Just wanted to share this with the community here:

Spent over a year scanning eBay for a Sachtler head. Saw some bargains come and go, also saw some dogs do something similar. I've tried heads side by side with my camera (Z1) and know what I want: equal friction on pan and tilt, no stiction (of course), and no 'give' or 'play' in the action. Sachtler heads won this battle hands down.

Got a DV-8 head with cheap Sachtler legs. Panning the camera made the legs creak. There was 'give' in the system. The legs had to go.

Trialled Sachtler, Miller, Manfrotto and Vinten legs in the sub-£500 category. Not a lot of choice, but one clear winner:

Miller Carbon Fibre legs mated to a Sachtler DV-6 or DV-8 head with a Z1 on top is a dream combo. The Miller legs have three stops on them to quickly go from Lower Than Sachter to Higher Than Vinten, and the best bit is that each leg can do that individually. AND it's light, and it has a great shoulder strap, and the top section is in comfortable neoprene rubber for when you have to hoik it over your shoulder.

Miller CF legs go higher and lower than any other legs in this category, are light to carry, warm to handle and hump about, and don't complain under the duresse of light HDV work. Meanwhile the Sachtler DV-8 is a dream head - telepathic, in fact.

Hopes this helps!

My dream support is Miller Solo + Vinten Vision 3. However, that remains a dream to me.

Matt,

Thanks for the info. Recently, I have been doing a lot of research, trying to determine the ultimate head to put on these legs. I wished that I could try every head myself but there was no way for me to do that, so your experience is invaluable. I am looking for the same qualities which you describe... well, isn't everyone?

Now, you mention that you got the DV-8. Are you certain that the DV-6 is just as good?

Nick

I'd love to get the Vinten Vision 3 for my Z1.

Are you certain that the DV-6 is just as good?

Erm, <blush> no. I reckoned that the DV-8 is perhaps a little bit overkill for a Z1 (it really is the lightest camera you'd want on it), and that having used a friend's DV-4, it was great compared to my Vinten Pro 5, but with a Z1 wearing a 1.6x Century Optics on its nose, it just came short of perfect as it lacked the 'heft'. I rather hoped that the DV-6 would be that happy medium.

BTW - one more 'fanboy' note about the miller which wasn't apparent until I used it for the first time - the legs have 3 click stops for the angle of leg spread (each is independent) which came in handy when I had to set up on a staircase.

:)

Erm, <blush> no.

Thank you Matt, I truly appreciate your honesty. I have the DS10 Miller Solo system, so I have the legs and I am quite happy with them but I would like to get a better head. I am not certain that one can assume that the DV-6 has the same magic that you found in the DV-8. This is worthy of further research. I would like to know how the DV-6 compares to the Vision 3.

Nick

I am not certain that one can assume that the DV-6 has the same magic that you found in the DV-8.

I think the DV6 and DV8 would perform similarly. They appear to have the exact same drag modules because the drag settings charts on the Sachtler site are identical. I don't know this for a fact, but I don't think Sachtler would make the modules any different from one head to the next. This is would probably increase cost because they wouldn't be able to use common components. What they do to reduce cost is reduce the number of modules (that's why the cheapest heads only have 1 or 2 drag settings and the more expensive heads have 5 or 7 or more drag settings).

As far as I can tell, the only difference between the DV6 and DV8 is that the DV8 has 2 more counterbalance settings so it can go up to 26 kg, vs. 20 kg and the DV8 can be purchased in a 100mm bowl version vs. only a 75mm bowl for the DV6.

Does anybody have any experience with the 3066? How does it preform. I have an XL2 plus mattebox, follow focus, and rods. I'm wondering if this might be a good fluid head for my set up. -Hunter

Does anybody have any experience with the 3066? How does it preform. I have an XL2 plus mattebox, follow focus, and rods. I'm wondering if this might be a good fluid head for my set up. -Hunter

According to dealer websites, the Bogen Model #116 fluid head I've had for 17 years is identical to the Model #3066 that is sold today. I've used it on #3036 Bogen legs. It's more than adequate to support your XL2 and accessories. It's rated at up to 22 lbs., but I've operated with as much as 35 lbs. on mine, with no trouble. I bought a long dual-arm kit for it and stand back with remote-controllers on the handles. I've run a full-sized Beta with a color 5-inch monitor on top and a 9-inch B&W monitor on a side platform. It has good leveling features and is as smooth as you could expect in this price range. You might eventually want something more expensive, if you do slow and steady pans. For the quick, snap-pans I've done for volleyball matches, it has worked just fine.

If you're fairly new to video, don't feel a need to spend a large amount on a tripod system, until you find that your level of experience has outgrown a more basic model like this. A good and steady hand is always the most important part of tripod operation.

I've more often used a smaller tripod/head setup for my Canon L-1 in the past, with a 3063 head and 3001 legs. It's lightweight, but with the long dual arms, was adequate for my purposes. On the rare occasions I need a tripod with my VX2100, this is what I use, for the better portability.

Scroll down on this dealer's website to see the #3066 head and its description. A photo of a jib-arm accessory below it, shows an XL1 mounted on it.

http://austinfilmtools.com/pages/gear_camera_support.htm

Hello Steve,
Thanks for the information. I'd researched the specs but I wanted some first hand advice. I know that the 3066 is rated for well over the XL2's weight but was curious as to how well it actually performed when compared to, say the 516 or the 316 as it seems to be a little cheaper than these models. It seems from your post that the 3066 will be good enough for my purposes. I'm not particularly new to video but I come from a film background so I've been spoiled by fancy rental house O'Conners. Again, thank you for taking the time to inform me.
-Regards, Hunter