Seeking other online reviews at DVinfo.net

Andrew Petrie · October 25th, 2002, 07:47 AM

I'm having trouble locating site(s) with good, solid reviews on various tripods. Has anyone come across such a site (besides DVInfo, which is my fav :) ) I'm looking for indepth reviews with pictures.

Otherwise, I'll have to build my own review site, heh.

Jeff Donald · October 25th, 2002, 08:11 AM

The tripod manufactures are a tight group, as a whole. Over the years several manufactures have approached me to review new models. No compensation was ever offered other than a small discount (10% to 20%) if I wanted to buy it after the review. Manufactures won't loan tripods for review and dealers don't want their goods all beat up. Buying tripods for review is too expensive.

Jeff

Andrew Petrie · October 25th, 2002, 09:17 AM

Yeah...well... I'm sure there's a site somewhere with a collection of real-world reviews from actual tripod owners... Thus eliminating the potential bias that comes with something on-loan from a manufacturer.

Well, at least in my world there should be *sniffle*

Dylan Couper · October 25th, 2002, 10:45 AM

I have a problem with "real world" review sites. Every owner thinks the thing they bought is the absolute best ever. It seems like everything listed in those types of sites gets a 9+/10 rating. Mostly worthless.
Just what I've found. Not tripods in particular, but everything else from cars to stereos to paintball guns.

Nathan Gifford · October 25th, 2002, 10:54 AM

Hey Dylan, I don't think my tripod is great, but it works..sort of... The neatest thing on it, besides the XL-1, is the compact ball leveler. That's way cool.

Ken Tanaka · October 25th, 2002, 04:30 PM

Andrew,
Jeff's right. I was in a similar information-starvation quandry last year when shopping for a new tripod. Aside from an occasional magazine review or Web site review I could not find any source for multiple comparative evaluations. Videography magazine reviewed the Vinten Vision tripods and Epinions.com showed a few "user reviews" of mostly consumer-grade tripods but that was about it.

We've become spoiled into expecting reliable reviews for just about everything on the Web. It just ain't so. With most of the professional-grade tripods running $2,000-$10,000 it will probably not be so in the future, either. This caliber of gear is sold to tv stations and production companies who just send it back to their salesman if they're unsatisfied.

Andrew Petrie · October 25th, 2002, 10:35 PM

True Ken. It's that same reason (major expense) that makes me want to try and get the best tripod the first time. It's just too much money to let go of on a guess. I don't like stabbing in the dark when it comes to this kind of expense

Ken Tanaka · October 25th, 2002, 10:58 PM

If it's any help to you I bought a Miller DS-10 (configured with a mid-level spreader) for my XL1s. It's a fine tripod and head combination that comes with a well designed soft case. Miller has since dropped its price to around $850 making it an even better value. A Sachtler was the first runner-up.

Scott Silverman · October 26th, 2002, 12:27 AM

I have not found a good tripod review site, however I have an idea. Is there a local camera shop around you? Just today, I went to my local camera shop and the guy there was very helpful. He let my try out different tripods with different heads and recommended different ones to me for different purposes. I finally decided on a Bogen 3460 (503) head and a 3246 tripod. I am now working on the money for this tripod. I am confident that for my future GL2 and and for every other use this tripod/head will last. I don’t know what your price range was but you should look this combo on B&H (they sell for about $440 total). Good luck, and go see your local camera store!

Andrew Petrie · October 26th, 2002, 08:12 AM

Local camera stores here are a joke. Even our chain of Henrys (_the_ camera outlet in the region) has crap in-store. I'm talking $100 CDN tripods. Ask for a spreader and the teenaged deskboy will be like 'huhyuh?' So I don't have this option, unless I drive 2 hours one-way to Michigan, or New York state and try my luck there.

The couple of better shops we have will look up tripod prices in the indistry-wide reseller catalog. But have no clue about the product besides the price listed.

Bryan Beasleigh · October 26th, 2002, 04:35 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by SyneticDV : Local camera stores here are a joke. Even our chain of Henrys (_the_ camera outlet in the region) has crap in-store. I'm talking $100 CDN tripods. Ask for a spreader and the teenaged deskboy will be like 'huhyuh?' So I don't have this option, unless I drive 2 hours one-way to Michigan, or New York state and try my luck there. -->>>

You'll find a whole lot more in the Toronto area than you will in the US border area. Toronto has some big time dealers. Cinequip , White, The Source Shop, Vistek and Precision are all pro dealers. I agree with you about London though. Henry's has a fair bit in the big store on Queen and Vistek has 3 floors of goodies. All the major broadcast people go to Cinequip. These people would chew off their right arm if they thought it would help you.

<<<--The couple of better shops we have will look up tripod prices in the indistry-wide reseller catalog. But have no clue about the product besides the price listed. -->>>

Try Cinequip on Branigan in TO (WWW.cinequip.ca), Vistek (www.vistek.com) ,Downtown Camera or Henry's Superstore on Queen. Precision Camera, The Source Shop on Mowat (http://www.sourceshop.com/home.html) .

Burlington Camera in Burlington ha s herd of tripods.

The best prices come from the pro dealers . I prefer Cinequip and the Source Shop. The DV Shop on Dundas can order in almost anything and he knows his stuff very well.

email me at beaser@eudoramail.com if you have any questions. I never pay full price for anything either.

October 25th, 2002, 07:47 AM	#1
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	Seeking other online reviews I'm having trouble locating site(s) with good, solid reviews on various tripods. Has anyone come across such a site (besides DVInfo, which is my fav :) ) I'm looking for indepth reviews with pictures. Otherwise, I'll have to build my own review site, heh. __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

October 25th, 2002, 09:17 AM	#3
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	Yeah...well... I'm sure there's a site somewhere with a collection of real-world reviews from actual tripod owners... Thus eliminating the potential bias that comes with something on-loan from a manufacturer. Well, at least in my world there should be sniffle __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

October 25th, 2002, 10:54 AM	#5
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	Hey Dylan, I don't think my tripod is great, but it works..sort of... The neatest thing on it, besides the XL-1, is the compact ball leveler. That's way cool. __________________ Nathan Gifford Southern Cyclist Magazine & Productions For quick answers try our Search! To see me and Rob Lohman click here

October 25th, 2002, 04:30 PM	#6
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Andrew, Jeff's right. I was in a similar information-starvation quandry last year when shopping for a new tripod. Aside from an occasional magazine review or Web site review I could not find any source for multiple comparative evaluations. Videography magazine reviewed the Vinten Vision tripods and Epinions.com showed a few "user reviews" of mostly consumer-grade tripods but that was about it. We've become spoiled into expecting reliable reviews for just about everything on the Web. It just ain't so. With most of the professional-grade tripods running $2,000-$10,000 it will probably not be so in the future, either. This caliber of gear is sold to tv stations and production companies who just send it back to their salesman if they're unsatisfied. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

October 25th, 2002, 10:35 PM	#7
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	True Ken. It's that same reason (major expense) that makes me want to try and get the best tripod the first time. It's just too much money to let go of on a guess. I don't like stabbing in the dark when it comes to this kind of expense __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

October 25th, 2002, 08:11 AM	#2
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	The tripod manufactures are a tight group, as a whole. Over the years several manufactures have approached me to review new models. No compensation was ever offered other than a small discount (10% to 20%) if I wanted to buy it after the review. Manufactures won't loan tripods for review and dealers don't want their goods all beat up. Buying tripods for review is too expensive. Jeff

October 25th, 2002, 10:45 AM	#4
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	I have a problem with "real world" review sites. Every owner thinks the thing they bought is the absolute best ever. It seems like everything listed in those types of sites gets a 9+/10 rating. Mostly worthless. Just what I've found. Not tripods in particular, but everything else from cars to stereos to paintball guns.

October 25th, 2002, 10:58 PM	#8
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	If it's any help to you I bought a Miller DS-10 (configured with a mid-level spreader) for my XL1s. It's a fine tripod and head combination that comes with a well designed soft case. Miller has since dropped its price to around $850 making it an even better value. A Sachtler was the first runner-up. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

October 26th, 2002, 12:27 AM	#9
Scott Silverman Major Player Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Cupertino, California, USA Posts: 301	I have not found a good tripod review site, however I have an idea. Is there a local camera shop around you? Just today, I went to my local camera shop and the guy there was very helpful. He let my try out different tripods with different heads and recommended different ones to me for different purposes. I finally decided on a Bogen 3460 (503) head and a 3246 tripod. I am now working on the money for this tripod. I am confident that for my future GL2 and and for every other use this tripod/head will last. I don’t know what your price range was but you should look this combo on B&H (they sell for about $440 total). Good luck, and go see your local camera store! __________________ Scott Silverman Shining Star Digital Video Productions Bay Area, CA

October 26th, 2002, 08:12 AM	#10
Andrew Petrie Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 484	Local camera stores here are a joke. Even our chain of Henrys (_the_ camera outlet in the region) has crap in-store. I'm talking $100 CDN tripods. Ask for a spreader and the teenaged deskboy will be like 'huhyuh?' So I don't have this option, unless I drive 2 hours one-way to Michigan, or New York state and try my luck there. The couple of better shops we have will look up tripod prices in the indistry-wide reseller catalog. But have no clue about the product besides the price listed. __________________ Andrew \| Canon XL1s, ME66, Vinten Vision 3, GlideCam V16 (for sale!)

October 26th, 2002, 04:35 PM	#11
Bryan Beasleigh Trustee Join Date: May 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,922	<<<-- Originally posted by SyneticDV : Local camera stores here are a joke. Even our chain of Henrys (_the_ camera outlet in the region) has crap in-store. I'm talking $100 CDN tripods. Ask for a spreader and the teenaged deskboy will be like 'huhyuh?' So I don't have this option, unless I drive 2 hours one-way to Michigan, or New York state and try my luck there. -->>> You'll find a whole lot more in the Toronto area than you will in the US border area. Toronto has some big time dealers. Cinequip , White, The Source Shop, Vistek and Precision are all pro dealers. I agree with you about London though. Henry's has a fair bit in the big store on Queen and Vistek has 3 floors of goodies. All the major broadcast people go to Cinequip. These people would chew off their right arm if they thought it would help you. <<<--The couple of better shops we have will look up tripod prices in the indistry-wide reseller catalog. But have no clue about the product besides the price listed. -->>> Try Cinequip on Branigan in TO (WWW.cinequip.ca), Vistek (www.vistek.com) ,Downtown Camera or Henry's Superstore on Queen. Precision Camera, The Source Shop on Mowat (http://www.sourceshop.com/home.html) . Burlington Camera in Burlington ha s herd of tripods. The best prices come from the pro dealers . I prefer Cinequip and the Source Shop. The DV Shop on Dundas can order in almost anything and he knows his stuff very well. email me at beaser@eudoramail.com if you have any questions. I never pay full price for anything either.