Upgrade from 503HDV head. Vinten Blue or 3AS...?

D

Drcoffee

Well-known member
Hi There

I'm looking to get a new tripod. I have a Manfrotto 503HDV head with 525MVB legs.

I'd be using a Sony Z7 and GH1 (Bare, and with a follow focus/monitor rig).

I like the look of the Vinten Blue or Vinten 3AS. Would I see a reasonable performance increase over my 503HDV head? And would the Vinten 3AS be worth the extra money over the Vinten Blue?

Thanks in advance.
Jon
 
You might want to look at the Manfrotto 504. It was a pretty nice improvement over my 503 for not much more. It uses the same plates but it uses a bowl instead of the 3/8 screw though you can adapt. Beware, the handles are interchangeable, but you have to buy new clamps as the splines are different. Manfrotto in NJ has them for something like $15. I have found the 504 to be much better than the 503, smoother panning, better counterbalance, and much more robust. The 504 uses longer plates, but both Manfrotto styles will work. Sorry, I can't speak for the Vinten.

Grant
 
Hi Jon,

I've no experience of the 3AS, but own a Vision Blue.

If your camera rig is safely within the Vinten VB's range (2.1kg-5kg) then you should be fine with that. The 3AS has the same sort of counterbalance range - but at a much higher centre of gravity of 125mm, which is too much for smaller cameras. I'm sure it performs better, being more expensive, but it's really aimed at bigger cameras I think.

However, you may have problems with a bare GH1. I have a feeling it may be too light for the minimum counterbalance on both the VB and the 3AS. Anything less than 2kg on my Vision Blue and the counterbalance is no longer perfect, and you will get the camera creeping up and down if you tilt away from the horizontal. You can always use the tilt lock, but that might cause a jolt to the picture.

There may be options from other manufacturers - Sachtler FSB-6 may be a good alternative if you're not too hung up on the Vinten brand. Manfrotto 504HD may be an option, but reviews are mixed.

Having used both Sachtler and Vinten (and Manfrotto, Libec and other cheaper makes), I find the Vinten's smoothness and drag (and next to zero drift-back) to just pip my Sachtler experience into second place.
 
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Cheers Guys, So is the Vision Blue a kinda 2AS in the range, and not necessarily a budget range head?
 
Sort of - it's like a 3AS for smaller cameras, if that makes sense. It is based on the older Vision 6, which was a respected pro-level tripod; it's the same pro-level drag, fluid, build quality etc., but just re-sprung to suit smaller cams. 3 years ago you would've paid twice as much as the cost of the VB to put a $10,000+ camera on it.

It's head and shoulders above the other 'budget' tripods like 503HDV, Libec LS- series and so on. Manfrotto 504HD and Libec RS- tripods seem to have got closer to Sachtler and Vinten, but there's still a gap, from what I can tell.

I'm not saying it's the only tripod out there, but it's a very worthy contender.

Jon, I'm not sure how far away Nottingham is from Bury St Edmunds, but you might be able to arrange a visit to try out the tripods at Vinten HQ (or maybe try one of the pro video dealers). CVP in Studley (www.cvp.co.uk) or ProAV in Hemel Hempstead (www.proav.co.uk) may allow you to try before you buy. Choosing a tripod is very difficult, and there's a lot of personal preference and opinion that goes into it. The dealers have the advantage of having other brands to try.

Peter Harman at Vinten is the one to contact to try to arrange a test drive, you can contact him via the "Ask Pete" link on the Vision Blue webpage: www.vinten.com/blue (Don't mention me, he'll probably say "oh no, not him again"!)

The Blue is priced remarkably; it may help that it is from a British company and we don't have to get whacked by import and taxes and exchange rates; mine was £750 including post to Ireland, which I feel is remarkable value for money.
 
Hi Mike, Thanks for getting back to me. Great info appreciated. I think I'll give Vinten a call then.

Jon
 
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