budget tripod for EX1r? (UK)

[Duncan Craig]

Seeing 'home use' and 'EX1r' in the same sentence is unusual.

Why buy such an expensive camera and stick it on the shittiest, cheapest tripod you hope you can get away with, makes no sense to me!

I'd buy a Canon HV40. a load of lighting kit and a £2000 Vinten carbon fibre tripod instead. And have money left over. You'll get great pictures and they'll be rock steady. No worries about a sticky zoom either!

[Federico Perale]

Duncan i just need a polite opinion, no need for language

the reasons why i have an EX1r are not in discussion here, and i said I mainly shoot at home, not exclusively

[Walter Brokx]

I'm using a Monfrotto 503 with my EX1R.
It works great.
I'm not sure what the difference is with a 501 except maximum load.

You will need a 501 PLONG plate if you want to be able to balance your EX1((R) on the tripod. The standard 501 plate will leave the camera frontheavy most of the time. With the long one you can adjust depending on the accesoires on the cam.

But take a look at all the other suggestions.

[Craig Seeman]

Federico, perhaps you should add more details as to what you're shooting style is.

"At Home" doesn't really indicate enough since, to many professionals and even serious amateurs, "at home" wouldn't indicate a desire to limit features.

With features or a shooting style in mind then maybe people can make intelligent recommendations. You're not going to get thumbs up on an inexpensive tripod unless you set the parameters by discussing what's important.

Duncan, and others, have expressed the importance of having a good tripod and, given the potential longevity, is not the place to cut corners. If you want to cut corners there it's incumbent on you to explain what corners are OK to be cut.

People here are probably reluctant to recommend a tripod that isn't capable of doing justice to the EX camera. In fact that may be a KEY difference in asking here vs the tripod forum is people here have already made their decisions based on the specific camera and are explain what the choices have been.

You mention price comparisons when you should talk about features and then people can tell you cost in a given class.

[Dean Harrington]

Get a good mid-weight range tripod ... you'll not regret it. The 501 is not a true fluid head. You'll notice the difference on a true fluid head if you try one. With a 501 you'll spend way too much time trying to get smooth pans especially when you start to add weighted items to your camera (monitors, matte boxes, etc.) You will need to think along the lines of a miller, 516 manfrotto, vinten ... lots of good ones out there! Invest in a good tripod ... it does help!

[Craig Seeman]

I have used the 501 and 503 with other lighter cameras and I wasn't happy with the pan, tilt or balancing. I know there are people using 503 with EX1 though. I found pans didn't have great starts and stops for example. It might be OK if you have to compromise.

I decided on the Sachtler FSB 6 with Carbon Fiber QuickLock legs and I thought this was "baseline." I could have gone a bit cheaper on the legs but any less on the head and I would have felt it would impact on the quality of my shooting.

For me "home" is that most of my shoots are within 1 hour travel from where I live by public transportation. Home includes a shoot area with muslin background and green screen for interviews in an old converted factory with uneven wooden floors so I needed a head that can be easily leveled without have to constantly change the height of individual legs.

[Dean Harrington]

I have a 503 which is a bit better than the 501 and will not use it if movement is necessary. I use a miller DS20 w/field legs and have found that can accommodate my EX3 fully loaded.

[Craig Kovatch]

For those of you who are using tripods with higher weight limits, do you have any difficulty using a lighter camera like the EX1? I'm using a Sachtler Video 14 which has a limit of 33lbs. But I'm shooting with a DSR-130. And that's all I've ever used on it. Is this head to much for a 7lb camera?

[Dean Harrington]

Originally Posted by Craig Kovatch

For those of you who are using tripods with higher weight limits, do you have any difficulty using a lighter camera like the EX1? I'm using a Sachtler Video 14 which has a limit of 33lbs. But I'm shooting with a DSR-130. And that's all I've ever used on it. Is this head to much for a 7lb camera?

The Sachtler 14 is slated for 15 pounds and up so if you are thinking of something that is fully loaded (Sony EX3. 35mm lens adapter, RR Matte Box, lens, monitor on camera, NanoFlash) all of that comes in around 20 pounds or so ... maybe a bit more (I've never weighed the load) and the Sachlter would be perfect for that kind of weight. The miller DS20 head handles it fine. So, it's a question of weight range. I think the DS20 tops out at around 25 pounds.

[Chris Soucy]

Craig,

(I say this in a loving and caring way, BTW)

First:

Posting questions/ comments in a thread that have no bearing on the contents of that thread is commonly refered to as "hijacking" and will, sooner or later, result in a swift kick from someone.

Not my thread so I'm saying squat.

Second:

Asking camera support questions in the other specialised Forums on DVinfo is akin to walking into your local shoe shop and asking them to service your car, it's bound to be a frustrating experience.

If you'd care to start a thread here:

Tripod Sticks & Heads Forum at DVinfo.net

I would be only too happy to attempt to answer any questions you may have with regard to camera support systems and their use (I do know a little bit about them) but I will not do it in other specialised Forums as it so often ends in tears.

Just a word to the wise.


CS

[Dean Harrington]

Originally Posted by Dean Harrington

Get a good mid-weight range tripod ... you'll not regret it. The 501 is not a true fluid head. You'll notice the difference on a true fluid head if you try one. With a 501 you'll spend way too much time trying to get smooth pans especially when you start to add weighted items to your camera (monitors, matte boxes, etc.) You will need to think along the lines of a miller, 516 manfrotto, vinten ... lots of good ones out there! Invest in a good tripod ... it does help!

Getting back to the subject ... think of a tripod as servicing several cameras and if you do, you won't end up buying a tripod for each camera. You might want to think ahead on this and get something that will last beyond your EX1 ... it might cost a bit more than you have in mind but in the end, you will save some money. I own 4 heads and 5 tripods ... only 2 heads and 2 tripods are useful at the moment.
all the best

[Alister Chapman]

The new style Manfrotto/Vinten 501 is IMHO good value for the money. There are better tripods but they will cost more money. I agree with what everyone else here has said regarding investing in a good tripod, I've just replaced an old Vision 5 with a new one, the old one lasted 15+ years and is still useable today. But if you need a cheap tripod the 501 certainly represents a reasonable choice for an EX1.

[Piotr Wozniacki]

Uff, finally at least one guru has expressed what I've always believed - that Manfrotto tripods are not at all as bad as the general opinion about them :)

Nevertheless, if I were using just a naked EX1 I'd go for something more sophisticated and precise than the 501 - for up to 6 kgs payload, even the best Sachtler, Vinten or Miller systems are not that much more expensive. What happens with a light rig on Manfrotto tripods is this springing back at the end of pans/tilts...

But with a rig weighing some 15 kgs like mine, the Manfrotto 526 head is the best bang for the buck. The shear weigh and inertia of such rig prevents springing back, and smooths all movements out!

[Vincent Oliver]

Take a look at the Miller Compass 15 head together with the Solo 2- stage carbon fiber legs System: Compass15 Solo 2-Stage Carbon Fibre System (1833) - Miller Camera Support

[Federico Perale]

WOW thanks so much to everyone for so many opinions...
as soon as I am off from hospital (using iphone these days) i will check out all these models

but I understand it's worth investing a bit more on the tripod....

Fed