Hey guys! As the title goes, d'you guys think that the Manfrotto 502HD is a worthy upgrade (in terms of price / bulk / weight) for use only for a slider? I'm currently using a 501HDV and have no problems with it (although it's now a little under-spec'ed since I've upgraded to the Sony FS700)... what say you guys?

And another question for the dolly users - I realise I've been shooting a lot of weddings where I want to use my tripod, but don't want to lift the tripod (a vinten VB set) up and plant it down every few steps. D'you guys think that a dolly is a good idea? I'm thinking of just shifting it around, applying the breaks, then shoot. Rinse and repeat. Will my stability suffer a lot when I pan? Or is this just a dumb idea and I shouldn't be so lazy?

Zexun

Hi, Zexun...........

Been a while.

Can't answer your first question I'm afraid.

Not familiar with the M 502, though can't believe it's a huge step up from the M 501.

I'm sure there are others as can comment.

The second I can most definitlely answer.

If I'm ever shooting in an environment where I have acres of smooth, hard surface flooring, I never use anything else but a dolly.

Who wants to be picking up and carrying a rig if you can simply wheel it?

I have read some comments about "it makes the entire system unstable" in the past, guess someone should contact NBC, CBC, the BBC and all the other TV amateurs around the planet and let them know, seems they haven't figured it out yet!

A quality dolly, 6" wheels (preferably with cable guards) and a full set of locks and you're good to go.

If it's good enough for the Beeb, it's good enough for me.


CS

Hi Zexun ......

spend some time checking whether the general 'floors' you work on will be suitable for tracking and setting up for stable camera shots,
before you commit to buying a dolly.

Tracking a dolly around wedding guests, along with carpets, rugs, chairs, tables, stairs and kids .. can all be time consuming problems.

And whether the churches and reception rooms you generally work in, will let you use one.
Try renting one first.

Cheers.

Good to hear from you again, Chris! And thanks for the reply too, Allan.

I'll go rent the Manfrotto 114MV from the local production house for my upcoming wedding. Do either of you (or anyone else) have any experience with that?

And yes, I'll take note about the space constraints.

I have the 114 designed for heavy duty single foot tripods, a dead ringer for the MV model apart from the foot fixing.

Yep, it has full locks and cable guards but is sodding heavy, at the same time exceedingly robust.

Of course, the weight isn't an issue once it's actually on the floor, it's just getting it there along with the rest of your rig.


CS

I know of one wedding guy who uses 3 tripods instead of a dolly. He sets them up at weddings and functions at the best spots for shooting.
He says it's faster and quieter, especially in a church.

He goes from one to another with his camera, or leaves his other cam running while he goes handheld. If the job is big enough he uses a 2nd or 3rd shooters, who are cheaper because they don't have to supply the gear.

Cheers.

Well, here we go, ordered the 502HD for my slider, and ditched the dolly thought/rental for my upcoming wedding - groom told me that there's no space, like you guys told me. Thank you all for the tip!

Attached are two pictures of the head. It's huge, and it's noisy, like the 504HD. But it'll have to do - much smoother than the 501HDV that's for sure!

Zexun

What do you mean by noisy? I have the 504HD head.

When you tilt the head up and down to it's maximum, the springs can be heard. When you take the drag off from minimum, the sticky plastic sound can be heard. When you pan the head, some form of ball bearings can be heard. It's all well and good for when I do slider shots though - I don't normally need the audio, and if I do it's off camera.