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Old June 10th, 2007, 08:56 AM   #1
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What tripod are you guys using? Suggestions?

I'm shopping for a new tripod for my HD100, and wondering what is popular out there? Currently I have a 503 head and basic 2 stage sticks. With the added weight of the AB battery, mattebox, monitor, wireless mics, 35mm adapter, and 35mm lenses, the tripod can't take it and bobs and flexes with the slightest touch.

My budget for a new tripod is probably around $1000-$1300. Suggestions are appreciated, but I'm mostly interested in hearing what you have and how it's working out for you.
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Old June 11th, 2007, 01:28 AM   #2
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I am an HD110 (with Anton Bauer bateries) owner myself and I also have the Bogen 503 head, which I bought after the camera because it was rated up to 13.5 lbs or something, and I HATE IT. I kinda ges the job done but not that smoothly. And forget about it holding the camera up when not locked down tight. At NAB I checked out the 519 head which is a much stronger/smoother but not that much larger. I LOVED it and will be ordering one soon. Its around $870 from B&H. Or at least I'll get a 516 head for around $550 if I'm feeling too poor. I plan on using my same sticks (Bogen 3181 - rated @44lbs) and just switching out the head.

Hope this helps...
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Old June 11th, 2007, 01:39 AM   #3
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I have the JVC HD201 with a chrosziel matte box and rails and am using the Miller DS20 head and Miller 420 legs.

The head is very smooth, not jerky at all and handles the weight nicely. And the legs are very stable. I can recommend these without hesitation.

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Old June 11th, 2007, 02:44 AM   #4
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Yes, the bogen is appalling. It is a friction head? I had it and the JVC hated it. The camera is really sensitive to movement. I ditched the bogen and bought a a Cartoni Focus Fluide head and it is worlds apart. Part of the true cost of buying the JVCHD110.

Rob
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Old June 11th, 2007, 03:35 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Castiglione View Post
Yes, the bogen is appalling. It is a friction head? I had it and the JVC hated it. The camera is really sensitive to movement. I ditched the bogen and bought a a Cartoni Focus Fluide head and it is worlds apart. Part of the true cost of buying the JVCHD110.

Rob
Hi Robert,
I have the Miller DS10 tripod and it seems ok. I have a mattbox and large battery pack and I was wondering if you think this package would be better with a larger tripod. What are your feelings?
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Old June 11th, 2007, 05:38 AM   #6
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Hi Dennis,

The DS10 is nice tripod. I have used miller and of course it is a professional tripod in a different league to the bogen model mentioned. I think the JVCHD100 weighs in at about 3.5 kgms with lens but without anything else including proper batteries, etc. The DS10 is supposed to carry I think (please correct me) no more than about 5 kgms? How does it feel to you fully loaded up? I guess that is the real test - whether you feel you have the control that you need over the camera. I certainly think this about the Cartoni. If you are ever in the Freo area you are welcome to drop in and give it a whirl to see if you would be happier with the Cartoni.

Rob
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Old June 12th, 2007, 03:06 PM   #7
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tripod quality on a budget...

I bought a gitzo system a few years back, and I'm happy to report that it is one of the few items that I'm still happily using with my current JVC HD system. Here's a link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...er_Tripod.html

$1850 (I paid under $1500 at that time). 75mm bowl.
Lightweight legs, yet very stable - carbon fiber tubes.
Designed without spreaders, great for setting up on uneven surfaces, although the legs have a broad footprint when high. Goes very low, since legs can be released to wider mode (less than 2 feet high).
Simple operation with twist tighten, but this is a 2 hand job FWIW.
Feet are rubber or spike.

The head is very nice for the $. It is designed to be used with interchangeable springs.They take a few minutes to interchange if you use different camera weights, but this wasn't an issue for me. When you have the right spring in place it behaves extremely well. The spring doesn't add significant resistance until the camera is at quite an angle, but it means you'll never have the the camera take a dive tilt, even if it isn't locked down. The resistance for tilt and pan dials in smoothly, and I'm very pleased with the operation, although if you spend twice as much, you'll notice improvement...
The quick release plate allows for quick balancing,and it has a level bubble. A nice padded vinyl case was included. I'd buy it again.

PS: the same head with different finish can be seen on similar weight vintons and manforttos - not sure of those exact model designations - but I recall the identical head was expensive alone.
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Old June 12th, 2007, 03:48 PM   #8
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I recently purchased a Manfrotto 516, 515MVB legs and spreader, and a 357 long plate. I just purchased the 181B dolly wheels as well, which are really handy for studio shooting. I used them this weekend for some cheap tracking shots and with the aid of SmoothCam in FCP6 they work well!

I've used a 503 head with the HD100 and it works fine but I was worried that it wasn't ideal to handle a full rig with the 13x lens, AB batteries, wireless receivers and a DR-HD100. I also wanted 2-stage legs to get over-the-shoulder shots of tall people, so I needed those 515 legs.

I've been relatively happy with the Manfrotto gear overall, I just wish they had a custom hard case for airplane travel. I'm a little concerned for soft case.
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Old June 13th, 2007, 10:25 AM   #9
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I currently have the Bogen 3046 with the 503 head.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...gs_Black_.html

Most of the time, it works fine. However, I find to get nice pans and tilts, or even to make slight adjustments with out making the frame jump everywhere, I need to crank the drag way up. Problems then come in where I need to grip the base of the tripod if I'm following quick action because my moving the head and camera around will cause the tripod itself to lift up off the ground. I've also found that on ocassion, my pans will somehow let loose the drag and the head is then moving about freely. I'm not sure whether this is a defect or I'm just using the tripod improperly.

I'd say this is a fine set of interview sticks for $500, but not for much else.

Tim, could you please explain the use of a long plate on a camera like the HD100?
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Old June 13th, 2007, 05:15 PM   #10
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I use a Miller DS10 which is really good for general work, very quick to set up and adjust and extremely light weight. For longer lens work and difficult pans and tilts I'm fortunate to have a much more expensive and heavier Vinten tripod and p/t head from my Betacam kit.
Any light weight camera and tripod combination is going to be compromised, there's just not enough weight to stabilize the set up and the lightest touch or breeze is going to effect the shot. (the rule in still photography is "light camera, heavy tripod").
Outdoors I sometimes attach the camera case or bag to the tripod, centred under the legs with a rope or cord pulled tight tied the lock nut on the bowl, maybe add a rock or log to the bag for more ballast, this will pull the tripod down and prevent small movements.

Phil Balsdon
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Old June 16th, 2007, 12:24 AM   #11
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anything Bogen for video tripods is junk, except maybe their top of the line legs. all their heads are junk. I've had them apart and you'd be REALLY upset to see whats inside, a couple of plastic discs filled with a tar like grease... thats it.

I've been using a Vinten Vision6 head and its generally pretty nice except at the long end of the lens where it just isn't smooth or steady enough for my tastes. you can make do with it though. The satchler DV6 was ok, skip the DV4 because its too light. once you get used to continuous drag, the satchler mode of settings is a bit of a joke, but they make nice legs.

realistically, you have to spend around $2k to $2.5k to get 2 stage CF legs with a decent head. spend less, and you get less. if you can work with alu legs, you can save a few hundred. Not worth it in the long run, especially if you work in cold climates.

on a side note, I've gotten the wireless off of the camera because I'm now running a FP33 mixer pretty much all the time. the extra stuff is more than worth it.
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Old June 16th, 2007, 08:13 AM   #12
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I've got a set of Vinten 2-stage legs with a 100mm bowl. I just ordered a Cartoni Focus, but now it might be back-ordered for weeks. Bummer.
In the interim, I use my HD200 on a Sachtler Video 18/20. It works fine, although the camera is a bit light for the tripod, and tends to want to zero itself.
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