Vinten, Sachtler, Libec, Miller, Manfrotto Shootout

[Roger Shealy]

Chris,

Good start. A couple of things come to mind:

Overall:
- Retail price
- Warranty terms
- Release date
- Country of Mfg

Head:
- Handle dia.

Tripod:

- Bowl size(size or N/A)
- Foot type (rubber pad, spike, multi-spike, retractable spike...)
- Adjustable center column? (Y/N) <- not sure equipment at this level ever has center columns

[Chris Soucy]

Make me feel like a complete twit why don't you?

How could I have left those out (got the bowl/ ball diameter tho').

The only pro video gear I know of that have extendible columns are studio pedestals, not entirely certain I'm ever going to get into that league, but who knows?

Duly added to list.

Thanks, Roger.

I'll post the amended list tomorrow.

Keep those cards and letters rolling in folks, the more the merrier.

I'm hoping to get this so standardised it can apply to any video support system ever made.

Gone extremely quiet on the Miller and Libec fronts, still don't know what Miller are going to put forward and my "Catch you on Monday" from Libec hasn't happened even tho' it's now "end of play" Tuesday.

Stay tuned.


CS

[Peter Harman]

B&H say its for the Vision HD250, but itll fit all Vinten heads cos they all use the same plate.

[Roger Shealy]

Chris,

Organizational skills are the first to go when stressed! : )

It's funny about the center column thing. Very cheap tripods often have adjustable centers (tend to wag in the wind) and very expensive tripods have much more complex centers. Given the increasingly light camera payloads, perhaps someone will innovate a great adjustable center integrated with a bowl that allows really high shots that can be conveniently leveled. I think many of us find ourselves in a situation from time to time where 6-7' is needed.

By the way, I was having some dialogue with Varizoom on the Zero Gravity following your suggestion and I made them aware of this evaluation and invited them to contact you with a sample. You never know.

[Chris Soucy]

Peter:

You got any comments on the hit list? Love to hear 'em, if so.

Roger:

Thanks for that, keep my fingers crossed. Nice to put any doubts about the Varizoom to bed once and for all.

Updated list attached.

Anyone with any more?


CS

[Mike Beckett]

Chris,

A minor one, but one that I found important - size of mounting plate. I have found some of them are crazily long and make hand-holding the camcorder a chore. It's more of a comfort item than a performance item.

e.g. My late Sachtler's Touch & Go plate had a small footprint that didn't affect hand-holding. Some others I have used are long and dig into my hand.

Also, and again it's minor - do all tripods have eyes/hooks for a shoulder strap? is a shoulder strap supplied? My Sachtler had this (although it was an optional extra). Libecs didn't (back then, at least), nor Manfrottos. Some Millers come with a shoulder strap built in. This is useful when you need a quick set-up and don't want to fumble round with a padded bag.

[Chris Soucy]

Mounting/ slide plate dimensions - going onto list now.

Got shoulder strap, tho' wording probably needs tidying.

Thanks heaps, every little bit helps!


CS

[Chris Soucy]

Coming together nicely..........................



CS

[Chris Soucy]

Libec is in with a RS250 system.

Ducks in row, it's game on!


CS

[Chris Soucy]

Version 4 of the review parameters.

I have had quite a few additional additions suggested, but they all fell into the "subjective" category and thus candidates for the shootout stage, where I have to quantify the imponderables and for me, unmeasureable with scientific accuracy.

Now THAT list is going to be a doosy.


CS

[Vincent Oliver]

Chris you annouced a shootout review of tripods on October 19th - I can't find it anywhere.

Just received a 505HD head - I have mixed feelings about this head. Will do a few more tests with it (Sony EX3 camera mounted on it) before I publish my review.

I look forward to reading your views.

[Roger Shealy]

Chris,

Can you give and ETA for the shootout testing and results. I've had my finger on the trigger for a Vinten Vision Blue and would appreciate knowing whether this review is something you will be pulling off by year's end or will it be later?

I'm not trying to rush you, just want to sync up my near term buying.

Thanks!

[Chris Soucy]

Best guess as to timing, I might just squeak this in before Christmas, but it'll be a tight squeak and no mistake.

I have the Vision Blue and have had for months, the Sachtler is shipped and can only be days away at most, of the Libec, Miller and Manfrotto there is no declared shipping date as yet, I will try yet again today to get an answer.

I will, hopefully, have my new support system test rig up and running by the end of this weekend, barring major problems.

Then there is the testing itself, the photography, which takes days and is totally weather dependent (a dicey proposition in this part at this time of year),the data collation which will be pretty exhausting, actually writing not only the individual reviews but then the shootout itself, getting everything to Chris at DVinfo and the monstrous job of DVinfo staff actually getting it laid out in some meaningfull manner for publication [transfering humungous Excel spreadsheets for on - line publication is not for the faint of heart!].

Actually, Christmas is starting to look like a near impossibility.

Er, Vincent:

Do you mean 504HD or have Manfrotto released yet another new head?

EX3? Manfrotto? Sorry, I don't want to assume anything, but based on previous experience, I would have said that wouldn't be a happy pairing.

Mixed feelings? I bet you have.

Nope, you ain't going to find the shootout till it actually gets published, which will be, well, refer to the above. What you've seen so far was the gestation and birth of the idea and the long haul getting it to fruition.

Do bear in mind, as far as anyone can recollect, this is an industry first. Nobody has managed to get Vinten, Sachtler, Libec, Miller and Manfrotto in the same line up together, ever.

It's not quite as easy as it might look, tho' it has been a lot easier than I thought.

Roger:

Have you actually taken a Blue for a test drive yet?

If not, I strongly urge you to do so before you take the plunge.

I say that only because it is one of the few systems out there where it is possible to get a test drive, in real operating conditions, Vinten bending over backwards if necessary.

None of the other manufacturers have cottoned onto this idea of customer service, avail yourself of the opportunity.

More, as and when.


CS

[Ethan Cooper]

I eagerly await a first hand report on how the RS250 stacks up against the others. I very nearly pulled the trigger on one a while back (sorry to guys over at Tapeworks Texas) & if I can ever find funds again in this current economy I'm still considering it.

[Roger Shealy]

Chris,

How would one go about test driving the Vinten? Do they offer a trial period through their network? I as of yet haven't seen it listed anywhere except on internet sites, and most point back to B&H at this early date.