Hi, after much discussion I have decided to stay with the HMC40 instead of getting a Canon T2i kit.

Right now my budget is around 2,400 dollars and somebody that owns a HMC150 advices me that since I never had a prosumer/pro camcorder and never shot commercially, that he recommends me to spend my budget for now on a good tripod set, the camcorder and some 16GB cards to begin with.

I will be learning this camcorder for a little bit and when I feel confortable with it (probably in less than a week 8)) will try to shoot a simple music video for myself (I am a Latin Urban Music artist myself ) and test my editing skills with a couple of songs I have coming up.

That should give me good enough practice, more in the editing, and getting accustomed to software, I find myself very artistic to making music videos in terms of mentally seeing the shots I want for certain parts of the music etc. then to try to get some paid jobs after having good videos to show to regional artist and buy more stuff!!!!!

This is what I have on my cart. Please tell me if there is a way to maybe choose a similar performing tripod at a lesser price in order for me to buy a the RODE VideoMic or a nice Backpack at around 150.00

Items

HMC40 1949.95
Manfrotto 501HDV,351MVB2K 1-Stage Tripod System Kit (Black) 420.00
Trancend 16GB x2 79.00
Tifffen UV filter 4.23

2458.13 Total (shipped)

For a little more I have looked at this tripod set from Libec

Libec | LS-22(2A) Professional Tripod System | LS-22(2A) for around 369.99

I also saw a Libec TH--650dv HEAD/TRIPOD KIT for 199.95 or so at BH but rated for 6.5lbs, is this enough for the cam + videomic? Anybody with experiences with this tripod?

Would either of the tripods be a set that would play nice with the lightweight HMC40

What you think? Should I start with a tripod on the 100-200 neighborhood in order to get other very essential pieces (VideoMic or Lights or Bag) I will need in trying to make music videos? Take in consideration that I will then step into regional/local business TV ads and would like to be flexible. How about lights? how cheap can I go? I know basically nothing about lights!

Thanks

Hi Jose

I'm using the Weifeng 75mm bowl tripods with both my HMC72's which clock in at around 8lbs (a lot heavier than the HMC40) and they have been great the entire wedding season!! They are a little heavy to carry (around 10lbs) as they have the same leg structure as the libec with 5 aluminium tubes per leg.

At under $200 I really cannot complain and have have absolutely no issues whatsoever with them..I think they are worth a look and the bowl makes levelling so easy too!!

Chris

Is this a UK on tripod set? can't seem to find it on US based shops. Saw them on the manufacturer's page and they look pretty beefy and strong.

Hi Jose

Look on eBay and search for "EI-717" you should find a bunch of dealers there with the tripod around the $200 mark... make sure it's the one with the spreader and the 5 tube legs.. there are some cheaper ones with the same number that just look like normal tripods.

Although I'm in Australia I got mine from a USA based eBay shop but it was shipped from HongKong although Weifeng are actually made in Taiwan!! I think it's a Bogen copy but the build quality is excellent despite the price!!

Chris

I have one of those Tiffen filters and it's pretty rubbish IMO. You can see with your eye how low quality it is. Personally if you need/want a UV I'd go with a B+H. I have their circular polarizer and it's great.

Also, it may be worth it to step up to the 503hdv head as well. I've no experience with the 501, but as much as I love Manfrotto I've heard that it's kind of a lame head. The 503 is fantastic with great features to boot. And lastly, the Panasonic Class 10 16gb cards are only like 4 dollars more expensive a piece, I'd definitely rock those as well.

Chris as good as that sounds, I would like to get everything on this, my first order, from the same merchant. They look tempting though.


I have one of those Tiffen filters and it's pretty rubbish IMO. You can see with your eye how low quality it is. Personally if you need/want a UV I'd go with a B+H. I have their circular polarizer and it's great.

Also, it may be worth it to step up to the 503hdv head as well. I've no experience with the 501, but as much as I love Manfrotto I've heard that it's kind of a lame head. The 503 is fantastic with great features to boot. And lastly, the Panasonic Class 10 16gb cards are only like 4 dollars more expensive a piece, I'd definitely rock those as well.

Can you send me a link to that Panasonic Class 10 for around 43 dollars because all I see is 84.95 at BH. Just so there is no confusion the Trancend 16GB class 6 is 39.50 for a total of 79.00 for 2 of them, 32GB in 2 class 6 SDHC Cards. I think you were thinking it was 79.00 for just one.

And did you mean B+W on the filter? I couldn't find a B+H.

The thing about it is that I barely have a budget for a decent tripod and then you mention the 503 at 359 dollars for the head alone.

So if the 501 has a reputation of + and - Instead of buying something at that price range from Manfrotto what other brands would you recommend me to look at?

Libec 22 LS

Is this worth a shot for the price range and my inability of not upping my price range to the next level? ($500+)

Wow, terribly sorry I guess I was out of it when I responded yesterday, I hadn't realized that you included the cost of both cards, so yes, then I believe they are substantially cheaper.

Also I did mean B+W for the filter.

And finally I've used a couple of the smaller Libec's before and felt they were pretty good for the price. I wish I could remember where I read the post about someone saying they didn't care much for their 501. However, it may be worth checking other reviews of it as the person could have just gotten a bad unit. Another alternative is to go check one out at a local store if you have one that carries it. It's a common head so they should.

Wow, terribly sorry I guess I was out of it when I responded yesterday, I hadn't realized that you included the cost of both cards, so yes, then I believe they are substantially cheaper.

Also I did mean B+W for the filter.

And finally I've used a couple of the smaller Libec's before and felt they were pretty good for the price. I wish I could remember where I read the post about someone saying they didn't care much for their 501. However, it may be worth checking other reviews of it as the person could have just gotten a bad unit. Another alternative is to go check one out at a local store if you have one that carries it. It's a common head so they should.

=) it's alright! I thought there was confusion on the way I itemized them.

When we are talking about the HMC40, How much your rigs weight with the shotgun mics, XLR adapter's and maybe lights. I ask to know more or less how much I can get away with in terms of the tripod supported weight. That Libec on my previous post is rated for 6.5lbs, is that too light? Should I buy something that supports more weight? or can I get away with it for now since I am not buying that much stuff for the camera and then worry about it later when I got money to buy into the $600+ range of tripods?

Hi Jose

I had tripods starting to fall to bits simply because I was using something that was "rated" for the camera!!

I now make a habit of double rating!! If the rig weighs 4 lbs the use a tripod rated for at least 8lbs!! My cams with everything on board tip the scales at just over 6lbs and my Weifeng's are rated for 6kg (about 13lbs) That way I know my tripods will at least be stable. You also need to be future proofed..you might decide to buy something like a GlideTrack and find out that your tripod now cannot handle the extra weight!!

For me it's worth the extra cost!!

Chris

The Libec LS-22 is pretty good for small cams if it's all your budget can afford. IMO it is better than the equivalent priced Manfrotto tripods. Just be sure to lock the tripod off before walking away, as the counterbalance isn't as effective as that on higher-end tripods.

Pluses:
+ it does have a couple of levels of counterbalance adjustment
+ pans/tilts are pretty good considering the price point

Minuses:
- No adjustable drag, I found it a bit "loose" for telephoto purposes. OK for wide angles.
- Sliding tripod plate has to be adjusted by taking the camera off the tripod, loosening the plate, adjusting it, re-tightening it and re-mounting it. Not a huge problem if you keep the plate on the camera at all times.

Future-proofing is a good idea, but one obvious drawback can be you end up lugging a heavier tripod around than you need. (Having heaved a 13lb Sachtler up a mountain recently, this is something I can identify with!).

Hi Jose

I had tripods starting to fall to bits simply because I was using something that was "rated" for the camera!!

I now make a habit of double rating!! If the rig weighs 4 lbs the use a tripod rated for at least 8lbs!! My cams with everything on board tip the scales at just over 6lbs and my Weifeng's are rated for 6kg (about 13lbs) That way I know my tripods will at least be stable. You also need to be future proofed..you might decide to buy something like a GlideTrack and find out that your tripod now cannot handle the extra weight!!

For me it's worth the extra cost!!

Chris

The thing about future proofing is that it will cost more as I was looking at some tripods on the 400 dollar range and the consensus seems to be that a couple of hundred dollars more will give me a huge difference.

If that's the case then I get an alright set in the 200 dollar range and spend the savings in things I would need more like maybe lights or something and then when this gets me paid 6-8 months down the road, hopefully sooner, then I will go and buy 600+ tripod, because I will have the money for a DOF adapter which is high on my list of wants and then rails and stuff...



The Libec LS-22 is pretty good for small cams if it's all your budget can afford. IMO it is better than the equivalent priced Manfrotto tripods. Just be sure to lock the tripod off before walking away, as the counterbalance isn't as effective as that on higher-end tripods.

Pluses:
+ it does have a couple of levels of counterbalance adjustment
+ pans/tilts are pretty good considering the price point

Minuses:
- No adjustable drag, I found it a bit "loose" for telephoto purposes. OK for wide angles.
- Sliding tripod plate has to be adjusted by taking the camera off the tripod, loosening the plate, adjusting it, re-tightening it and re-mounting it. Not a huge problem if you keep the plate on the camera at all times.

Future-proofing is a good idea, but one obvious drawback can be you end up lugging a heavier tripod around than you need. (Having heaved a 13lb Sachtler up a mountain recently, this is something I can identify with!).

I will only put the camcorder itself and then a shotgun mic without the XLR adapter and if the budget allows or as soon as possible some on cam lights.

Has anybody done business with a merchant called Big Value Inc.? They are a merchant with Amazon and have the HMC40 as of 1 day ago @ $1,744.79

HMC40 @ Amazon by Big Value Inc.

I just hope I find values like this when I get my money to buy the camcorder!

Jose -

I've been watching pricing on the HMC40 also and I saw that price with Big Value Inc. I looked on their website and they didn't even show the camera in stock (at the time of my research). After reading all of their fine print and also that of Amazon.com it might be worth spending a few additional dollars to buy it directly from Amazon's warehouse. It appears that once you purchase the camera through one of amazon's dealers you must deal directly with that dealer from then on out.

Another place that has a similarly unusual low price for the HMC40 is US1Photo. I have purchased from them in the past without incident, however, they now have a low rating with resellerratings.com.

It seems the HMC40 pricing (as well as others) have spiked recently. I am hoping they settle back down a bit before I make my purchase.

Well right now even on Amazon there is no stock showing for Big Value Inc.

Don't Amazon at least gives you some type of reassurance or something like ebay? You know the one liner saying if they mess-up and scam you, we go your back and give you your money back including shipping. What's the point of shopping with a merchant listed on Amazon, if you have to be worry like if they were not listed with them in the first place.

I'll check that site you say also... but I need to lower the price as low as possible without being ridiculous.

This almost 200 dollar break from what BH has, is not uncommon and yeah, most of the merchants that have this pricing are not the highest on reseller ratings, but most of them are not there because of people not receiving their merchandise. I was hoping that at least with Amazon would be something more save, like atleast ebay.

Jose,

I wasn't comfortable using one of Amazon's 3rd party dealers as their print clearly states you deal directly with the 3rd party dealer after the sale.

I went ahead and paid a few dollars more and ordered from the Amazon warehouse. After I placed my order another knowledgeable guy I know told me that he has never had a problem with any of Amazons dealers. I still feel more comfortable using the Amazon warehouse, but you will probably be fine using one of the 3rd party dealers. I just had never heard of Big Value Inc.

Jose, as of right now BigValueInc is showing they have it but they raised their price and remember they add $30 shipping - so, Amazon warehouse is a bit cheaper. But, things could change by the minute.

When you are ready to order, or about a couple days prior, just start watching the sites. These prices may come down a bit farther.

Hi, you guys keep on saying amazon is just a couple of bucks more, but when I was checking it was 1949 @ amazon and 1740 something @ big value inc. That's the thing I was concern about, but if they., meaning amazon has policy in placeto make sure that I get my merchandise and if not my money back, and they do, I will have to take the dive if the difference is 200 plus, that could buy me another acessory or put money on my pocket, as well as give me a headache too =) tuff choices, I guess ill check closer to my deadline.

Jose -

Something strange happened. I responded to you yesterday but its not here....

Anyway, after I placed my order with the Amazon warehouse I received replies from people (from another forum and friends) that its pretty safe to order from Amazon or one of its 3rd party dealers. My only concern - as I mentioned in my post - is that their policy is that you deal directly with the 3rd party dealer concerning returns or warranty.

It was also strange that Amazon's price jumped $125 in a day and Big Values jumped even more....

When you are within a few days of placing your order scout all of the dealers: B&H, Amazon, etc. and go to resellerratings.com to check out any you haven't heard of. You can also post questions on this forum or one of the other popular video forums - most have reputable dealer lists also.

If you are patient I would imagine you will find the HMC40 under $1800 some where.

Hey Jose,

If you are still in the market looking for HMC40, I am selling mine because I want to upgrade to a HMC150, let me know. Here is my posting: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/private-classifieds/480347-hmc40-extra.html

Let me know and good luck.

If buying new then Contact Jon or Shawn at fullcompass.com

Jon quoted me $1870 for a HMC40.


Deal with bonafide legit dealers. There are a lot of grey market scammers out there.

Man Yip's deal looks pretty good if you are going the used root though.

If buying new then Contact Jon or Shawn at fullcompass.com

Jon quoted me $1870 for a HMC40.


Deal with bonafide legit dealers. There are a lot of grey market scammers out there.

Man Yip's deal looks pretty good if you are going the used root though.

Thanks for the reply i'll keep them in mind. So you prefer the call-in route then just buy it from the site?

Price on call in is always better than on the site.

Jose, You can save yourself a couple hundred of dollars if you go with the used route. Maybe we can work on a deal? My HMC40 is in perfect condition and it comes with many additional accessories. Let me know.

The thing is that I am researching now, I won't be ready to buy until maybe 1mo to 6 wks.

If I had the money now, believe me I would have taken it away from you since your first post on this thread! =)

I think that whenever I buy I will buy the HMC40, either a 501HDV head with 351MVB Legs kit or 503HDV kit with the 055XDB Pro legs for $40.00 more than the 501 kit, but I loose the all around legs of the 351MVB Is the step up to the 503HDV Head worth it no matter the legs? I would also buy a couple of 16GB Cards Class 6 and probably I will still have a little bit for an inexpensive UV Filter and maybe a poralizer.

EDIT. Seeing that I will be going for a 420.00 or so tripod set, is there anything I should be looking at on the Libec side of things? Pro's Con's?

Jose,

The 055XDB do have the advantage of being lighter, from what I can tell. They don't seem to have a bowl for leveling the head, which may make life frustrating for you.

The 351MVB legs are more sturdy, and the kit does come with a bowl leveller. 6kg (14lbs) for the whole tripod may be too much for you. It doesn't sound much until you have carried it around all day!

It depends on your application. If you are travelling long distances with your camera kit and tripod then you may wish to make the sacrifice and go for the lighter model with single tube legs and live with the lack of leveling bowl. If you can drive to your location or don't have to travel too far, the 503HDV kit is worth for the better legs and head.

In the Libec range, the LS-22 would be good for the HMC40/41. A lot of people rave about the LS-38 (which is more expensive). Don't get it - it is rated way too heavy for our little cameras.

You can get the LS-22 in a range of configurations, with ground level and mid level spreader - which you get depends on whether you are working mainly on flat surfaces or not. I personally prefer a mid spreader for flexibility.

The Libecs don't have adjustable friction, which may be a problem. The Manfrotto 503HDV does have this feature.

The Libec TH950DV may also be suitable. It is lightweight and has a LS22 head on it, and might suffice if you don't need ultra solid legs.

Libec in general are good if you are on a budget. The newer Manfrottos have more features (counterbalance adjustment, pan/tilt friction knobs).

I personally use a Sachtler DV6SB with my HMC41. But at $2000 that might be overkill for you!

Jose,

The 055XDB do have the advantage of being lighter, from what I can tell. They don't seem to have a bowl for leveling the head, which may make life frustrating for you.

The 351MVB legs are more sturdy, and the kit does come with a bowl leveller. 6kg (14lbs) for the whole tripod may be too much for you. It doesn't sound much until you have carried it around all day!

It depends on your application. If you are travelling long distances with your camera kit and tripod then you may wish to make the sacrifice and go for the lighter model with single tube legs and live with the lack of leveling bowl. If you can drive to your location or don't have to travel too far, the 503HDV kit is worth for the better legs and head.

In the Libec range, the LS-22 would be good for the HMC40/41. A lot of people rave about the LS-38 (which is more expensive). Don't get it - it is rated way too heavy for our little cameras.

You can get the LS-22 in a range of configurations, with ground level and mid level spreader - which you get depends on whether you are working mainly on flat surfaces or not. I personally prefer a mid spreader for flexibility.

The Libecs don't have adjustable friction, which may be a problem. The Manfrotto 503HDV does have this feature.

The Libec TH950DV may also be suitable. It is lightweight and has a LS22 head on it, and might suffice if you don't need ultra solid legs.

Libec in general are good if you are on a budget. The newer Manfrottos have more features (counterbalance adjustment, pan/tilt friction knobs).

I personally use a Sachtler DV6SB with my HMC41. But at $2000 that might be overkill for you!

When you are talking about a balancing bowl (sorry if I sound like i've only owned a $30 tripods, cuz that's the truth) you are talking about what comes down the opposite site of the head on the tripod? I've seen a video in Vimeo which shows the guy "unscrewing" this thing and now I guess leveling the tripod/head. It's like a rod or something. Can you please let me know how to identify it visually?

Well if the Libecs don't have the adjustable drag control of the 503HDV then I guess that's one down for the Libec. I just really want 1. Smooth pan and tilt 2. Pretty stable legs, on the tripod and maybe on myself too =) I can't afford the 503 with the 351MVB legs, but is there any other legs that are less expensive that would offer me a leveling bowl that you might recommend? and when you say the LS38 is rated too heavy for our HMC40 then you are also saying the 503 with the 055XDB legs is too heavy also since they are rated at around 17lbs both right? or are you just talking about the weight rating of the heads?

Thanks

Jose,

Taking your points in order:

The "levelling bowl" is a half-ball that sits in a bowl shaped hole in the top of the tripod. You will normally want to level your tripod so that horizons are level, and you do this with the help of a little spirit level bubble on the tripod head.

You can see a picture of the "bowl" here: Cartoni | L501 Aluminum 1-Stage Tripod Legs (100mm Bowl) | L501

The tripod head has a ball on the bottom that sits in this bowl, and can be lossened, adjusted and then tightened to make it level. There's a knob or handle underneath that you screw up or down to do this adjustment.

If you just want smooth pan and tilt and good legs, then the Libec LS-22 is good. You can work without adjustable drag if you aren't hoping for smooth, slow pans at 12x zoom. That won't be a problem for your music videos.

Regarding the counterbalance rating: the Manfrotto/Bogen has adjustable counterbalance, the Libec LS-38 doesn't. This means the camera will keep "springing up" or down when you try to tilt. The smaller the camera, the worst this gets. The LS-22 does have an adjustable balance, so it won't be a problem.

On cameras like the HMC40, you can get away with a pretty basic tripod. Maximum payload isn't an issue, you'll not get anywhere near 17lbs unless you sit on top of the tripod!

On an approx. $400 budget, and needing a leveling bowl, I would suggest:

Libec LS22: Libec | LS-22DV 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System | LS-22DV | B&H

Libec TH-950: Libec | TH-950DV 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System | TH-950DV | B&H

Bogen 501HDV: Manfrotto | 501HDV,351MVB2K 1-Stage Tripod | 501HDV,351MVB2K
- the legs are a bit more sturdy on this one, and it has a balancing bowl.

The cheapest Bogen 503HDV kit with decent legs is probably nearer to $600.

You really can't go wrong with the Libecs for the money, if you are on a budget.

A lot of HMC40 users seem to be happy with the Bogen 701HDV, but I cannot comment because I have no experience of it. A lot of the guys on DVXuser.com seem quite content with theirs.

I think we're veering into territory that is best covered in the tripods form!