OK I just sent that leaky thing back to B&H. There is no cutting corners. I am saving for a Bogen. 305 or better. B&H was OK about the return.

My experience with the same tripod (S & D, also from B & H) has been quite different. No problems at all. Pans & tilts are extremely smooth for me. No leaking. Sturdy.

the 501 head is great if you own a handycam...with the xl2 serious wieght fro a 1/3 chipper the 501 just does not cut...

if you want a 501 i can sell you mine its in mint condition and i'm in nyc, i don't use it because it only works for lock down shots...get a 503..

or better yet get a good used head on ebay versus an ok new one, the 503 is ok but for the money i expected better

Haha. I started this thread well over a year ago, but I'm on the verge of buying this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

What do you guys think?

I'm going to order it this afternoon with through Bogen's student discount program.

Wow. If you're really going to spend that much, might as well go for this one:

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

I have the one with the H55 head which is about $155 more (the only difference is that it has 3-steps of drag, so that you can do smoother pans/tilts). It's also in-stock at b&h. The other good part about it is that the sticks are aluminum alloy sticks rather than Bogen's chrome sticks, which makes it about 2 lbs. lighter yet sturdier. It's also a 2-stage, rather than a crank to raise the camera (which might not be the best idea if you have to crank it all the way...might get unbalanced).

Just my $.02

Jonathan

The 516 head will serve you well (I went with the 519 head,) but you will struggle with those legs I did for several years. Get a set of legs that have a half ball instead of a center column. You will be glad you did.

Bill

I'm not sure of the model and # ------I bought one from MARKERTEK for a shoot overseas because I didn't want to ship my expensive tripod in a soft bag or buy an expensive shipping case.
It was about 90.00 with a ball head, spirit level, spreaders(mid level and floor spreaders), sliding balance plate.........

I thought it was well worth the money I spent and yes it even balanced the XL2 fine.

Haha. Got your message a little late, already ordered the 3046's. What makes you think I'll struggle with the legs?

By struggle, I mean that when you set up you will have to level by adjusting the legs. Whenever you make a change, you will have to re-level using the legs, with a tripod using a half ball you get the legs close to level, and then make your final adjustments using the half ball. You can do this while looking through the viewfinder so it is much easier. It is also a more precise adjustment.

FYI: I have a 3046 with a 3 way pan head for still work, it is a quality set of legs that will give you many years of service.

Bill

I see, I see. The 516 has a built-in leveling bubble, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. But yeah, that half-ball sounds like a super-nice feature.

The built in level is nice but not always accurate, especially when trying to get door and window frames straight in the frame just for one example. You will see as you work with it, I used a geared tripod for several years so I speak from experience, trying to get the correct framing while adjusting the camera, looking through the viewfinder and adjusting the legs are the struggles I speak of, however, take heart you will learn to do it, as I did.

Bill

Hey Andrew - That's an interesting point about balance. I have the 503 head on the 525MVB sticks, and I try to "center" the XL2 by eye, but I realize that is probably not good enough. I sometimes use a lightweight matte box on the front, which would move the center of gravity forward very slightly, and a 7" LCD monitor on the shoe, which wouldn't move the center much at all. Also, it's not as though you can actually "feel" the center of gravity, once it's on the head. So how do you balance it? I could always put it on the edge of a table and inch it forward to find the center, but....

I am actually in the same boat as Nick. I think all of you have been extremely helpfull in my decision making as well. Please tell me what you all think of this set-up. I plan on ordering it in about two weeks.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

I was lucky enough to be given a solid wooden legged tripod with a beautiful head on it when I bought my canon xl1s. It weighs about 15 kg's, which is great once I get it set up but it's tough to lug from gig to gig. In fact if anyone has the surf file "Morning of the Earth" check out the tripod on the back cover..... that's mine.

I ended up buying a manfrotto 501 head and legs for about $500AU which works great with the camera. Not as stable as my first tripod but HEAPS more practical when travelling. I had it on the font seat of the car during a trip down the east coast, took it out to film a music festival, set it up on the beach for some surf footage.... it worked well in all situations.