Recommended Tripod for 7D

[Michael Kugler]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 7D and have been learning more about it each day by reading the threads on this forum. While not a novice, I'm not an expert videographer, so I thoroughly appreciate the wealth of knowledge that often accompanies the spirited debates on this forum.

I'm looking for advice on a tripod. I understand that, as with all camera equipment, tripods run the gamut, both in terms of cost and functionality, so allow me to specify some of my needs/limitations.

Starting with the limitations. I'm working with a fairly low budget; $300 to be exact. Knowing that even this caliber of tripod comes in all shapes and sizes, I could use a recommendation, at the very least, on a preferred manufacturer. Quick caveat: I'm a media educator and have used some top of the line Satchler tripods in my work and do NOT expect to find anything in my price range that comes close to tantamount in mechanics. That being said, I've also used (and broken) some highly recommended albeit inexpensive tripods, none of which seem suitable for the 7D.

Naturally, I'm looking for something that's lightweight with a 3-way pan/tilt fluid head.

Given my priorities and budget, any advice on tripod that meets the above criteria would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Dan Chung]

Michael,

I've recently been testing a Manfrotto 701HDV head with a Gitzo 2940LVL tripod instead of my regular Miller DS20. I can say for a starter kit the Manfrotto head is pretty good.

The Gitzo levelling legs may be out of your price range so perhaps try an all Manfrotto kit instead Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | MDeVe 745XB Video Tripod with |

Dan

[Nigel Barker]

Here's another vote for Manfrotto gear (sold under the Bogen brand in the US). Good design, well made & good value. I have & use the combo that Dan has linked to plus a little more expensively the Manfrotto 503HDV head & 755XB tripod which is a very solid platform.

[Dan Chung]

Incidently Sacthler, Gitzo and Manfrotto are all part of the same company - The Vitec group The Vitec Group plc :: Home

They just serve different segments of the market.

Dan

[Phil Yisrael]

I'd like to just add to this thread and ask for advice about a suitable monopod for the 7D with pan/tilt head. Is there a monopod out there like the Manfrotto 681B but with an arm.

Budget: $100 - $150

kind regards,
Phil
Amsterdam

[Dan Chung]

Over your budget but IMHO worth it is the Manfrotto 561bhdv tripods, heads, monopods, light stands, camera supports, lighting supports, professional tripod 561BHDV - FLUID VIDEO MONOPOD W/HEAD

Its the one both Phil Bloom and myself use.

Dan

[Michael Kugler]

Cool, thanks all for the advice. Amazon is selling the same package Dan linked to on B&H's website with a bag included for $319 which seems like a solid deal. Indeed, those gitzo legs are a bit out of my price range but the 745XB legs seem like they should do the trick.

Out of curiosity, Nigel, what's the difference in your experience, between the 503HDV and the 701HDV head. From the product description, it would appear as though the former includes the added feature of a switch for different counterbalance settings.

Thanks again for your help, everyone!

[Raymond Tsang]

You may also want to test out the 501HDV Bogen head. A bit cheaper than the 503HDV but we've had a decent experience with them using 5D+7Ds while panning for speeches and dances.

[Gabor Heeres]

I'm looking into buying a 7D and tripod as well. I would like to buy a tripod for the 7D that works for both, photography and videoshooting. So I think that working with a compact head with quick release plate instead of a sliding plate is more effective to me. The tripod should be strong enough to carry a combination of 7D, 70-200 2.8L and 580 EXII flash in photography. It should also be able to make smooth pans and tilts using the 17-55 2.8 and the heavier 24-70 2.8 lenses. Maximum amount of money I would like to spend on this tripod is around €1000/$1300. What are my best options on the market?

[Bill Pryor]

I have the Libec 38. Works very well for the 7D, and has enough tension for most any lens you might use. I mount my Cavision rods system with Zoom recorder, plus a marksphototools.com video bracket, so the total weight is probably more than the XH A1, which is what I bought the Libec for. It's about the only head in its price range that doesn't have bounceback at the end of a pan. I paid under $600 from TapeworksTexas a couple of years ago.

[Vincent Martinez]

Hello Gabor,

I've had great results using my Manfrotto 503hdv fluid head on my gitzo G410 tripod. I prefer to use the typical still photo tripod versus the video tripods. They are just easier for me to work with, maybe because I come from a photography background ? I've used this setup with a 500 f4 lens and it works great.

[Gabor Heeres]

tripods, heads, monopods, light stands, camera supports, lighting supports, professional tripod 701RC2 - COMPOSITE VIDEO HEAD PRO

This head looks pretty small but still stable. Anyone having experience in using it for video?

[Christian Huaux]

I'm very happy with my Manfrotto combo, and it's also cheap.

055XDB with a 128RC Head.

Amazon.com: Manfrotto Basic 055XDB Tripod (Black) Outfit with 128RC (3130) Micro Fluid Head: Electronics

[Peter Rhalter]

If you have the budget, my experience is that the Manfrotto 503 heads are worth the extra cost over the 501s.