After taking about 8 hours of video with my new camera my biggest problem is my tripod system. I find that if zoomed in that the camera cannot be touched without disturbing the picture. I use the remote to do everything it can do to avoid this problem.

Also my tripod head mounting point cannot be moved far enough forward to balance the lens (the built in tripod attach point on the camera is way behind the center of gravity) which requires tightening up the tilt axis drag so much that it impairs smooth motion control.

I am now motivated to upgrade the tripod and head system and would welcome suggestions. My only reservation is that I currently use a Carbon Fiber tripod and wish to keep the weight down as much as possible...

I've bought a Sachtler DV6 Head with DA-75/2D legs + spin. Perfect for the weight of the XL H1 and not too heavy. Cost me a bit (almost 2000 euro) but I think a good tripod is worth it.

I have a 501/525 Manfrotto tripod as well, but I prefer the Sachtler, though, the Manfrotto is a lot cheaper (cost me about 800 euros).

A good choice is the Vinten Vision 3. A fluid head that depending
on the stiffness of your spring selection can handle a camera
from 2 LBS to 22 LBS. At NAB I tried every single tripod out there
and selected the Vinten for it's smoothness and quick set up.

Hi fellow newcomer

I used my XL2 at the start of last year with an Ef Canon adapter. The stills derived lens 135-400mm and camera combination were so much of a handful I put the lens and camera on separate tripods. The addition of a stills lens multiplied the effective focal length by about seven times, (about three times longer than the standard

cont...

20x lens. On my normal setup the Vinten 601 seems adequate, but I also used the remote Zoom a great deal when working at maximum focal lengths. I then bought a standard Canon zoom control that fitted - (well not quite), to the pan handle of the tripod - which made excellently smooth pans and zooms.

In respect of the XLH1, there are dozens of people waiting to hear about the results your getting.