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Tripod question
I am looking for recommendations for tripods. It is time for me to get a higher quality than what I have ‘DAIWA’ it has been O.K. for what I do, mostly interviews and documentary. It is suppose to be able to handle up to 10 lbs. Panning is difficult to stay smooth. I have felt better fluid heads. I am somewhat familiar with Manfrotto brand, I am open to all suggestions. My goals is to have consistent tension for panning, solid legs, etc.
Sz
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8 Replies
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Manfrotto, O’Connor, Sachtler all make great fluid pan heads. Expect to pay a grand for a good head (or more) and about that much for good legs, in carbon fiber.
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Thank you for the response
Sz -
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with a little Manfrotto 502HD head that I recently got for lightweight run-n-gun stuff. It’s available in flat base or ball base. I bought the flat base one so I can use it on a slider when I need to. I also got a half-ball adapter so I could use it on regular bowl sticks.
It’s about at your weight range, and is a decent head.
No, it’s not quite in the league as the Oconnor head I usually use as my primary head… but it weighs a fifth as much. And at about 200 bucks it is literally 1/20th the price.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Thanks this was very helpful…
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Stay away from Manfrotto, they are generally terrible when it comes to properly counter-balancing a camera rig.
With a properly balanced video head you can swing your camera in any direction then let go and the camera will stay exactly where you let it go without having to lock anything.
Over the past 10 years I’ve owned 5 different Manfrotto heads and all of them had the same poor counter-balancing problem.
Here’s my list starting from the cheapest video tripod that can properly balance a camera rig…
Benro A2573FS6 Tripod with S6 Head : $300
Sachtler Ace M Tripod and Head : $560
Libec RS-250RM Tripod and Head : $772
Libec RS-350RM Tripod and Head : $1,100
Libec RS-450RM Tripod and Head : $1,250
Vinten VB-AP2M Vision Blue Tripod and Head : $1,210
Vinten VB3-AP2M Vision Blue 3 Tripod and Head : $1,830
Sachtler 0475 FSB-6 Carbon-Fiber Tripod System : $1,804
Sachtler 0772 FSB-8 Tripod System : $1,935
All of these are excellent choices with great video heads, just pick one that can handle the weight range of your camera rig and that fits your budget.
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wow, this is very helpful. Thank you so much for such detailed information. This list is in my budget…..
Best….Suzin
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Vinten HEADS are good… OTOH, Vinten LEGS and spreaders were so frustrating to us, a day of using them.. scratch that; *trying* to use them, would make you angry enough to kick puppies.
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Think of a tripod as two pieces: the legs & the head. If you have budget constraints, buy the best head possible, and spend less on the legs (aluminum, for example, is heavier, and thus cheaper than carbon fiber). I have a fifteen year old Sachtler rig that still works flawlessly — silky-smooth action. I mention this only because a quality tripod will far outlast whatever camera you’re currently using. So don’t “cheap-out” — invest in your career with quality gear…
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