Review: Libec TH-M20 at DVinfo.net

Andy Tejral · March 10th, 2008, 02:02 PM

It seems that nearly everyone here at DV Info has Bogen tripods. I guess they must have changed for the better over the years. My first video production memories involve bad experiences with Bogens. Clunky, easily broken. Just didn't seem like a quality product.

So when it came time to buy one of my own, I was looking for something else. The B&H salesman recommended the Libec TH-M20 for use with my VX1000. That was about 8 years ago and I gotta say, its holding up pretty well.

The plastic holds up fine against cold temperatures. I'm a wimp, the coldest I've used it at is probably about 0F. But the plastic tripod clamps worked just fine.

I'm used to full size Satchlers so I was a bit disappointed in the leveling range of the ball. But it is what it is. You'll need to shorten legs frequently to get this level on anything well out of level.

It is barely tall enough. I've never had to do a standing interview with it, but if the subject is tall, it may be a problem with a small camera. 60" I believe. For nature scenes, it works well.

A few years back, I made a critical judgment error and knocked the puppy down to the ground from about 6' up (I was smart enough to remove the camera when I moved my pickup for a better position but the tripod took a tumble). The only damage was to the tilt lock/friction. I replaced it with a pair of vice grips and it works exceedingly well.

Oh, that's kinda important: It is a fluid head but has only a single control for friction/brake. But it works pretty darn well. It is variable. My Satchler has on or off. On can be too stiff and off is, well, off. As the Satchler gets more hours, it works better but the Libec worked out of the box.

I'm sure I've forgotten stuff. Ask questions if you like.

Tsu Terao · March 10th, 2008, 04:56 PM

FWIW, the Matthews M25 uses the same legs, different head.

Anmol Mishra · October 12th, 2008, 11:55 PM

Can I confirm that the Matthews and the Libec both have an adjustable height feature ?? Essentially I can adjust a clawball or a pushbutton to adjust the height if I am on a non level ground ??

March 10th, 2008, 02:02 PM	#1
Andy Tejral Major Player Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New York City Posts: 523	Review: Libec TH-M20 It seems that nearly everyone here at DV Info has Bogen tripods. I guess they must have changed for the better over the years. My first video production memories involve bad experiences with Bogens. Clunky, easily broken. Just didn't seem like a quality product. So when it came time to buy one of my own, I was looking for something else. The B&H salesman recommended the Libec TH-M20 for use with my VX1000. That was about 8 years ago and I gotta say, its holding up pretty well. The plastic holds up fine against cold temperatures. I'm a wimp, the coldest I've used it at is probably about 0F. But the plastic tripod clamps worked just fine. I'm used to full size Satchlers so I was a bit disappointed in the leveling range of the ball. But it is what it is. You'll need to shorten legs frequently to get this level on anything well out of level. It is barely tall enough. I've never had to do a standing interview with it, but if the subject is tall, it may be a problem with a small camera. 60" I believe. For nature scenes, it works well. A few years back, I made a critical judgment error and knocked the puppy down to the ground from about 6' up (I was smart enough to remove the camera when I moved my pickup for a better position but the tripod took a tumble). The only damage was to the tilt lock/friction. I replaced it with a pair of vice grips and it works exceedingly well. Oh, that's kinda important: It is a fluid head but has only a single control for friction/brake. But it works pretty darn well. It is variable. My Satchler has on or off. On can be too stiff and off is, well, off. As the Satchler gets more hours, it works better but the Libec worked out of the box. I'm sure I've forgotten stuff. Ask questions if you like. __________________ Andy Tejral Railroad Videographer

October 12th, 2008, 11:55 PM	#3
Anmol Mishra Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 401	Clawball or adjustable level Can I confirm that the Matthews and the Libec both have an adjustable height feature ?? Essentially I can adjust a clawball or a pushbutton to adjust the height if I am on a non level ground ??

March 10th, 2008, 04:56 PM	#2
Tsu Terao Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Monterey Bay area, CA Posts: 82	FWIW, the Matthews M25 uses the same legs, different head.