Sachtler DV12SB reviews

[Paul Cronin]

HI all,

I am selling my two tripods since I need one in-between and am looking for a lightweight solution and fast setup for my quick paced shooing.

Selling Miller DS 20 with carbon solo sticks. OK for smaller cameras but I never really used this system.

Also selling Vinten Vision 100 with Carbon Fibertec sticks. This was a go to when I used F800, Red One and other full size eng cameras. But now I am going to FS7. This really is an amazing setup but I fly about 150 flights a year and stopped taking it along due to too much weight.

So I have been all over the place searching and like the Sachtler DV12SB fluid head. As for sticks I am looking at the Sachtler CF-100eng 2CF but read some bad reviews. And then also the 100mm Miller solo Carbon legs.

I do need to get low at times and that leads me to the Miller legs.

Be interested in some input.

[Chris Soucy]

G'day, Paul...........

The 100mm Solo's certainly are versatile, no doubt about it, BUT......... those three concentric twist locks per leg would drive me nuts in pretty short order. That's a mind numbing 18 twists from collapsed to collapsed!

I'm currently re- tasking a set of Sachtler 75 CF Speedlocks ( Speed Lock 75 CF - Sachtler) from very average video platform to bees knees lightweight super quick stills rig - one (1) latch per leg! Yay.

Not everything in the garden is rosy, the non detachable spreader sucks, but as it's main purpose is landscape and not macro bug hunting, I can live with it.

Mated with a Manfrotto 520Ball (520BALL 75Mm Bowl With Knob 520BALL - Others | Manfrotto) and a MXPRO 3 way head (X-PRO 3-Way Head With Retractable Levers & Friction Controls MHXPRO-3W - 3 Way Adjustable Heads | Manfrotto) it works very well indeed.

With that in mind, have you given any thought to something like the Sachtler 100mm Speed Lock CF's (Speed Lock CF - Sachtler) or, hernia notwithstanding, the gut busting Speed Lock CF HD's (Speed Lock CF HD - Sachtler)

For those "bite the dust" low shots maybe a high hat with the Sachtler SpeedLevel clamp, it appears to be shorter than the standard one (I'd link it but it won't let me).

Just some food for thought.


CS

[Paul Cronin]

Thanks Chris for the input.

Your still rig looks nice. For stills I use Really Right Stuff tripod and head and have been very happy.

I am going for light and feel that is a very important factor. If it is too heavy is just won't come along. So the Sachtler DV20 might even be too heavy for my FS7 rig. I do not use long glass in my work very often. But to match the DV20 I was looking at these sticks from Sachtler:
ENG 2 CF - Sachtler

I might go 75mm but I have to look over the weights load capacity on the head to know if that makes sense. The FS7 is a light rig.

[Richard D. George]

I also use RRS gear for stills. Have you looked at the RRS FH-350 video fluid head? As a package, with CF legs and a leveling base, the total package weight is just under 10 lbs, and the fluid head load rating should be plenty sufficient for an FS7 setup.

I have no direct experience with the RRS fluid head, but it appears that Philip Bloom has been using it.

[Paul Cronin]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the input, I did not know RRS had a fluid head that could handle 20lbs plus. Will go check it out now.

Update post:
I just checked on RRS site and sent them an email going over my weight requirements. The head looks great and I have the heavy duty carbon sticks they make and they are excellent. Will return with their response.

[Paul Cronin]

Here is the response from RRS. Too bad that might have been a great options if it was designed for 10-15 lb rigs

Hi Paul,

It's important to note what those two ratings are referring to. The 50lb load capacity refers to the tilt axis lock, which can hold about 50lbs of low-CG weight. This would obviously be less for taller rigs.

The 10lb recommendation refers to the counter-balance spring system, which will only counter-balance up to 10lbs at about 5 inches above the til axis. This means that beyond that weight/height, you will see diminished performance of the counter-balance system, and the head will require more input from you to prevent the head from tilting fore or aft under such load.

The head will certainly work with setups over 10lbs, but the handling will be less than ideal in the tilt axis if you rely heavily on the counter-balance for smooth tilts.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[Richard D. George]

Paul:

Interesting. On the Philip Bloom BTS photos from the CNN project, it looks like Philip had an F55 on the RRS fluid head.

Another thought - Sachtler FSB-8 head on Gitzo or RRS CF tripod legs with a 75mm bowl. I have two such set-ups (with smaller FSB heads), but my payloads are a bit less than what you will have. Either the Gitzo or RRS legs are far more rigid than the Sachtler CF 75 Speedlock legs, in my experience. I got rid of the Sachtler legs.

[Paul Cronin]

A F55 on the RRS head far exceeding what they told me to use. I guess if you keep the tilt minimum it would be OK. They are talking about doing a bigger head since the success of the 350.

Great idea using the FSB-8 on the RRS sticks I own. Nice savings and a really light setup. How do you connect to RRS sticks? Do you use their leveling base and screw on the FSB-8? And what is the difference between the FSB-8 and FSB-8T?

Great input on the legs. I have not read great reviews on the Sachtler 75mm Speedlock legs.

[Richard D. George]

If you have an RRS Series 3 tripod, there is a direct 75mm bowl adapter that replaces the top "shelf" of the RRS tripod, and the Sachtler FSB-8 head goes straight into the 75 mm bowl.

If you have an RRS Series 4 tripod, there is another adapter that allows the use of the aforementioned 75mm bowl adapter for Series 3 tripods.

The good folks at RRS should be able to provide you all the details.

[Richard D. George]

For RRS Series 3 tripods, the RRS part you need is TA-3-VB, called Versa Series 3 Video bowl.

For RRS Series 4 tripods, you need the TA-3-VB, plus a TA-4-AA3, called a Series 4 to Series 3 Tripod Apex adapter.

[Paul Cronin]

Thank You Richard,

You had just the information I was looking for and opened my eyes to the RRS option.

I just ordered the TA-3-VB. Friday I will order the FSB-8 head since I have to wait till next year.

[Richard D. George]

You are most welcome. I have no affiliation with RRS, other than as a customer.

I just bought from them a rail and a QR clamp. My DSLR's, which I use for both stills and video, have RRS plates, which I prefer to leave on the bodies. My latest DSLR is a Sony a7S, which has the RRS custom plate. The rail and QR clamp from RRS allows me to rapidly switch between:

1) hand-held
2) tripod use for stills with a ball head
3) tripod use with a video fluid head.

The trick is that the base plates on the camera bodies are perpendicular to the alignment of the tripod quick release plates. The RRS rail fits perfectly into a Kessler Qwik receiver, and the clamp solves the perpendicular problem. I will do a separate post with photos, likely after the upcoming weekend. This issue is better explained with photos.

[Paul Cronin]

Yes, their quick release plates are great. I have one on their 55 heads for my still work and have plates for Olympus OMD EM1 camera, Canon 1DX, and 5D MKIII. All the plates are setup to use the camera horizontal or vertical, and as you said Richard, a nice quick lock.

Also do not work with RRS just a very happy customer. And a company that makes it all in the US and designs it in the US.

Now with one pair of sticks I have two tripods.

[Chris Soucy]

Ahem............

I'm tempted to post my original here, stripped of extraneous waffle, and see if you can find any reference to me suggesting that you use Sachtler 75 CF's for your set up. I didn't and would't.

The whole reason the 75 CF's have been RE - TASKED to stills is that they are an exceedingly poor video platform, because of their propensity to wind up like a rubber band during moderate to high drag panning, a direct result of their novel but pathetic 2:1:1 format construction.

For stills such wind up is irrelevant, as there should never be any reason for them to experience such forces whilst performing their tasked function (unless you have a 3 foot lens mounted in a howling gale, even a block of concrete wouldn't solve that problem).

Of the options I actually put forward the SpeedLock CF had the best spec with regard to your requirements, it is at least a 2:2:1 design and over 1.5 kilos heavier than the 75 CF's, so should be infinitely better with regard to wind up. It's still only 3.5 kilos from memory and has the major advantage of only ONE lock per leg, not PER SEGMENT.

I take it from previous posts, you have opted for a total 1:1:1 etc approach, the most inferior solution for video purposes, good luck with that, you'll need it. Stills sticks ain't video sticks but the reverse can happen. If you want

lightweight solution and fast setup

you ain't gonna get it with concentric locks on each single leg segment, which is where I started my original post.

Whatever, hope whatever you decide works for you.


CS

[Paul Cronin]

Chris, I did not say you told me to use the 75 CF. There are others on this site and through email that have recommended the 75 CF and some have said don't get near any Sachtler tripods only the heads.

I am going to give my RRS tripod a try and see if it works when I need to travel very light. It cost me $55 to give it a try with the FSB8 head which I think will also be a nice light travel head. Great size between my Miller and Vinten which is what I am searching to find.

When I do not have a tripod which was most of last year when I traveled, I have 40 lbs on my back. And these days can be 14 hrs with 3-5 days in a row. So for me to add a tripod when I need a quick steady shot or a small pan and tilt I need to make the tripod system very light or I will just do it by hand. And I have gotten very good at doing it by hand with 350 videos last year all by hand.

If I want rock solid I would keep, and I still think about keeping my Vinten Vision 100 with the Fibertech Sticks. That system is excellent but to add that to my load, won't happen.