Hey thanks for the feedback Roger. Although $70 for the tripod + $40 for the lanc seems pretty close to the $120 price of the Sony VCT-870RM, right? I think I do like the lanc (I find myself needing to zoom during shots for my needs) so I wonder if it might be smart to sacrifice the advantages the 607 has over the Sony for the good lanc.

What about the better 1170RM? Thought $120 to $350 is quite a jump - at least for where I am right now.

No doubt having a LANC is nice, and the Sony 870 LANC is a good if all you need is zoom, photo, on/off, and start/stop. The zoom is backwards on the 870; W in front, T to back. I don't know what camera you have, but you could consider an aftermarket LANC suited for your camera and you could swap it between tripods.

I'm tempted by the 1170 as well. I just hate to spend that much without seeing it first (just went through this with a Bogen 503HDV (351 kit) that was very disappointing for $650). The ball head is a great feature to have for quick leveling. the I think the 1170 is very similar to the Sunpak 620-810; once again without the LANC that Sony offers. The Sunpak can be had for around $120 on the net, if you can find it.

One other thing. I'm noticing how little zooming, panning, and tilting most professional creative work contains. I understand if you are a one-man-band shooting a wedding or other event you have to use these features. Next time you watch a movie or TV show, notice how infrequently they do anything other than a fixed camera with a fixed lens. For creative shots I'm finding the more I find a great angle and provide multiple vantage points with a fixed camera, the more professional the piece looks.

I've always suspected that those Sonys are branded Libecs.

The 1170 certainly looks very similar to the TH-950DV model I had a while ago. The legs are identical, and the head looks the same. The manual I found online seems to confirm this. The LANC is the only difference I can see.

Not that this is a bad thing, though you might find the Libec cheaper if you are shopping around.

One thing I would say - much as I disliked my 503HDV (badged as a Vinten in my case) - it was way, way better than my Libec 950 model.

Mike,

You may be right. Evidently the base pod used in the 1170 is identical or very similar to a number of units. I'm not sure who makes it. One ad claimed the 1170 was made in Japan. I wonder.

finally mounted the EX3 to the dynex. The tripod itself it plently sturdy enough for the heavy camera. I haven't retried to the pan and tilt test at full zoom yet. I'll report back.

The pan and tilt locks on the head are able to stop the camera just fine.

I have the Velbone 607, and I feel it is a great value for $70. But, I am an amateur, so I've never tried anything better. There are some pans with it in this video which I think are decent: Fall Foliage Near The Water on Vimeo, password is hf100.

Turn HD off, to see a smoother version of the video.

Hi Giroud. I am thinking of buying the Weifeng as the Matthews M25 does not lock at 360 with a slider on top.
The torque causes it to move..(I am using a indislider / glidetrack DIY version - the igus slider).

The M25 does not have adjustable drag so I cannot tighten it up..

Does the Weifeng have adjustable tension and does it lock well at 360 deg ?

Cheers!

the weifeng has lock and drag for tilt and lock for pan, but has they use screws , there is not a special lock position, so you need to make sure the screw is tightly locked.
consequence of being chinese, i am not sure that the quality of the screw will happily suport that. what i would do is to drill a small hole so the screw goes in and then it is definitely locked without applying any force.
what i have done too is to add a threaded tube, just in the part that join legs and bowl.
this part has en empty space between the legs so you can add a small tube with thread inside. i just filled the remaining space with epoxy glue.
that way i can add an arm between the rail and the leg, or add anything else, like a monitor.
http://www.giroud2.com/download/tripod.jpg