panning at DVinfo.net

Terry Hulf · June 27th, 2008, 02:12 AM

Is there a product to aid smoother panning.

Paul W. Hazeltine · June 27th, 2008, 02:33 AM

Yes

Hague make one see http://www.b-hague.co.uk/pan__tilt_power_head.htm I must admit I have been thinking about one of these myself.

Paul W. H

Allan Black · June 27th, 2008, 06:42 AM

Well you don't see the pros using power pans, what you see is years of practice on a good well set up tripod. Some time back I had the opportunity to work with a seasoned pro with over 30 years experience. The first thing I noticed was how he set up his Miller DS10 tripod head, he had more drag on it than I imagined he would have. This was so it didn't jerk.

We were doing 120 degree pans of aircraft taking off, he used the EVF and bought the tripod legs in so he could step around them without jerking the pan.

Try getting on a hill and using a good fluid head tripod, practice on cars on the motorway. HTH
Cheers.

Paul W. Hazeltine · June 27th, 2008, 07:23 AM

Allan you are correct about Pro's using Pro equipment and what they can achieve.

I am an amateur and I cannot afford or justify paying for Pro kit so there has to be a Plan "B" to try and gadgets like http://www.b-hague.co.uk/pan__tilt_power_head.htm help.

Well thats my view.

Paul W. H

Bill Pryor · June 27th, 2008, 09:49 AM

Almost any decent fluid head tripod will give you smooth pans, as long as the camera isn't overweighted for it. The cheaper ones usually won't stop nicely at the end of the move, but you can, with practice, overcome that. I don't see how you'd follow action with some powered device like on that link.

Oren Arieli · June 27th, 2008, 09:59 AM

My 2 cents: Spend the money on a better tripod. I've yet to see a motorized zoom that can approximate a pro. The secret to a great pan/tilt is varying the speed during the move so that there is a smooth ramp-up and ramp-down. Besides, how are you going to control any other aspect of the camera while operating a hand-control?
The motor will also add extra weight to your kit, and you have to worry about a power source that is otherwise available to you for free (your arms). A remote pan/tilt head is best used in situations where you can't physically access the camera.

Tom Roper · June 27th, 2008, 11:30 AM

There was a tip in the tripod discussions about using rubber bands to pull the lever with.

I tried it, and the results are so good it's embarrasing.

Annie Haycock · June 27th, 2008, 12:08 PM

I do a lot of remote filming, so use the pan and tilt power head for that. It isn't difficult, after a bit of practice, to use the head controls in one hand, and the lanc controller in the other.

It still needs to be set up on a sturdy tripod - but note that it (or at least the one I have from Hague) has a 1/4 inch thread instead of the 3/8 inch that are standard on my Manfrotto tripods.

Terry Hulf · June 28th, 2008, 11:23 AM

Tried the elastic band, brilliant, cheap, just cannot believe how how smooth the pan is, thanks.

June 27th, 2008, 02:12 AM	#1
Terry Hulf Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: UK south east Posts: 29	panning Is there a product to aid smoother panning.

June 27th, 2008, 12:08 PM	#8
Annie Haycock Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Pembrokeshire, Wales Posts: 734	I do a lot of remote filming, so use the pan and tilt power head for that. It isn't difficult, after a bit of practice, to use the head controls in one hand, and the lanc controller in the other. It still needs to be set up on a sturdy tripod - but note that it (or at least the one I have from Hague) has a 1/4 inch thread instead of the 3/8 inch that are standard on my Manfrotto tripods. __________________ Canon XH A1; Canon XF100; Nikon D800

June 27th, 2008, 02:33 AM	#2
Paul W. Hazeltine Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: West Kent UK Posts: 26	Yes Hague make one see http://www.b-hague.co.uk/pan__tilt_power_head.htm I must admit I have been thinking about one of these myself. Paul W. H

June 27th, 2008, 06:42 AM	#3
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,958	Well you don't see the pros using power pans, what you see is years of practice on a good well set up tripod. Some time back I had the opportunity to work with a seasoned pro with over 30 years experience. The first thing I noticed was how he set up his Miller DS10 tripod head, he had more drag on it than I imagined he would have. This was so it didn't jerk. We were doing 120 degree pans of aircraft taking off, he used the EVF and bought the tripod legs in so he could step around them without jerking the pan. Try getting on a hill and using a good fluid head tripod, practice on cars on the motorway. HTH Cheers.

June 27th, 2008, 07:23 AM	#4
Paul W. Hazeltine Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: West Kent UK Posts: 26	Allan you are correct about Pro's using Pro equipment and what they can achieve. I am an amateur and I cannot afford or justify paying for Pro kit so there has to be a Plan "B" to try and gadgets like http://www.b-hague.co.uk/pan__tilt_power_head.htm help. Well thats my view. Paul W. H

June 27th, 2008, 09:49 AM	#5
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Almost any decent fluid head tripod will give you smooth pans, as long as the camera isn't overweighted for it. The cheaper ones usually won't stop nicely at the end of the move, but you can, with practice, overcome that. I don't see how you'd follow action with some powered device like on that link.

June 27th, 2008, 09:59 AM	#6
Oren Arieli Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 919	My 2 cents: Spend the money on a better tripod. I've yet to see a motorized zoom that can approximate a pro. The secret to a great pan/tilt is varying the speed during the move so that there is a smooth ramp-up and ramp-down. Besides, how are you going to control any other aspect of the camera while operating a hand-control? The motor will also add extra weight to your kit, and you have to worry about a power source that is otherwise available to you for free (your arms). A remote pan/tilt head is best used in situations where you can't physically access the camera.

June 27th, 2008, 11:30 AM	#7
Tom Roper Trustee Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 1,891	There was a tip in the tripod discussions about using rubber bands to pull the lever with. I tried it, and the results are so good it's embarrasing.

June 28th, 2008, 11:23 AM	#9
Terry Hulf Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: UK south east Posts: 29	Tried the elastic band, brilliant, cheap, just cannot believe how how smooth the pan is, thanks.