Tripod performance

ramkuma

ramkuma

Well-known member
You get what you pay for when it comes to tripods. My Davis and Sanford 75 mm Pro Vista ($160.00 at B&H) has basically fallen apart after very minimal use--used three times. To this point, the heads at the top of the legs are cracked, and the mechanism to the tripod head has fallen off.
 
Thanks for sharing. I had that same tripod and it did the same thing... piece of junk. I went up to the Professional 504HD sytem combined with middle spreader 546B tripod. Couldn't be happier.
 
I had major issues finding a good, high quality tripod. I was either looking at $500+ for a decent one of ~$150 for a piece of crap. After massive research and going to various camera stores, I discovered Varizoom and haven't looked back.

I got: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...VZ_TK75A_VZ_TK75A_Aluminum_Tripod_System.html

Very high quality tripod and I put a universal Manfrotto quick-release plate on it. Smooth panning and very stable. I bought the dolly for it too.

Varizoom is one of those brands where you really seem to get good quality for a reasonable price.
 
I bought two of the sanford and davis tripods, 1 at work and 1 for my own. The work tripod came missing parts and I had to rebuild it with parts I machined myself. However My personal tripod came rough, tough, and it makes me happy. I'm sorry you guys got the crappy ones. I imagine those ones are build by stoned teenagers getting $7.25 an hour.
 
I reccomend getting a tripod rated for twice the weight of you rig. I have always used bogen, and have never had any issues. Thes will last a lifetime if taken care of.
 
dwelter said:
Thanks for sharing. I had that same tripod and it did the same thing... piece of junk. I went up to the Professional 504HD sytem combined with middle spreader 546B tripod. Couldn't be happier.
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I second the 504HDV setup, we just got ours in and love it. If your looking for something decent a 501hdv setup is a good start. I would stick with Bogan or Libec for affordable/reliable tripods.
 
I use a libec head on manfrotto carbon fibre legs. An excellent combo. Bought my libec on ebey, 1/2 price. I use my old bogen head, which is terrible ergonomically with my libec legs as my b cam tripod. You will likely need to spend upwards of $500 to $1000 to get a decent tripod. It's not unheard of to spend $2k! A good tripod will outlive you! Can't say the same for the camera,

Here's one of the better tripod reviews I've ever read. Read it and you'll see why. A working pro dissects a good tripod design, and explained to me why I was having problems with hogan heads.

http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=228
 
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Phil1076 said:
I had major issues finding a good, high quality tripod. I was either looking at $500+ for a decent one of ~$150 for a piece of crap. After massive research and going to various camera stores, I discovered Varizoom and haven't looked back.

I got: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...VZ_TK75A_VZ_TK75A_Aluminum_Tripod_System.html

Very high quality tripod and I put a universal Manfrotto quick-release plate on it. Smooth panning and very stable. I bought the dolly for it too.

Varizoom is one of those brands where you really seem to get good quality for a reasonable price.
Click to expand...


I looked at this tripod. What is a "mid level spreader"? I am looking for a tripod that has a smooth pan mechanism. Does this have that? Thanks.
 
I got used Vinten legs with a 150mm bowl and a Vinten Vision 20 head (original price in the $6000 league) for under 500 bucks.
That´s what I call total satisfaction.

Buy good, used professional gear, instead of new, semipro stuff for the same money and you are golden.

Frank
 
ramkuma said:
I looked at this tripod. What is a "mid level spreader"? I am looking for a tripod that has a smooth pan mechanism. Does this have that? Thanks.
Click to expand...
A mid level spreader will stabilize the legs during fast pans. It will help for smoother pans.

But a good head will help even more. You need a combination of both.
 
Beginner question about fluid heads: review referenced by 8 string earlier in this thread talks about 2 friction or drag settings including 0 drag; then I read about some fluid heads (some in the $300 range or so) that say drag is "fixed," others have one drag setting, etc. Assuming "fixed" means no drag adjustment at all I could see that would be fine for panoramic shots of scenery---fluid head would dictate smooth and probably slow pan. However, for fast action following race cars wouldn't a zero drag or some drag setting options be necessary if needed for very fast pan?
 
Yes, Dennis, that about sums it up. A head with multiple drag settings, or a continuously variable drag control, lets you select between a smaller amount of resistance for following action (while still smoothing out jerky movements), or a greater force for extreme smoothness at the expense of maximum pan or tilt speed (most useful for very controlled action, as on a dramatic set or interview). A head with only one setting will be a compromise, although in most cases, my experience is that they tend toward relatively light drag, which I prefer. Therefore, you should be able to use even a fixed-drag head for action work as long as the specific model suits your needs.

The preferred setting will also depend on the weight of your camera rig, with a heavier system requiring more drag to overcome the inertia of moving the camera in many cases. It is mostly a subjective matter, based on how forcefully you like to operate the tripod and what looks best and feels the most comfortable to you.

My main head is a Sachtler with seven numbered drag settings in each of pan and tilt, and my secondary head is a Manfrotto that has continuously variable drag controls. I much prefer the discrete steps on the Sachtler, because it lets me return to a preferred setting easily, without any adjust-test-adjust-test cycles when changing the drag. In practice, I leave both drag settings on position 2 ( out of 7) most of the time, occasionally dial up to 3, and almost never go beyond that. But the heavier drag is there if I ever want it, and the light drag is silky-smooth.

In the end you really just need to try out several different heads with your particular camera rig and decide which one feels best to you, at a price you can afford.

- Greg
 
Greg, thank you for sharing experience--just what I needed to confirm what I read. I am still looking for local shops where I can evaluate and purchase higher end equipment so I have been relying on "virtual" experience from forum members and literature searches followed by purchases from B&H or Adorama.
 
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