I've had no luck with tripod recommendations here so I've researched a lot and come up with this thing I'm buying. I'll let everyone know if it's overkill with a HC5/7

Davis & Sanford ProVista 7518 Professional Video Tripod W/75MM C BALL FM18 Fluid Head

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I'm not expecting too much for an entry level pro video tripod...then again, I don't actually pan or tilt much, either. However, I noticed my travel tripod shakes in the wind. This Davis and Sanford is 10.3 pounds alone...which helps.

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Sorry you haven't had much luck with Tripod recommendations here - maybe one reason is that talking to a few pro cam,era ops they tend to be quite parochial about their choice. One wouldn't use anything but a Vinten, another swore by a Miller, although most seemed to favour Sachtler. Personal preference then is an important consideration.

I have a couple of Vintens, a Miller and have just got a Sachtler.I can't offhand think of any bit of kit that has improved the quality of my footage moree than the Sachtler - it just works so well.

So now the advice...:-)

1. Try a few tripods with your camera with a tape in it, particularly trying the shots you use a lot in your productions. A couple I try are :-
- simultaneously panning and tilting on a 45 degree angle
- smooth pan to a vertical edge. Does it stay still at the end of the pan.
- try smooth tiltsand stopping them before (or after) the horizontal - does the camera stay where its put?

Then review the tape and see if you can notice differences.

2. I've found with tripods, generally you get what you pay for, and as a tripod will usually outlast several cameras, its worth spending as much as you can afford.

3. Remember the old adage (badly paraphrased!)- "spend the money on what is seen on screen" - a good tripod will really make the difference.

Hope this helps

You might look in the Camera Support forum, which is dedicated to tripods, steadying devices, and other mounting options.

Please post *any and all* tripod questions in our Support Your Local Camera forum.

Thanks!