Anyone used this tripod? Comments?

[Nick Weeks]

I'm thinking of getting this one to use with my XL1s and VX2100...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Bogen 745B legs and 503 head

Anyone used this head/stick combo? Anyone offering a "mini-review?"

[Richard Zlamany]

I have the 503 head and something similiar for legs.

My only word of caution is the legs are short.

My tripod is 5.5 feet and I wish it was taller. I will probably soon buy these legs so I can I have at least 7 feet.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ku=5524&is=REG

and then buy this so I may level quickly:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=203536&is=REG

[Philip Gioja]

Hi, I have the 745b legs and 501 head, I really like the legs. It's nice to have the quick height adjustment and level adjustment in the same mount. They're a little lighter duty and shorter than my old sticks, but I like the flexibility.

[Marcus Marchesseault]

I have used that exact tripod and it is the reason I got the above-mentioned ball leveller for my sticks. Quick levelling is an absolute must! It will save you about an hour a day on an aggressive shoot schedule. I'm not exaggerating. Spending a minute at a time adjusting legs to make the head level 60 times a day adds up to an hour. This is the biggest time saver for low-budget shooting and we all know that time is money. I am thinking of a 75mm bowl tripod for my next sticks for more stability and the same adjustability.

I would recommend getting tripod rig that has the 503 head instead of the 501. The 501 is okay for locked-down shots, but it is not as smooth as the 503. Here is my review of the 503:

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=60224

[Dean Harrington]

is heads and shoulders above the 501. A good investment.

[Martin Hesse]

I have used that config. as well. What I really like about it is that i could strap it down to the back of my motorcycle and it doesn't stick out beyond the handle bars. I'm about to do a lot of time lapse stuff so portability is a must.

[Nick Weeks]

Thanks for all the input, I have a wedding coming up in April and several in May, and have decided to go with this config. I'm sure I won't be disappointed

[Marc Ries]

Originally Posted by Dean Harrington

is heads and shoulders above the 501. A good investment.

I have spent hours researching this and am still looking for the best $200-$300 tripod plus head.

I am looking at the 755B (for the added height) plus either a 701RC2 or 503 head. At this moment in time the setup is for a Sony HC1 (at only 2lbs dry.) along with a Nikon D70.

1) For the people using the 7XX MDEve series, how do you like them? The only real "review" I was able to track down was on Amazon.com for a 756 and that person said, "Legs torque and spring back" and that the tripod would not make a good VIDEO tripod. I was also looking at the Velbon 630A carbon-fiber tripod (another tall tripod) and wonder how it compares (it looks similar to and costs about the same as the Feisol line of tripods but I don't think they have one this tall). It also does not have the level ball or the horizontal center post feature.

One thing I like about the 755B is that it includes a 50mm leveling ball as part of the center post and has the ability to swing the center post 90 degrees (nice for the Nikon).

2) While the 503 sounds like a big smooth leap above the 701RC2 head, and it allows you to use the longer quick-release plates, I'm afraid that using the HC1 on the 503 is overkill and would actually work worse because the 503 is looking for an "optimal" 5.5lb cameral vs. the 701RC2 is looking for a 2.5lb cameral.

I would really like to buy something soon... and would love to get some feedback. Thanks,

Marc

[Marcus Marchesseault]

I have the 503 and it is probably overkill for a small camera. I haven't used the 701 heads, but they are an update to the older 3130 head which I got for the TRV900. I really like the action of the 3130, but it doesn't lock down. This is fine for small cameras and I've heard that the 701 heads have locks.

[Marc Ries]

Originally Posted by Marcus Marchesseault

I have the 503 and it is probably overkill for a small camera. I haven't used the 701 heads, but they are an update to the older 3130 head which I got for the TRV900. I really like the action of the 3130, but it doesn't lock down. This is fine for small cameras and I've heard that the 701 heads have locks.

One thing that I really like about the 501/503 is the long sliding QR plate (the 701 has a mini-QR plate with a track-slider that can adjust +/- 15mm). The 701 does have tilt and pan locking knobs.

Since I plan to be using either the WA or TELE lens (making the camera front heavy and 3" or so longer) most of the time on the tripod, the longer balancing range of the 501/503 would be nice. I guess the real question is, "Will using a 3lb. camcorder on the 503 head give WORSE performance than using a 701 head with a 3lb. camcorder?" quickly followed by, if not, for a 3lb. camcorder would the 501 be just a suitable as the 503?

Also, you said in the above post that you don't have, but used, the DMeve tripod. Did you like it (or not). And I'll assume that you have something better (higher cost)? Someone suggested the D&S ProVista tripods, but they come with heads that seem to be less than desireable (from a user's comments -- i.e., they tend to stick).

It seems to me that in the $200 - $300 range, Bogen's tripods are pretty much the same: 3 or 4 section, single tube tripods in ether AL or carbon-fiber. The main difference is in having either a repositionable center post or a bowl leveler or both. After that is the ART line with the twin tube legs, and they are more than I want to invest in.

[Diogo Athouguia]

I have a Manfrotto 503/525 combo for my JVC HD100. It works fine, but I have these heavy batteries that add an extra weight to the cameras back. The spring could be stronger to perfectly balance it... but I'm pleased enought. I had to purchase a long plate to compensate the weight on the back.

I also use this tripod with a Panasonic DVX100 and a Sony VX2000, it is perfect for these type of cameras.

[Chris Gorman]

I just got the 503 head and 755B legs for my Z1 & have been doing some testing. The fluid movement on the 503 head is very good, although I can't say that it is any smoother than my other head, the 3063 on 3221 legs.

But I noticed a minor problem with the 503 head which may matter to some more than others. If you test by carefully watching the vertical straight edge of objects during pans, you'll see see that there is a slight rebound at the end of the pan. You can eliminate it if you maintain contact with the pan/tilt handle after completing the pan - and never release contact.

For those shots where you're staying on the same framing for long periods, this might get tiresome. When you release contact - even super carefully slowly with expert pro touch, you see the small rebound. Now, if you don't look at a verticle edge you won't necessarilly notice the degree that this happens, and perhaps can overlook look this problem for some subject matter. Numerous adjustments have not corrected the problem, and yes I have the set screws properly tightened.

I decided to try my Z1 on the 3063 head and 3221 legs which I've used for my vx1000 for years. This set actually performed very slightly better than the 503 in terms of the described "rebound" A tiny rebound on the 3063 head, but much less than the 503.

I held the legs firmly in place when testing the 503 head to make sure it wasn't just the legs moving - it wasn't.

I may not have noticed this problem if I hadn't been forewarned about it by a fellow videographer. I haven't heard others mention it, but maybe they have not done this particular test, watching staight edges carefully. Same happens with tilt, but less.

I left a message with Manfrotto and waiting to hear what they say. If I had the two setups side by side for tests before buying the 503 and 755B, I would have just gotten another set of the 3221 legs and 3063 head - with leveller added of course. I tested both with my vx1000 and my new Z1.

The 3221 legs are taller, so good if you need the extra height, but don't have built in leveller or (90 degree function - which many may not have a use for).

Hopefully others here will do the same vertical edge test on the 503 head and give feedback. Maybe I and one collegue just got a defective heads.

[Marc Ries]

Originally Posted by Chris Gorman

The 3221 legs are taller, so good if you need the extra height, but don't have built in leveller or (90 degree function - which many may not have a use for).

Hopefully others here will do the same vertical edge test on the 503 head and give feedback. Maybe I and one collegue just got a defective heads.

Thanks for the info. From a mechanical standpoint, the 755's look pretty much like the 3221's. While the 3221's are max height higher (by 3") via the center post, the 755's are higher (by 8") without counting the center post. Plus you get a bubble level, the cross-bar center post and a ball leveler. And two 2 extra pounds of weight...

It doesn't look like the 3063 head is made any more. It would be nice to know if the 701RC2 or 501 heads exhibit the same problem you are describing for the 503. Of if there are other tripods/heads that are the same price range and offer similar or better performance?...

[Chris Gorman]

I again just opened both side by side to their max height, both center posts up, and the 3221 is 5" higher than the 755B. My 3221 setup is actually a bit heavier because I have a heavier (no longer available) type of ball leveller.

When my colleague decided against the 503 because of the rebound, he found the only solution was to go with some very expensive, $1,000+ I think, choice.

Because they no longer make my older combo, I'm pretty sure this 503 & 755B is the next best choice in the price category for the Z1 and similar weight camcorders. I'm still pondering the rebound issue and might decide to keep this combo and live with not releasing the handle on shots where the rebound would matter. Or hopefully, Manfrotto will have an answer for me.

At a recent expo I tried the next category down from the 503 - I think it was the 501, and it was very inferior in its movement, so I ruled that out.

BTW, the rebound is not that noticeable, depending on subject matter. It would be helpful for others with the 503 to do this test and chime in here for other persectives on how noticeable this problem might be..

[Marcus Marchesseault]

The only bounce-back that I notice is in the tripod sticks. I tested the 503 with a very lightweight set of sticks that have flexure in the adjustable column. If I lower the column all the way it diminishes. I haven't tested on my sturdy tripod yet, but I am pretty sure by looking at everything moving that the problem is flexure and not spring-back in the head itself. If there is this motion, it is so subtle that I can't notice it in the pan direction. There is some built-in "stickyness" in the tilt range to allow the camera to sit still instead of "drooping" back and forth.