Tripod question!

anatusa

anatusa

Veteran
Hey everyone!

I need to buy a tripod and really has no clue in it! i was recommended to get a manfrotto 504 head - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...to_504HD_546BK_504HD_Head_w_546B_2_Stage.html

or something from Libec, what do u think is better if we look at same price range?

has anyone used them? what are the good and bad sides?

also what kind of legs would you buy?

if say true i was looking at the price range under 1000usd, but would love to hear comments and on more expansive models too! So post your equipment here with some description and price maybe
 
I have the Vinten Vision Blue, cant compare it with those you mention but I love the Vinten, perfect balance & no spring back - very solid piece of kit
 
A high quality tripod and fluid head is something that will last a lifetime if taken care of.
My advice, don't waste your money buying a cheap unit that you will then need to replace yet again.
Also plan for the future by getting something which will support your future camera purchases as well.
And pay attention to the payload the head will support. In other words don't get a head which will support a max weight of 12 pounds if in the future you might fly a camera which weighs 30 pounds. For example... The AF100 weighs say 4 pounds, but I regularly configure it with accessories that weigh around 25 pounds.

Good Luck!

Dave
 
Vinten and Sachtler are your best pick for both the fluid head and legs. I evaluated the Vinten Vision Blue/3AS, and Sachtler FSB 6, and found them slightly undersized for a moderately- to heavily-accessorized AF100. If you intend to use a bare AF100, then they are fine. The next model up is the Vinten 5AS, nice, but tends to be costly. Sachtler FSB 8 (and discontinued DV 6 SB) models are perfect at up to 20 lbs (9 kg) payload. You can mix and match legs to these heads too. Of course, native legs work well, and people like Miller Solo DV for low ride. Hope this helps.
 
Check out the miller ds20 with solo legs. I got one for around 1500 in carbon fiber.

I wouldn't touch the manfrotto stuff, just my exp but every time I've used them they have been very poor quality.

Miller or sachtler are fantastic and as stated above it's very worth spending to get quality.
 
I've been shooting with a Libec for about a year and am quite happy with it, but I'm in the enthusiastic amateur class, and am not a pro. The line does not seem to carry the "brand premium" that Vinten and Sachtler have (Vinten, Sachtler and Manfrotto are all owned by the same company - Vitec). As well, the reviews have been very good and they seem compare nicely quite with the Sachtlers and Vintens.

http://www.dvuser.co.uk/content.php?CID=228
 
I've had my Sachtler 18III with both light weight and heavy duty carbon fiber sticks for many years and know it'll last me just as many more years into the future.
 
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Depending on where you are at here are my suggestions:
Bogen/Manfrotto: HDV504. This is the absolutely cheapest tripod I could consider buying for an AF100. Its actually the first low end bogen tripod I actually like, it works with a barebones AF100, but offers you limited room to grow. My only complaint is that unlike past Bogen/Manfrotto tripod heads you can't remove the built in 75mm ball to swap with a 100mm or to simply screw onto a 3/8" thread. This allowed for us to mount the head in interesting places.
HDV509 - I only got to play this when our rep brought one in to test. I really like it. only downside is limited amounts of counterbalance options and again the ball is not removable.

Cartoni Focus - In my opinion the winner in the performance/price ratio. They now offer the Focus HD which is even nicer but also slightly more expensive. The reason I like the cartoni so much is that it can balance anything from a 4lbs naked camera, to a fully loaded AF100. I own one and have used it with my AF-100 with rods, FF, V-mount battery counterweight, 7" Marshall monitor, and mattebox no problem.

Satchler - If you can afford it, get one. My only problems with the satchlers is that they don't offer continous counter balance like the cartoni but rather its different steps. 90% of the time my rig will fall in between the steps, which means I can't get it to balance perfectly. This bugs the OCD part of me tremendously. The newer versions have more counterbalance steps so this is somewhat mitigated.

O'Connor - 1030HD ....mmmm so nice. Probably the best of the smaller tripods I've worked with, but also by far the most expensive.

Libec - Not a huge fan of them. I own one of their lightweight LS22 tripods that I should probably sell at some point. The RS-250 is almost as much as a Focus but has a higher minimum weight and a lower maximum weight. The H38 has a fixed counter balance, which again I find highly annoying.
 
Always loved vintens, so i found an older, used vision 11, and i'm very happy i did. A good vinten or sachtler or cartoni will last for years; buy a used one if funds are limited, and then you don't even need to consider replacing it. Make sure you get something big enough to handle a bigger camera - a loaded af100 can get heavy, especially if you end up renting a big cinema lens.
 
For 1000 dollar budget I think the 504 is the only choice, but you've got a 16lb limit. But for the limited time I've used it it's very nice.

For 2000 you can get a focus and miller solo vj legs which is a great setup and has a limit of 26lbs.

After that my choice would be a sachtler 15 or 18 but then your getting to the 3-5000 range for head only.
 
I have gone through several Manfrotto tripods and have never been very happy with any of them, despite spending close to a $1,000 for sticks and head. My beef is mainly with the quality of the Manfrotto fluid heads ( they are not smooth and do not lock-down properly ), so my next tripod is going to be one of the new Libec RS tripods. Here's a couple reviews to check out:

Nigel Cooper's Review of the Manfrotto 504HD Head

Nigel Cooper's Review of New Libec RS Series Tripods

Libec RS-250M : $749 on Sale
 
evsdan said:
Depending on where you are at here are my suggestions:
Bogen/Manfrotto: HDV504. This is the absolutely cheapest tripod I could consider buying for an AF100. Its actually the first low end bogen tripod I actually like, it works with a barebones AF100, but offers you limited room to grow. My only complaint is that unlike past Bogen/Manfrotto tripod heads you can't remove the built in 75mm ball to swap with a 100mm or to simply screw onto a 3/8" thread. This allowed for us to mount the head in interesting places.
HDV509 - I only got to play this when our rep brought one in to test. I really like it. only downside is limited amounts of counterbalance options and again the ball is not removable.

Cartoni Focus - In my opinion the winner in the performance/price ratio. They now offer the Focus HD which is even nicer but also slightly more expensive. The reason I like the cartoni so much is that it can balance anything from a 4lbs naked camera, to a fully loaded AF100. I own one and have used it with my AF-100 with rods, FF, V-mount battery counterweight, 7" Marshall monitor, and mattebox no problem.

Satchler - If you can afford it, get one. My only problems with the satchlers is that they don't offer continous counter balance like the cartoni but rather its different steps. 90% of the time my rig will fall in between the steps, which means I can't get it to balance perfectly. This bugs the OCD part of me tremendously. The newer versions have more counterbalance steps so this is somewhat mitigated.

O'Connor - 1030HD ....mmmm so nice. Probably the best of the smaller tripods I've worked with, but also by far the most expensive.

Libec - Not a huge fan of them. I own one of their lightweight LS22 tripods that I should probably sell at some point. The RS-250 is almost as much as a Focus but has a higher minimum weight and a lower maximum weight. The H38 has a fixed counter balance, which again I find highly annoying.
Click to expand...

thank you all guys for all your comments! and you are more then welcome to post even more!!

about that cartoni focus HD is that what u talking about?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/740392-REG/Cartoni_F126_F126_FocusHD_System.html

regards
 
The 100mm part of it doesn't really matter when you are at this level of weight. The bigger the ball the more friction, the more weight it can hold.

75mm ball head usually means a smaller head, lighter sticks, lets rigidity, less maximum weight which typicially means cheaper. - HDV cameras ect. Relatively new standard only possible now that cameras don't weight a ton.
100mm was the standard for 16mm productions, and most ENG news type tripods and heads that handle cameras up to 40-50lbs. This is probably the most
150mm ball and Mitchell mounts are the standard in the 35mm world of heavier cameras and high end tripods.

Talk to a news/docu guy who's been shooting for more than 10 years and he'll call the 75mm ball tripods baby tripods and laugh. Talk to the 35mm 1st AC guy who used to haul around panavision gold systems and he'll laugh at anything less than 40lbs steel ronford legs with a mitchell mount. Its all about perspective.
 
RJS said:
For 1000 dollar budget I think the 504 is the only choice, but you've got a 16lb limit. But for the limited time I've used it it's very nice.

For 2000 you can get a focus and miller solo vj legs which is a great setup and has a limit of 26lbs.

After that my choice would be a sachtler 15 or 18 but then your getting to the 3-5000 range for head only.
Click to expand...

Why jump to the Sachtler 15 or 18? The DV 12 SB seems about perfect for the AF100 to me.
 
Steve R said:
Why jump to the Sachtler 15 or 18? The DV 12 SB seems about perfect for the AF100 to me.
Click to expand...
Just for the weight capacity. Actually today I had both an 18 and dv 12 and I preferred the 18 especially with full size Mattebox, ff, and 17-50 red lens.
 
How much do you want to spend on a tripod? Sky is the limit, really. I think you hinted to a thousand... Among the recommended models, pricing runs a huge spread from under a kilobuck to over $7K. This is a wide gamut. To be more realistic, it would be helpful to know the budget expectation so that the recommendations can be more focused.

Besides the brand (overall quality), one needs to consider the tripod application, which typically boils down to transport weight/length, height range, spreader position, and payload capacity. For a run-and-gun configuration, a lighter smaller less expensive tripod would do nicely. If it is studio work with heavily accessorized camcorder (what's the total weight?), a larger system is needed. I mean, look at these models discussed last:

Sachtler FSB 8 SL MCF, p/n 0775
Payload 1 - 9 kg / 2 - 20 lbs
Weight (without cover/bag) 5.2 kg / 11.4 lbs
$2,205.80

Sachtler 15 SB ENG 2 MCF, p/n 1563
Payload 2 - 16 kg / 4 - 35.3 lbs
Weight (without cover/bag) 7.1 kg / 15.7 lbs
$6,740.40

Sachtler 18 S1 ENG 2 MCF, p/n 1863S1
Payload 2 - 18 kg / 4 - 40 lbs
Weight (without cover/bag) 8.4 kg / 18.5 lbs
$7,302.10

Is it an option to spend $7K? Even used, Sachtlers run 50-75% their new price. Still substantial.
 
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