a tad cheaper than Sachtler DV10 with mid spreader as all the kits the DV10 comes with floor spreader and only the CF option are 2stage. My only concern are there so far are no dealer in Norway that carry Vinten or miller in the way that i can get a hands on test before buying...without travel that is.
 
For some reason i decided to do a small "test" in the Kitchen. Since I forgot to expose the Dv6sb head for enough time in the freezing cold this winter, I chucked it in the freezer for a good 6 hours at least -15 Celsius to see what hawok that would make to it.

First of all it was clear that my short time outside this winter in -30 degress did not expose the head long enough for all the parts to get down to the outside temp.

The Speed balance function which was suppose to keep the camera balanced seem to go a lot stiffer with almost no adjustability at all and as happened before the drag adjusters got stuck.

Anyone got experience to how the larger dv10/12 and video 15 heads handle very low temperatures? Any different from the lower end of the dv series?

Yes I'm a bit picky about this issue as for some parts of Norway we have -5 and lower for about 6 months of the year.
 
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