Hello all,

I've been reading through the forums here and getting ideas for all the gear I eventually want to get (hopefully a lot of it within the next 45-60 days). The camera I am set on is the XL2.

I know I should really concentrate a large portion of my funds on a good head and sticks, and this will be one the first "essential" accessories, but my overall budget is probably going to be pretty tight ... I'd like to keep my total tripod system cost down to $1400 or less.

I was wondering how you felt about the Bogen/Manfrotto 516 head. Is there something else I should consider for around the same price ($500ish)?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=241143&is=REG

I am considering the 528XB sticks mainly because I will probably try to get a Dykortech Jib sometime later this year and would really like a strong tripod. I am not that concerned about the weight of the system as I think most of my shoots will have me fairly stationary for the most part (me, not the camera).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=290858&is=REG

I think a dolly would serve me well for ease of moving the setup to get another angle quickly (on smooth surfaces), very short & slow tracking (like getting around someone's head with minimal movement), and it would add a few inches of height to the short 528XB sticks (I'm only 5'9" anyways).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=5323&is=REG

The only other tripod(s) I have used/owned are the little cheap WallyWorld specials meant for absolute novice point and shoot still cameras. I know nothing of tripod ball sizes, how this stuff all fits together, etc.

I know I want a pretty smooth head and will need heavy duty sticks for the Dykortech crane later. Keeping this in mind ...

Does anyone see any problems with any of this gear working together?
Any other suggestions I should consider?

OK, how about just a comparison between the Bogen 516 and the Cartoni F100?

If you've done a search on the 516 head here you'll know what I'm about to say. I really, really dislike this head! In fairness, I bought it simply for use with a little crane, and it's acceptable for that job. But with just my camera weight it's not fun at all. Creaks, hitches when you first start and with direction changes, etc.

If I had it to do over I would save money a little longer and at least buy the 526--or look at some other brand. If there is ANY way you can go somewhere and try them out first, that would make your decision much easier.

Thanks for the reply Lorinda. Unfortunately, there really isn't anywhere I can try out decent equipment. The best thing I've found near here is a Wolf Camera and their selection is pretty low end and terrible.

The more I've looked around, the more I have decided it is best to go ahead spend more on the head. So far, I haven't heard many bad things about the Focus (Cartoni), so, I have started to look into Cartoni systems.

What I have found is this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=WishList.jsp&A=details&Q=&sku=366495&is=REG
Anyone else tried this?

See here's another opinion of the 516 head. I love it. No creaks unless I don't unlock the tilt lock all the way. If it's at all tight it does creak. With about 17 pounds on it it works great. With about 14 pounds it still works great, with only about 8 pounds I feel its too much head but it still works. 2 people, 2 opinions! (like me and my wife-but she's ALWAYS right:-O)

I also use the 3067 dolly and it works just fine. I've used it with 3246 legs and 525 legs but I've also made the footprint smaller. The 3067 has a 2nd set of holes for the leg carriages which place them about 5 or 6 inches further back on the outriggers (towards the center of the dolly) I cut off the excess, drilled some new holes for the wheels and gave myself a smaller footprint to work with for tighter spaces. The one thing to be aware of is that now with a tall top heavy tripod on a narrower dolly it can and sometimes will want to get away from you-feel like it wants to tip (never has-not even close-just feels like it). All in all I like my setup-been using this setup for over 5 years and once you get ussed to it - it works fine.
Just another opinion!
Don B

2 people, 2 opinions! (like me and my wife-but she's ALWAYS right:-O)
lol, Don! I wouldn't know the feeling--seems like I'm wrong all the time... :)

That business with the tilt lock is so true, and I thought I'd solved the problem with it. But doggone it, this particular head just wants to be creaky, I guess!

Thanks for the other perspective; always nice "chatting" with you. :)