Velbon tripods

[Stefano Alberico]

Hi guys

I am looking for a cheap tripod for my SONY HC96 and I came across the Velbon brand which has a product line for video.
What do you think about the CX-686 ?
http://www.velbon-tripod.com/video.htm
It has a "2-way oil-fluid pan head" which is pretty much what should distinguish it from other cheaper stuff, isn't it ?
I live in EU and therefore I cannot get anything from US in a cheap way. The CX-686 would be about 85€ in my country.
Alternatively a Manfrotto 715B would be available for the same price.
All I need to do is to be able to have pretty steady shooting with my miniDV and eventually put the tripod on a DIY dolly.

Any suggestion or comment?
Thank you in advance.

CIAO
CIPO

[Jack Walker]

I have a Velbon video tripod that is 25 years old and still works fine.

It's not a high end tripod, but I have found it to be very well made and generally works well.

I have other tripods now, but I keep the Velbon because it is very good as a backup or a second camera.

About 7 years ago I wanted a tripod that didn't have the tiny bit of play that was in the Velbon head when rapidly panning back and forth. I looked at a number of Bogens, and they were all worse in this one area. That is to say, the Velbon performed as well or better than the Bogen and was cheaper.

7 years later, Bogen has some different heads. The Velbon and the Bogen have differences that you won't notice until you see them in person. My point is, despite beyond basically an amateur tripod, in my experience the Velbon is very good.

For example, with my Velbon, to level it you have to adjust the length of the legs. A lot of the Bogens now have bowl adjustments.

The Bogens are probably considered better overall and they have the middle-range stuff as well as the low-end stuff. But depending on your needs, I think the Velbon can be fine.

[Stefano Alberico]

Thank you Jack,

that is more then I was hoping for :)
THX
CIPO