Hi Christopher.................
 

Know where you're coming from and can understand your predicament.

Just wish I had a clue about the ergonomics of the camera in question and it's suitability for "video" as a main weapon.

OK, let's keep it simple.

As the learning curve with this camera is going to be waaay steep based on your start point, may I suggest you buy, second hand, a cheap Manfrotto rig, nothing spectacular, but at least rated (by Manfrotto) for video.

There's enough of this stuff hitting the SH market now that it should cost pretty close to peanuts.

Trawl the "for sale" forum here and of course, e - bay.

See how you go with it.

In very short order you will find it either "ok", in which case stick with it till you are comfortable with upgrading (if felt necessary), OR a complete waste of space/ time, at which point, hopefully, you will have a better idea just how far you want to persue this camera and HD down the line.

Personally, the more I hear about this camera, the more I believe it's best use is as a "flyer", tho' that opens yet another huge can of worms and another learning curve you may not want to try climbing.

Hey, you have to start somewhere. Start cheap, learn the lessons and the limits of your equipment, patience and dedication, THEN decide if you want to throw some serious money at it.

Don't think I can say fairer than that.

Make any sense?


CS

Yep, all of it but this part...

What does best use is as a "flyer" mean?

And not throwing serious money at it, is what I was asking about earlier in the thread; the rig I posted was pretty inexpensive.

Ah.....
 

"Flyer" = Steadycam etc.

Serious money = real serious money ($1k plus) because you want to throw serious money at it.

I was coming back to update that last post to add this:

Without a benchmark of what performance is or is not acceptable, you have no way of knowing to what level you want to aspire or stop at.

Throwing a few hundred bucks on a S/H rig isn't serious by any definition, but it will, at least, tell you where you might want to go.

At the end of the day, Christopher, you won't know, till you know.

Everybody here has an opinion.

The only opinion that is important to your situation, is yours.

Start cheap and see what happens.

Then, if what you have doesn't do what you want, bear in mind what's been said here, rattle that piggy bank and work out how much you want to spend, and try again.

There is not a soul on DVinfo who can say, definately, you will be happy with product X, Y or Z, unless you spend megabucks, it's as simple as that.

Everything else is a compromise - till you've been there, done that, well, you don't know what compromise you're prepared to make.


CS

I agree with you CS, totally. Thanks for your inputs as well as the rest who have given advice and opinions, I appreciate it all.

I think I'm going to start off with my already invested Gitzo set of lets (GT3541LS) and add a fluid head to it, not sure which one yet...might add a leveling base to my legs as well, to help with this fluid head. I'll see if I can get the "quality" video I am looking for out of that setup. So I might just add a nice Fluid Video Head like a Libec H38?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...luid_Head.html

I will also be shopping some kind of affordable "flyer" or steadycam, since I really like the shots those rigs can get. If I progress in my art to a point where I need and want to spend more on the better head and legs, I'll cross that bridge when I get there...

So to ask for some advice on fluid video heads; I've already considered Manfrotto 501/501/701 HDV series, and gotten feedback, what other brands/models should I look at that I could get the head for say under or around $700?

This to me is "doable"...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...um_Tripod.html

And I'd be willing to save a bit more for this one...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...bon_Fiber.html

Would these be a step in the right direction? But for someone who's never even owned a camcorder before, would these be a bit much?

I'd also like to add this Libec setup to the discussion, its reasonably priced...
Libec | LS-22 Aluminum Tripod System | LS-22 | B&H Photo Video

Anyone care to comment on these 3 for someone who is basically a "home video" camera man?

Ok I guess no one wants to comment on the 3 listed tripod rigs as an alternative to my original Manfrotto/Bogen rig?

The two Sachtlers are both very good - and are more adjustable than the Libecs both in terms of drag and counterbalance.

LS38 - no adjustable drag, no adustable counterbalance
LS22 - no adjustable drag, limited adjustable counterbalance

The difference between the two Sachtlers you list is the legs. My personal opinion is to go for the cheaper alloy one, unless you need ultra-fast set-up (a few seconds longer on the normal tripod compared to the Speedlock) and slight extra stability (maybe better for long lens wildlife).

The carbon fiber one isn't any lighter in my experience. Buy the $50-ish Sachtler shoulder strap for the tripod too, it makes it easier to carry around.

I'm a "home video cameraman" too - and in your position I would be disappointed by the Libecs (I've owned LS22 and the predecessor to the LS-38), I'd hate the Bogen/Manfrotto (I owned a badged Vinten version of the 503HDV) and very happy with the $800 Sachtler. I'd only go for the $1200 Sachtler if I was really, really looking to spoil myself.


Edit: just noticed you are looking for the head only - my comments still stand regarding the models mentioned. I'm not sure how easy it is to get the Sachtler heads separately though, and you need to be sure that any of the 75mm bowl heads are actually compatible with the Gitzo legs you have.

Thanks Mike, I'm considering the "head only" as well as legs and head. So your advice and information/feedback is helpful, I'm hearing lots of good things on the Sachtler stuff.

I might spoil myself one day! ;-)

Based on my readings in the Support section of this Forum and experience I've had with the Manfrotto/bogen system. I'm probably just going to byte the bullet and go with a Sachtler System (see below)

Sachtler | 0375 FSB-4 Carbon Fiber Tripod System | 0375 | B&H

It's not cheap but I think it will work for most cases with my Canon 5DMkII and my 5lb. Pro HD camcorder as well. So you have two situations taken care of for the price of one.

Sachtler, without question. The only possible issue is if you want, say, an FSB-4 head, but would prefer it on Gitzo CF legs (with a bowl) for a simpler set-up that will go lower to the ground.

Les Nagy, Chris Soucy and others saved me from creeping my way up the tripod/head ladder. A belated thanks.

Photo tripods/heads are one thing, SD video tripods/heads another. HD video tripods/heads require a quantum leap in requirements.

One of the main considerations for my type of shooting is the ability to shoot high and low angle shots on varying terrain. I don't have a studio, or have even shot in a studio.

I needed a flexible, sturdy tripod with no spreader and no wind-up. The Gitzo GT3541XLS with a bowl adapter worked for me. I do not see a future need for another tripod.

At this point my funds were running a little too far into the negative, To get by I am using a Gitzo G2380 and a Gitzo G2180 on my tripod and one on my Glidetrack.
They are smooth, but lacking proper counterbalance.

My next purchase will be either a Sachtler FSB-6, FSB-8 or the Vinten Vision 3AS.