Vinten Vision Blue

[Chris Soucy]

OK, after numerous glitches (and CH having broken his formattring software) the review is finally "up there".

Er, here: Review: Vinten Vision Blue at DVInfo.net

It's looking pretty scrappy, but CH will fix it.

This is one amazing system folks, and for the expected street price, (as I say in the review) "the deal of the century".

Any and all questions welcome.

I've been playing with this for the last three weeks or so, and, it's damn good,

Nope, can't match my FiberTec's, but for the price, I didn't expect it to come anywhere close, but it ain't far off.

Seriously, if you have or are considering a camcorder purchase in the targeted camera group, factor one of these systems into your budget.

There is nothing on the planet (for a videographer) like a decent camera support, and for this class camcorder, Vinten have just "broke the mold".

Enjoy!


CS

[Mike Beckett]

Chris,

Thanks for the excellent review, as usual! It sure is a nice-looking piece of kit.

One thing, I have a Panasonic HMC41 (a 'tinycam'). The counterbalance range on the Blue starts from 2.1kg, twice the weight of my camera with battery and mic (or the similar JVC HM100). I don't think it'd be a comfortable fit in that range.

It looks like the Sachtlers have the edge here still, even without the perfect balance system. My too-big DV-6SB has a minimum counterbalance of 1kg, and the FSB-2 and FSB-4 will do 0-2 or 0-4 kg. On paper, it looks like the Canon XH-A1 or Sony Z5-type cameras would be perfect on the Blue. Even my old Sony V1 would be hard pushed to reach the minimum recommended weight.

Of course, without actually trying it I can't tell... and I think it's unlikely I would upgrade at the moment due to lack of cash.

It's also a heavy beast at 8kg for the system. Younger Me would've not batted an eyelid, but that's a lot to carry round for a 1kg camera!

But no matter - once again, thanks for the excellent review, Chris!

[Chris Soucy]

Nice words indeed. Thank you.

Yes, I can appreciate your sentiments, and I share them.

The problem arises, as I said to Peter at Vinten, where the the frame rates and resolutions keep going up, the size, weight and COG of the cameras keeps going down. Not to mentiont the prices.

It's trying to square the inevitable circle. Unless there is a quantum leap in support technology (bear with me, I'm trying to lead Vitec down the path, but you can take a horse etc etc) sheer grunt just simply has to do.

This is a "sheer grunt" attack on the lower weight camcorder market (and "sheer grunt in spades" at that) but untill and unless I can divert the old "metal bashers" to a new way of thinking, that's all that's available.

I'm making progress, albeit slowly.

Getting your even lighter cameras to balance with any of Vintens (or in fact, anyone elses) heads is being tackled,

I have a plan.

Getting Vinten to bite on it is the problem, as it simply isn't a Vinten mindset scenario, they are, after all, one of the biggest suppliers of studio and OB camera support systems on the planet (and this stuff is BIG!)

Not being able to balance a 1 kg camcorder on one of their heads is like "Er, and you are. who...........exactly?"

I'm one of Vintens greatest fans, which makes me, at exactly the same time, a client, a reviewer, and one of their greatest critics.

The fact that they haven't canned my sorry ass say's a lot about Vinten (and I can tell you, they are not always overly impressed with everything I write!).

I'm hoping Vinten and I will have a good few years ahead, but it will be a rocky road.

Stay tuned, there's better to come.


CS

[Chris Joy]

Chris -- nice review, and it really seems to live up to the hype you were hinting at. I was watching Vinten's site to see if they tipped their hand, to no avail. Looks great, I need to save some pennies for this or a Sachtler...

[Dale Guthormsen]

chris,

great review!!


I use a V V 6 and i can hardly believe what a person is getting for the price!!!!!

This will overthrow the market big time for quality availble to almost anyone!!!!

My second pod a is a a gitzo 1380 and I may have to trade up for this new vintin!!!!


Great going VINTEN!!!!

[Chris Soucy]

Yes, it is the "deal of the century" and no mistake.

I'm usually one of those "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true" type guys, but I've been through this with a fine toothed comb now for the last month and there really is no downside to this rig.

A full blown Vinten rig for a grand plus change?

Having been using Vinten for as long as I have, I find it difficult to believe, but I have the proof sitting here right next to me.

Tho', I look at it again and think "A GRAND?" and then, "Nah, I must be dreaming, gotta be at least twice that".

I am wondering whether a steady stream of readers are thinking this is some sort of elaborate hoax, I wouldn't blame them.

I can assure everyone, it ain't no hoax.

Keep your eyes on the B&H web site and see what their street price is later this month, heck, I will be.


CS

[Jonathan Levin]

Thanks Chris.

I'm aware of the payload of this tripod, but I had a question: Could this tripod be set up with a camcorder like a Canon HV30/40? This is a small camcorder weighing in at about 1.2 pounds.

Is there some way to make this work?

The reason I am trying to do this set up is that I that I'll be upgrading the camera sometime in the future and need a decent tripod now that I could use with something like a Canon XF 300/305 or something in that weight range. So i'd like to buy the tripod just one time instead of having to upgrade that later.

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Jonathan

[Chris Soucy]

Well, it just so happens, that very subject has been discussed between Vinten and myself over the last few weeks (not, I hasten to add, that any decisions have been made one way or another).

I did try the VB with my HV20 dinky cam, to no avail, the CB (counterbalance) is just too powerfull.

I have come up with an exceedingly elegant solution to this problem, which would, in effect, allow any camcorder/ DSLR of any size/ weight/ COG to work perfectly on any CB head, whether fixed, stepped or continuously variable, as long as the CB rating of the head was for a higher rated camera than the one being used.

The problem I'm having is getting Vintens collective head around the very concept of this fix, for they, as yet, cannot percieve there is anything actually broken.

I had thought about your scenario quite some time ago, being the owner of a DSLR, dinky camcorder AND an XH A1 myself (along with many, many, many others on DVinfo) and just knew an answer was needed to the "3 cameras, I camera support" problem.

If you (or anyone else, for that matter) would really like to see an answer to this problem come to fruition, fire an email to Peter.Harman@Vitecgroup.com stating the nature of your concern and mention that you have read that I would appear to have a solution (he knows this already, but it never hurts to remind him, he's a busy guy).

He will take it all on board and mull it over (that's how VB came to be). He's currently at IBC in Amsterdam, so you might get an "out of office" response, but he will get any mails nevertheless.

The more people ask for this, the better the chance it will happen.

Glad you raised the subject.


CS

[Jonathan Levin]

Chris,

I'd be happy to send a note, and maybe attaching these last two posts to the note to Peter Harman.

In the meantime, could something as simple as a weight attached to the bottom of the camera be rigged as an option?

If there is a way to squeak by until camera upgrade, that'd be great. At least now when I rent higher end equipment for my projects, I wouldn't have to rent a tripod.

Jonathan

[Jonathan Levin]

Chris,

Message sent to Peter Harmen. And to you.

Thanks again.

Jonathan

[Chris Soucy]

The theory is exceedingly simple, yes.

Add some weight, the higher the better in relation to the heads pivot point.

The practical element is where it gets difficult, as the question becomes: "Er, where and how?"

If I had to take a shot at a "home made" solution, I'd start with the hot/ cold shoe on top of whatever dinky cam you want to get to work with a far more powerfull CB head.

Once you've found something that will fit the shoe and can be locked in place (something like the hot shoe adapter plates supplied with the Sennheiser EW100 receivers would be a good place to start) , you then have to find a way of adding weight to that fitting.

Lead sheet cut to size and bolted through the plate to keep them in place would do it, tho' a bit hit and miss on getting the correct weights, but doable.

That approach has the advantage of going for the maximum height where any added weight does the most good (as far as raising COG is concerned, anyway).

In fact, it's such a damn good idea I may well add it to the spec for my design and have something made that does just that, albeit in a slightly more up market way and a bit easier to adjust, the modular design of my original unit would work with this type of fitting perfectly.

The trick with anything designed to achieve the end result of getting a dinky cam to work with a Vision 5 AS, say, is to ensure that the cam can be seperated from the head and all attachments for hand held shooting in very short order. If it takes more than seconds it simply won't work.

The "home made" approach will always suffer from the problem of "but it takes 20 minutes to get it off again".


CS

[Chris Soucy]

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/digital-...ml#post1570129

Street price - $1200 US


CS

[Dale Guthormsen]

Chris and others,

When I first got my vinten vision 6 I had a light camera and a heavy camera, both canons....

the solution was simple: I placed a manfrotto 357 pro on the tripod and I cut a piece of 1 in thick steel 4 x 6 inches, placed a 357 on it and the other piece under the camera. This way when I used the big xl2 I put it straight to the tripod, if I went to the smaller canera I popped on the steel plate and then the camera. then it weighed about the same as the xl2 and required alomost no change in settings!!

The plate is now used on my steady cam to add weight to it so it floats better, so I do not feel like I waisted my money at all.

also even the xl2 with the added weight (which then was about 15 pounds combined) was actually better in several ways such as in wind or in making drawn out pans.

the piece of steel was 8 dollars and the 357 is about 40 bucks, worthy investments.

Once you use a quality vinten there is only one direction to go!! I would like to compare it to a miller 25 which is 4 to 5 times more expensive!!! My old miller F head was good but the vinten is much better.

[Jonathan Levin]

Dale,

That's great. Do you have any pictures of that set up in action with the smaller camera? I assume the was a small amount of milling that had to be done, like tapping a hole on the bottom of the plate to attach to Vinton FH and a hole on the top to attach the manfrotto 357.

Also, could you send this info to Peter Harman at Vinton. I've been in touch with him and he is very open to the idea of big and small on the Vision Blue. He will get back to you.

In the meantime if you have pictures, that'd be great!

Thanks.

Jonathan Levin

[Dale Guthormsen]

Good evening,

the on picture is of the plate with holes drilled for the 357 as well as a canon quick mount. this plate is 12 pounds and can be used on the sled or the tripod. i do not use it very often compared to the smaller weight.

My smaller weight is 6 pounds and is shown on my indie cam. I can pull it off and slip it into the 357 on either of my tripods. this six pound weight has been very useful. In heavy winds I can also set them on the tripod and it helps with steadyness quite well as well.