Should I stick with my 701HDV, or going for something a little stronger?
 

I currently have the Manfrotto 701HDV head. I used this for my Canon HF10, which weighs a mere 1.5 pounds. I now have the Panasonic HMC150, which is bigger and heavier. Should I continue using the 701HDV, or go for something a little stronger?

Hi, Wendell.................
 

What do you think?

What are your video results like with the new camera and the 701?

Are you happy with them?

If yes, why change.

If no, what is your budget to upgrade?

There is no "keeping up with the Joneses" here, either the gear does its job or it doesn't.

So, where are you in regard to the Joneses, then, and how deep is your pocket?


CS

Re: Should I stick with my 701HDV, or going for something a little stronger?
 

Depends on your needs. I had an hmc150 and a 701 and the only time they were mated was on my slider or my TelePrompTer where it was pretty much there to adjust the camera angle. For pan and tilt I used a 501hdv, got frustrated with that, tried the 503hdv, got frustrated there and finally jumped in with both feet and got a Sachtler fsb6 with carbon legs. (also switched from the 150 to an xf300 which makes smoothness even more critical) Now I can pan and tilt properly! There's plenty of other solutions (and threads on them all) so choose what your budget will allow and remember the tripod should outlast many cameras so buy it only once! Since I'm working in full hd in situations where I may be zoomed all the way in and it's a one time only shot....I can't afford to have my gear ruin a shot. And with the Manfrottos (which I still have for static shots) it happened one too many times.

I think everyone should try this test...zoom all the way in on a moving subject (having a friend ride a bike around works great) and follow it around as smoothly as possible. Or take a piece of posterboard and draw a figure eight pattern on it and try to follow the pattern as smoothly as possible while zoomed all the way in. Take the footage home and watch it on the biggest tv you have. If youre happy...cool! If not, start saving for a better tripod.