• DSLR Video

  Dolly Support Gear

  Posted by Brett Hamilton on March 23, 2011 at 3:16 pm

  I have owned my Canon 7D for about 6 months now and think it is time to get the Phillip Bloom signature pocket dolly. However I have a really average tripod and no fluid head so I need to get this equipment also. I am overwhelmed by all the different options and all the different brands (giotto, sachtler, miller, manfrotto etc. not to mention Kesslers own gear). I want good fluid head for nice pans and tilts. I want a sturdy yet portable tripod (it may need to support a jib in the future). I also want to be able to do vertical slides.

  So for this setup I am assuming I will need:

  Below the tripod: A fairly sturdy tripod and a fluid head rotatable to 90 degrees (obviously this will need to be somewhat heavy duty if it is supporting both the DSLR and the slider mounted vertically).

  Above the tripod: Flat mount adapter and a ball head (Like the Giotto 7000 range).

  One thing I am concerned about is interference between the tripod legs and the slider. I don’t particularly want to get the bulky Hercules head because 90% of the time I will be using my fluid head for pan shots and am thinking I want a miller one. However in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLSfkTHeoxM
  ) it shows that the Hercules head, once turned at 90 degrees, extends out far enough so that the slider will not interfere with the top of the tripod. Has anyone had any experience with the slider mounted vertically interfering with the tripod legs?

  So in summary, I want to buy a sturdy tripod and a fluid head for ordinary pan shots. However I need it to be suitable for use with the pocket dolly in both the horizontal setup and vertical setup (in the vertical setup the fluid head will be below the slider and in the horizontal it will be above so I can pan at the same time as sliding).

  Can you provide any input or give any suggestions regarding what would be the best equipment to buy for the setup described above. Please let me know if you think I haven’t considered something.

  Thanks,

  Brett

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  Brett Hamilton replied 15 years, 1 month ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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