Tripod question...HELP!!!

Adding to David P's comments on the Vision 3.

As of yesterday, I own the Miller Solo 2 stage Carbon fibre legs and the Vinten Vision 3 head. So here my 2cents - based on first impressions / handling.

I took a long time reading though the posts on this site, was close to order this and that and in the end decided for that combo which I ordered through b&h.

The investment at 1850 USD (including shipping) was hefty, but I think it will be exactly that : an investment! I needed something that would not ruin an otherwise great picture from the camera. Unlike David I mainly needed exact slow pans as opposed to the quick changes in direction for sports

Coming from an Manfrotto 501 HDV I'm naturally excited with what I unpacked last night. First movements with the head out of the box were great. Then, after inserting the spring for the weight I was a bit discouraged noticing some very slight "back-lash" when coming to the end of a pan. One of the reasons I decided to put some money on the table had been to get rid of exactly that - as the 501 suffered a lot from that back-lash behaviour. Other than that of course with the 501 you had to decide between stickiness and unacceptable speed variations in pans depending on your drag settings. That problem is definitely gone with the V3

I had read David's comments about the back lash before my purchase, but since all other owners seemed happy, I was hoping is was an isolated problem.
With the Vision 3 it turns out, that by carefully tweaking the weight of the camera or spring to a more optimal setting (in my case adding the follow focus to the rig for additional weight) I got the butter smooth pans (i.e. the perfect start AND stop) I was hoping for. I'm really happy now, even when I attach a tele lense.

As weight varies (greatly) with different lenses attached to the 35mm adapter and changing the spring all the time would be inconvenient, I have also looked at different adjustments one could do on the operator side and found that the right amount of pressure, the handle bar position and the hand resting for 2 seconds on the handle bar after the pan yields great results even if the camera is not optimally balanced.


Greetings,
Fr. Johannes
 
hi donjohannes,

its interesting to hear another persons input on this exact combo. im glad to hear that its working for you.

what camera are you using on it? just curious, what was the most determining factor that made you go with the Vision 3 head over the other obvious choices?

thanks
david
www.davidprobst.com
 
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David, have you tried talking to the guys over at Bad Dog Pictures? I'm in the St. Louis area as well and just contacted them about a much odder adaptation. They aren't afraid of rooting around to find and test the parts if they have them in stock...plus you can actually head down to their store. They'll surely look up the info, talk to others, coordinate with manufacturers, etc.

I've been on a couple shoots where we used Bad Dog stuff, and they seem like some good guys, not to mention helping me out with an adaptation problem.
 
Hi David,

I'm using a DVX100b, with the sgPro 35mm adapter, canon fd lenses and some accessories such as an MM400 lcd with the setup.

While reading through this forum and the entire sticky tripod thread as well as other sites I had several candidates.

Initially I was thinking of the miller dv10 or dv20 head but it was their specific supported weight that was a problem. The DVX solo would ask for a dv10 but the whole rig would be supported only by the dv20. So the spring system of the vision3 gave me that flexibility without the added cost of a vision 6. Additionally some reported stickiness with those millers and apparently that was conceded by a miller rep.

As for other choices. I looked into different things, tracked many high-end tripods (sachtlers) on ebay, but some would not handle the dvx solo very well (their weight specifications were much higher). Some others would say fluid, but digging deeper they woudl turn out to be some fluid friction system as well...

My decision had to be made at some point. I didn't have 8000 USD and so I went with what seemed best for my price range and gave me most flexibility for the future. I knew from your evaluation that I was potentially going to experience that back-lash, but managed to eliminate that problem for the most part by tweaking around with weight and balance and drag settings. For less than optimal setups I try to fine tune my operating of the tripod.

I know, I certainly don't own the best tripod head in the world, but for what my money could buy I'm still very happy.

What about you? Did you end up returning the V3?
 
hi donjohannes,

i kept the Vision 3 head. im very happy with it and like you i adjusted my working tendancies to get good results.

i was looking at the Sachtler back at the time of researching but as i recall it needed a different mounting plate than the one that came with it because the EX1 is so back heavy. the xtra couple of hundred dollars for that plate just didnt make sense to spend just to make it compatible with the EX1 especially for the money they wanted it should have worked out of the box IMO.

i to this day havent been able to play with any of the other HEAD options so i dont really have anything much to compare to except a cheaper Libec that i was using. i can say though that it is doing just what i needed it to do and im always happy to operate it. by the way...the Miller Solo CF legs are very sweet. they go TALL TALL TALL!!! amazing, and with the Vision head? life is good.

good luck to you!
david
www.davidprobst.com
 
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Nick Walters said:
David, have you tried talking to the guys over at Bad Dog Pictures? I'm in the St. Louis area as well and just contacted them about a much odder adaptation. They aren't afraid of rooting around to find and test the parts if they have them in stock...plus you can actually head down to their store. They'll surely look up the info, talk to others, coordinate with manufacturers, etc.

I've been on a couple shoots where we used Bad Dog stuff, and they seem like some good guys, not to mention helping me out with an adaptation problem.
Click to expand...

hi nick,

actually thats where i do all of my rentals. ive also bought quite a bit of lighting gear through them as well. Phil is a great guy over there are they are very good at helping with info as you say.

thanks
david
www.davidprobst.com
 
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