I'm looking for a very stable tripod for an XL1s, particularly when fully extended. Fluidity secondary, but important. Can anyone recommend a brand and type of construction to look for. I'm currently using the Velbon Videomate 601 and not very happy when its fully extended.

Thanks,

Jeffrey

Most stable and fluid head? O'Connor. Perhaps look at a Miller DS10?

http://www.millercanada.com

Jeffrey,
Velbon's tripods and heads are basically designed and priced for the occasional hobbyist on a budget.

Bogen/Manfrotto would be the price/quality bump up from Velbon. Pretty good gear at affordable prices. (a few hundred dollars)

Miller (DS-5 and DS-10) would be the next bump up, particularly with regard to the quality of the heads. (approx. US$1,000)

Vinten and Sachtler are next. Top-notch professional gear designed to perform accurately and consistently under nearly any conditions. (approx. US$1,500-$2,000)

O'Connor is probably at the top of the chain, certainly in terms of cost and warranty. (several thousand $).

I have a Miller DS-5 and have grown very fond of it. Huge improvement over my Manfrotto 501. But I use it for a PDX-10 and VX-2000. I wonder if the XL-1s needs something a little heavier? DS-10?

I got the DS-5 with aluminum legs from B&H for around $800. You will pay more for the carbon fiber legs, and a carrying case is extra too.

Don't overlook Cartoni and Libec either.

Cartoni fits right in there with Vinten and Sachtler. I have a Cartoni I use outdoors...it takes a beating and keeps working. If I could afford the big bucks, I'd like to get a bigger Cartoni head and carbon-fiber sticks.

Libec is a little lower on the scale, but seems to offer very good value for money...a nice step up from Bogen/Manfrotto. I have used Libec's largest head and it compares favorably with just about anything I have seen.

I used to use a Bogen 501 with the Wilderness tripod (can't remember #) and I couldn't figure out why pro tripods were so expensive. Then I had the opportunity to try a Cartoni and it was truly superior.

Good luck,

JH

Where does Gitzo fit into the grand scheme? B&H has an under $2K model (G1380 system) with a leveling fluid head. It has two features which seem very impressive- variable fluid drag, and balancing springs, in 6 weight categories.

Marc, do a bit of searching in this forum. The topic has been discussed quite a bit, especially the gitzo. I found this very helpful when I was tripod shopping. There was a Gitzo that sounded really nice, but was a little more than I wanted to spend. Then there was a post of how you could order the head from Canada (I think) and save a lot, but you had to get legs and springs separately elsewhere. Sounded too complicated for me and I also read lots of good things about the Miller. I needed it in a hurry so I just went with the Miller at B&H....

For the budget-minded prosumer, what would you recommend between the Velbon PX 781 and the Bogen 3116? Any other suggestions in the $200 range?