Vinten, Sachtler, Libec, Miller, Manfrotto Shootout

[Jan Mejlgaard Bliddal]

Hi Chris your extensis and very informative tripod reviews is the reason why I am a very happy owner of a brand new Vision Blue Tripod. I thought Its greatest advantages would be to help me use the entire zoomrange of my camcorder, but I find the way I can focus with my camcorder on the tripod even more usefull when filming. So Chris thanks a lot for taking the time to review the tripods. You have saved me from making a costly mistake.

Best regards from Denmark

[Wayne Zebzda]

Hi Chris, it's been awhile, did I miss the Sachtler review?
Aloha,
Wayne

[Chris Soucy]

Nah, still in the works, I'm just slack I guess (tho' there have been one or two other things requiring prompt attention, holding things up).

Hopefully not too much longer.


CS

[Chris Soucy]

Almost embarrassed to resurrect this thread once more, but there is an important update which has been long overdue.

About the time the last of the reviews rolled off the production line here, I sent Chris Hurd a file of all the collated data on all 4 systems tested, with pretty graphs and all sorts of interesting stuff.

For reasons still not clear, it never got published in the Articles section, so I finally decided to cut out the middle man and get them in PDF format (instead of Excel) to put up here on the Forum.

I just got them this afternoon. So, here they are.

Now, for the eagle eyed, you'll notice that there is data and graphs for a Sachtler rig, which is strangely missing the relevant review.

The true story of why that is so I shall relate, and I can assure you all, it gave me no end of heartache at the time, and still rankles, if I'm honest.

Sachtler quite happily submitted the system in question for the shootout, but it was made clear that the system concerned was an ex demo/ trade show unit, which was fine until......

It was immediately obvious that, on its journey between the factory and myself, the head had taken some serious punishment, as evidenced by the dings and scratches on it.

During the review process, it was instantly apparent that the head was not behaving as I expected, and a few of its foibles, when checked with Barbara at Sachtler, could be put down to nothing less that abuse/ damage.

When it came time to write up the head review, I got a bad feeling about what I was writing, and took the precaution of highlighting, in red, every single item that needed to be qualified with the statement "possibly as a result of abuse/ damage", only for the head section to be instantly just under 50% red.

That left a serious cloud over the sticks, for, whilst not showing any evidence of the rough handling that the head did, they had come combined with the head as an assembled unit, the sticks were not factory fresh in their wrapping, so may well have suffered the same abuse/ damage as the head.

That left me with a major conundrum. I had sunk many hours into the testing and writing, yet could not, hand on heart, swear that this system was what a owner would get fresh out of the factory, so, instead of a review, it read more like a Coroners report.

Ultimately, I had to make the decision that, in all fairness to Sachtler and the readers here on DVinfo, I would have to spike the entire piece. I can assure you all, it was not taken lightly.

However, the data in the PDF's had already been compiled, and I could not warrant the time to excise the Sachtler component, so take it with a pinch of salt. I still can't vouch for the sticks performance, what I measured is what I measured, take it or leave it.

If anyone can figure out a better place to put this info, pipe up or just do it.

As for the accuracy of the compiled data, I'm certain there be gremlins in there, if you spot one (or more) file an entry here and I'll get it fixed ASAP.

So, without further ado, the goodies...........


CS

[Chris Hurd]

Many thanks, Chris -- these PDF documents are much appreciated. I might yet be able to get this data properly formatted for display on the web site, but for now, having them here in PDF format certainly fills the bill easily. Thanks again,

[Chris Soucy]

Yeah, figured it was the way to go.

Got the Vinten Vb3 and blueBridge Small Camera Adapter review just about ready for launch (finally!), may have to do the same for some of that.

Seems a shame to leave all this data mouldering in this humungous thread, maybe it might be worth making it a sticky?


CS

[Chong Pak]

Don't waste your time with crappy tripods and heads, people always seem to cheap out on tripods, well that's one of the most important parts to this game. I've tried many manfrotto and even sachtler and nothing comes to an Oconnor product.
Tripods last for a really long time(my last one I had for 15yrs bought used with atleast 7-10yrs on it) don't be cheap, it will really show up in your operating!

[Mike Beckett]

Um. The cheapest O'Connor tripod I can get in the UK is £4500. Or, about £1500 more than my camera. It's fine if you're high end cinematography or broadcast, but how many wedding guys, corporate video guys and hobbyists will/could spend that much?

Your advice is correct, the O'Connor tripods are amazing. But so are Ferraris, but all I can stretch to is a Suzuki.

Sure, go for the best tripod you can afford. I'd love a £4500 tripod, but I'm not the BBC or a Hollywood production company - and I'm not alone.

[Vincent Oliver]

Originally Posted by Chong Pak

Don't waste your time with crappy tripods and heads,...... I've tried many manfrotto and even sachtler and nothing comes to an Oconnor product. .....

Not sure which Manfrotto or Satchler tripod you have used, but they also make some very good tripods and heads. Everything comes at a price that people are either willing or can afford to pay. I have seen some great handheld shots too. No doubt O'Conner are the DeFacto tripods, but at a price.