C300: What is your tripod/head of choice with the C300 MKII?

[puredrifting]

I have been researching and the best indicators I can find is that the C300 MKII with battery and CF card, weighs about 7 pounds. Does that sound right? As you know, Canon, for some weird reason, doesn't publish the weight officially, but I have heard anectdotally it's about 7lbs? I always forget to put one on a scale when I rent them, usually consumed with setting up the camera/menus/codecs for the next days shoot. Add on a Zacuto Recoil V2 rig, VCT baseplate, possibly a Graticle/LP-E6 battery, small cable and I am thinking that puts me up around 15 or 16lbs? Sound about in the ballbark on weight? My present Sachtler head is rated to twenty pounds. Of course another variable is the lens used. I rarely rent cinema lenses and if I do, I will rent a better head with it so whatever I buy doesn't need to hold a 40lb rig. My most commonly used lenses are going to be the 18-135 STM IS (weighs nothing), 17-55 2.8 IS (pound and a half or two?) and the 70-200 2.8 IS II (3.2 lbs?) So with the 70-200 2.8 IS, I will be pretty close to capacity for my Sachtler. With the other two most commonly used lenses, I think I will be okay.

I know eventually I will need a better head to handle the C300 MKII, if I buy one, but trying to see if I can cut the first few months with just my Sachtler DV6 SB and my Miller Solo DV carbon legs. I know the legs are rated to 44lbs so no problem, but my head feels a little small and light for a heavier setup like I am considering. What do you use with your C300 MKII, particularly for the users who do NOT primarily shoot with cinema lenses? I am thinking I would eventually get either the Sachtler FSB 10T head or possibly the DV12 SB? I used to have a Video 20 for my Betacam and loved it, but the Video 18 and 20 are so much bigger, heavier and more costly. I am pretty much a Sachtler fan, not many other brands I would consider other than Sachtler or O'Connor (I've rented and tried Cartoni, Vinten, Miller over the years and meh, not terrible but not a Sachtler) and I can't afford O'Connor and once again, even if I could, even the small O'Connor heads are relatively heavy. I shoot a lot of run and gun and am hiking around on TV and movie sets so weight and size are a consideration. What say you C300 MKII shooters?

 

[Jim Feeley]

Canon includes weight, etc in their manuals...and the manual says your estimates are about right:



I have a Vinten Vision 3 from a dozen years ago that works pretty well, but that requires specific springs for specific camera weights; a drag, imo. Not shopping for a new tripod right now, though, so I'm not up to date with the options. Though I do end up working on a lot of jobs with Sachtler and O'Connor heads... I'm not much help... :-(

 

[klk]

I have the O'COnnor 1030HDS and Ronford LW 2 stage sticks, and I was also looking for a light weight solution. For sticks I went with Manfrotto 536 CF. Because they are a lot like Miller Solo sticks, but faster to work with. Not as well made, but good enough for me. A completely different design that is a nice compliment to the old fashioned Ronfords. I was really curious about the mid priced E-Image heads, but since Vitec took control of Sachtler their midline prices are quite reasonable (relatively speaking.) I'm going to try a Ronford F3 head for now. I'm actually a fan of the big heavy Ronford heads and old gear in general...

 

[anatusa]

i would not recommend current Sachtler bellow 18th model...

 

[puredrifting]

i would not recommend current Sachtler bellow 18th model...

Including the DV12 SB? I have had the DV6 SB for more than a decade and love it, it's been a rock and I have used the heck out of it. So you are saying that the new DV12 SB is not built to the same quality as my old DV6 SB (Bought it in 2005)? The FSBs look cheaper to me, but the DV12 SB looks just like a bigger version of what I have. Guess I could hunt for a used Video 18, although they are rare to see many of out there.

 

[puredrifting]

I have the O'COnnor 1030HDS and Ronford LW 2 stage sticks, and I was also looking for a light weight solution. For sticks I went with Manfrotto 536 CF. Because they are a lot like Miller Solo sticks, but faster to work with. Not as well made, but good enough for me. A completely different design that is a nice compliment to the old fashioned Ronfords. I was really curious about the mid priced E-Image heads, but since Vitec took control of Sachtler their midline prices are quite reasonable (relatively speaking.) I'm going to try a Ronford F3 head for now. I'm actually a fan of the big heavy Ronford heads and old gear in general...

I've never used or checked out a Ronford. I too like the old stuff but carrying it around is not fun. If I had ACs to do that for me, bring it on! I hardly ever get ACs though.

 

[puredrifting]

Canon includes weight, etc in their manuals...and the manual says your estimates are about right:

View attachment 121545

I have a Vinten Vision 3 from a dozen years ago that works pretty well, but that requires specific springs for specific camera weights; a drag, imo. Not shopping for a new tripod right now, though, so I'm not up to date with the options. Though I do end up working on a lot of jobs with Sachtler and O'Connor heads... I'm not much help... :-(

Yes, I never liked that about the Vintens. Functionally, they are fine but who wants to change springs if you switch around cameras, which I do quite often and I configure my own cameras differently for almost every shoot. If we are not going handheld, I don't rig up all of the shoulder mount and grip relocator stuff.

 

[ChristianMoriarty]

I have the Sachtler FSB-10 for my C300 MKII with the Zacuto VCT Baseplate and it rocks - price point excellent!
It's a Titan in the small class of heads - highly recommended.

 

[jcs]

Current tripods heads are ancient technology. Why aren't there any based on brushless motors which can emulate/simulate anything, be perfectly smooth: programmatically allowing more or less exact, perfect behavior, including holding the camera at any angle etc., perfect pan/tilt speed with smooth in/out while being massively lower cost than the current dinosaur tech? This would also allow the head to be controlled remotely, and to run custom motion control programs. Did someone patent this idea and just sit on it?

 

[Amira-user]

no offense to anatusa but his opinions stems from videos he sees online without actual user experience. i would say the FSB10 with carbon fiber legs is totally fine with a C300ii and photo lenses (which is what you use most of the time), i even tried it with cine primes and it works without a hitch, plus as a bonus, when you carry it onto any airlines or international flights its not super heavy! Just last month i recommended my friend to buy the china made 'secced' tripods. i compare my FSB10 with his secced and couldn't find any difference operational wise, yes secced is made in china but the parts are top quality without the sachtler brand name... At $3960 the FSB10 is indeed the best bang for your buck or save your money and buy secced, B&H carries it!

 

[kohl-sudduth]

I own the FSB-10 with Really Right Stuff legs. The last few shoots I've done, the director and I went back and forth between my set up and his much older and still great Sachtler head and legs - don't know the model, originally owned by Albert Maysles, which I happen to think is extremely cool.

The FSB-10 seems to balance well with both a stripped down and more built up c300mkii rig. Have not used it with a Cine zoom or a heavy lens yet, so no experience to share there.

The RRS legs are super great, but they can be a mixed blessing. I really like the height and build quality, but the footprint is pretty wide. Used the director's Sachtler legs when we needed to fit in a tighter area. Would love to have both options (RRS & Sachtler legs with spreader) eventually, but that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Hope this proves useful in your search.

 

[puredrifting]

Current tripods heads are ancient technology. Why aren't there any based on brushless motors which can emulate/simulate anything, be perfectly smooth: programmatically allowing more or less exact, perfect behavior, including holding the camera at any angle etc., perfect pan/tilt speed with smooth in/out while being massively lower cost than the current dinosaur tech? This would also allow the head to be controlled remotely, and to run custom motion control programs. Did someone patent this idea and just sit on it?

Yeah, but I've got one of these, it's awesome! https://rhinocameragear.com/collections/motorized-slider-bundle

 

[puredrifting]

Thanks for the feedback on the FSB-10 head guys. I'll have to figure out a tripod strategy, if I go for the C300 MKII. I have been very happy with my Miller Solo DV carbon legs for more than a decade. Sachtler legs, in general, work, but have never been a favorite of mine. I hate mid or ground level spreaders, they are a total hindrance for my shooting style. I'll have to have a look around. I could buy the FSB-10, use my Solo DV legs with the C300 MKII and use the cheaper Sachtler more basic legs on my C100 with the DV6 SB?

 

[jm.gardiner]

Don't bother with a 75mm bowl. You'll be happier in the long run if you go with a 100mm bowl. I'd recommend buying a refurbished cartoni on ebay. I have the gamma head. Had it fixed up by cartoni in Burbank after a year of use. Works great with a fully decked out mk2 and an amira.

 

[Run&Gun]

I've been using Vinten heads since I started shooting in the 90's. Started with a 10LF and I've been using the 100 since about '07. I have three 100's all on Sachtler CF Speedlock legs. They handle the range from my fully rigged VariCam's(35lb+), F55, C300 and down to my 5D. 100mm bowl, infinite drag adjustment. Probably the best head you can get, this side of an Oconnor 1030DS, but with +/- 90 tilt and over $1400 less.

 

[jcs]

Yeah, but I've got one of these, it's awesome! https://rhinocameragear.com/collections/motorized-slider-bundle

Ha right on, that's very cool but not what I was suggesting, think of a standard head replacement using big brushless motors, perhaps magnetorheological fluid, etc. Replacing/complementing standard heads in the same way gimbals did for steadicams. These things could be very light compared to standard heads and butter smooth, with touch-sensitive ultra low effort motion for ultra smooth start-stop etc.

I checked out the higher-end gear at Samys and for our locked-shot studio work with the C300 II and Canon 24-70 F2.8 II + iPad-based teleprompter, I ended up going with one of these: http://www.benrousa.com/products/benro-c373fbs8.aspx . While the reviews are pretty good on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Benro-Single-Carbon-Tripod-C373FBS8/dp/B00HWO6D5I/ and BH Photo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1026242-REG/benro_c373fhs8_s8_video_tripod_kit.html, suggest trying out the head in person to see if it meets your quality requirements (got mine at Samy's after examining the various heads and legs).

 

[puredrifting]

Don't bother with a 75mm bowl. You'll be happier in the long run if you go with a 100mm bowl. I'd recommend buying a refurbished cartoni on ebay. I have the gamma head. Had it fixed up by cartoni in Burbank after a year of use. Works great with a fully decked out mk2 and an amira.

View attachment 121549View attachment 121550View attachment 121551View attachment 121552

Wow, impressive setup JM. We had a Cartoni Beta at a production company I wored at. When it was working, it was always nice but it was always broken down and or leaking oil. Kind of soured me off of Cartoni. You are right, I probably should go 100mm though and leave the 75mm for the C100.

 

[puredrifting]

Ha right on, that's very cool but not what I was suggesting, think of a standard head replacement using big brushless motors, perhaps magnetorheological fluid, etc. Replacing/complementing standard heads in the same way gimbals did for steadicams. These things could be very light compared to standard heads and butter smooth, with touch-sensitive ultra low effort motion for ultra smooth start-stop etc.

I checked out the higher-end gear at Samys and for our locked-shot studio work with the C300 II and Canon 24-70 F2.8 II + iPad-based teleprompter, I ended up going with one of these: http://www.benrousa.com/products/benro-c373fbs8.aspx . While the reviews are pretty good on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Benro-Single-Carbon-Tripod-C373FBS8/dp/B00HWO6D5I/ and BH Photo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1026242-REG/benro_c373fhs8_s8_video_tripod_kit.html, suggest trying out the head in person to see if it meets your quality requirements (got mine at Samy's after examining the various heads and legs).

I get what you want, it's just you can't buy that today or for the foreseeable future so we make due with what's available. Thanks for the suggestion but a Benro probably wouldn't interest me, they are kind of inexpensive Chinese stuff. I have a few of their tripod legs and have not been impressed. I am pretty much a Sachtler/O'Connor snob. I may check out Ronford and Really Right Stuff stuff but when I think of tripods, I have owned Sachtlers for more than twenty years, they just feel right and work right for me. I rented Cartonis, Vintens, Millers, etc. O'Connors are great but really costly and heavy while Sachtlers are a lot cheaper and still built really well.

 

[puredrifting]

no offense to anatusa but his opinions stems from videos he sees online without actual user experience. i would say the FSB10 with carbon fiber legs is totally fine with a C300ii and photo lenses (which is what you use most of the time), i even tried it with cine primes and it works without a hitch, plus as a bonus, when you carry it onto any airlines or international flights its not super heavy! Just last month i recommended my friend to buy the china made 'secced' tripods. i compare my FSB10 with his secced and couldn't find any difference operational wise, yes secced is made in china but the parts are top quality without the sachtler brand name... At $3960 the FSB10 is indeed the best bang for your buck or save your money and buy secced, B&H carries it!

Thanks for the advice. Hard pass on Secced, I need something that will last a decade or two but good to hear about your FSB10 experience. I still think I am between the two I pictured above.

 

[puredrifting]

A question wfor the FSB10 users/owners here, did you get the Touch and Go version (that is what my DV6 SB is) or did you get the side load version (I have a cheap Manfrotto that is side load and it's so much better with a big shoulder rig than the Manfrotto sliding plate).