Hey all.

I have a PD170 and am looking to purchase head and legs.
So far I've been shopping through Manfrotto/Bogen.
I was going to get 503 head with some decent sturdy legs. I'm thinking 475B or something. I want leg stability, but also versatility (who would'a thought eh?)for occasional tight squeeze or uneven ground. - Short films.
Apparently the Millers' equivalent of 503 is far superior. Is this true? Are they more expensive?
I don't know much about Millers'.. and am now daunted by the prospect of researching their products and reputation.
Miller and manfrotto components interchangeable/compatible?

Would a 503/475B setup work?

Any guidance or opinions here?

Many thanks always.

I throw myself upon the wisdom (and mercy) of the forum.

Miller makes excellent tripods (my understanding is they invented the fluid head). They, O'Connor, Sachtler, and Vinten are among the best. As to whether or not the Bogen head will fit on the Miller sticks... as long as the tripod's bowl and the head's ball are the same size, it should work. Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't.

Jay

I think the DS-10 is somewhat similar to the 503. Here are a few configurations:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=miller+ds10&image.x=0&image.y=0

I have the DS-5 which would be heavy duty enough for a PD-170 (got it for my PDX-10 but am also using with my Z1).

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=1&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=SearchBar&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=miller+ds5&image.x=4&image.y=9

The DS-10 is nicer though in that it has adjustable drag and balance. The DS-5 has no drag adjustments and the mounting plate doesn't slide to allow balancing.

There are various configurations of each model, but I think the DS-5 starts around $850 and the DS-10 around $950. If I had to do it all again, I'd get the DS-10.

I haven't used the Manfrotto 503, but I have a 501. I can tell you that the DS-5 is in an entirely different league from the 501 - much, much smoother movements for both panning and tilting.

Has a 503 and legs combination for $500 or so. The 503 is pretty good but does not compare to Miller.

Well thank you all!

Head is decided at least. I'm going Miller. A colleague has a friend (don't you love these) that owns a photography store.. I've been promised ridiculously good prices. We shall see.
If I can afford the DS10, I'll get it and let you know how I go.

Now on to the legs. Unfortunately, I've been shopping around for manfrotto legs for so long, that looking into the miller range is now like learning another language.
I'll look more closely at those setups you've linked to Boyyd. Thanks for the assist..
Anyone have any further info, advice or opinions on Manfrotto/Miller?

All the best.

Anthony

I don't know the miller heads and sticks, so I can't say anything about them. But I've got the Manfrotto 525 legs and the 519 head (the one that was introduced at last years Photokina in Cologne) for my XL2 and I'm very happy with this combo. It's a hell of a lot of weight to carry around, though.

Miller's website is here:

http://www.miller.com.au/index.cfm?sectid=00

I think the DS-10 is somewhat similar to the 503.....

I haven't used the Manfrotto 503, but I have a 501. I can tell you that the DS-5 is in an entirely different league from the 501 - much, much smoother movements for both panning and tilting.

Well, to put it in perspective, the 503 is also in a different league than the 501, but you are going up almost double in price to go from the 501 ($143 at BH) to the 503 ($260). BH doesn't have the DS-10 head listed separately, but I'm just guessing that the the DS-10 head by itself would be $600 or $700. That's a major step up in price from my point of view so you should expect an obvious increase in smoothness just going by price, since pricewise, these are not in the same league.