Hey Guy's
This is my first post though I've been reading for a while. Thanks for all the great info.

Anyone have any experience with the Bescor Th650 at B&H? It looks pretty stout.

What part of southern KY? My wife is from Williamsburg. I'm familar with the Bescor name. They have been associated with the battery industry for years and they make a reliable battery product. The company has a good reputation. I'm not familiar with this particular tripod and the picture on B & H makes it look enticing. I think it might compare to the Libec model mentioned above. Similar features, similar price points. The Libec, from Zotz, comes highly recommended by several users and that would sway me towards the Libec.

Jeff

Hey Jeff,

We're in Burkesville, If you want you can check out our web site at www.theruralcenter.org.

The main reason I'd be interested in the Bescor is that it's rated up to 15 lbs. 4 lbs more than the libec. It's only about $10 cheaper so that isn't really a factor.

I've got a great bilora pro fi video head that I'm looking to offload if anyones interested, it's just a little bit of overkill for the xl1 and the type of stuff I'm doing (farm/nature docs.mostly) and I don't want to be lugging around an overly heavy tri.

C

Hi Chris,

i went to your web sit, very nice. it'll probably make my wife home sick a little. I doubt many have used it, Bescor just isn't a name everyone knows. That doesn't mean it bad, just hard to find good first hand information about it. If you go ahead with it, buy from a place that has a good return policy and maybe is familar with the features and benefits. I know Zotz http://www.zotzdigital.com/ carries the Libec. They may carry the Bescor too. Good luck and let us know how you make out. You can put and add for the head in the classifieds here.

Jeff

Regarding the Manfrotto 510 head... I just finished testing it and will be purchasing in the next 2 months... great little head for the money although with legs it's a wee bit heavy...

I used it with my PD150 and it was probably overkill, but ROCK SOLID and seems to be well constructed... the camera plate could be setup a little better for quick release though... it slides in front the front or the rear as opposed to a quick release.

Good shooting

Except for Sachtler fluid heads, I think the rest of the industry uses the sliding variety. I've used both, and it's what you get used to after a while. I use Vinten heads and they slide, it took me a moth or two to stop yanking on the camera and to start sliding.

Jeff

Fair enough...

As a news/documentary/production/multi-cam live shooter, of course the majority of my experience has been with the ubiquitous Sachtlers and having a sliding "sled" as opposed to a locking lift-out quick release which I can front-to-back balance once for my camera and let it sit was a bit of a change...

Oh, while I'm thinking about it....

You may want to check for the mid-level spreader when looking at legs for the Manfrotto 510... My local retailer keeps looking at me with a blank look when I ask if they can locate it... most of the legs compatible with the 510 apparently come with a spreader base, which of course is great for even floors indoors, sidewalks and all that, but for shooting outdoors in uneven terrain or even for keeping clean-up short (and relatively painless) when shooting in the mud, rain or snow (yes, I'm in Canada) I'll take a mid-spreader with feet anyday...

The mid level speader is the best in my opinion also. I switched from Sachtler to Vinten recently and I find (much to my surprise) the Vinten is comparable in almost every way. I switched for several reasons, but one that is often not thought of is the color. Black tripods on a Florida beach can be quite painful.

Jeff

Don't overlook used equipment.

In most cases, a set of sticks are going to be OK if they aren't dented. But they will probably be heavy.

Used older heads are available. I purchased a model 50 Miller for $150. It would cost 10X that today if not more. Miller will still rebuild these heads for $150 should they need work. Other manufacturers probably have the same service available.

The nice bit about tripods is that many of the modules are interchangeable. Heads and sticks, that is. And it is possible to upgrade one part of the package at a time.

The miller head is mounted on a set of Bogen sticks right now. It has a flat plate on the bottom of the head so it mounts right up to the Bogen. I can purchase a 75 or 100 mm bowl for the bottom of the head that would let it mount correctly to any number of high-end sticks.

Just some more grist for the mill.

For a little added stability on those lighter 'pods, try strapping a set of leg weights together and slinging them around the "knees" of the tripod.

While the Libec TH-M20 is a good tripod, I also think it is worth looking at the Manfrotto 028 and 501 combo which I assure is not junk in the least bit and can cost as little as $295 US if you look hunt for a deal.
R. Charles

Regarding the Manfrotto 501, legs combination mentionned just above... I didn't mind the head so much but assuming that the legs are you mentionned are the same ones I recently had the "pleasure" of using, my one complaint would be (as would be typical of all lighter tripods, mind you) that in a moderate wind, the footage was virtually unusable due to tripod shake... even placing weight on the base spreader didn't remove the "wind waggle"... just thought I'd share (once again, I realize this isn't necessarily specific to this manufacturer, but just postulating whether the money could be better spent)

Good shooting!

-Shaun