New Vinten Vision for Shooting Image Ltd's Sony EX3

[Andy Wilkinson]

My corporate video business has had a very good last 12 months so it was time to upgrade the main tripod from the trusty second-hand Libec LS-37 that's been the mainstay for the last 4 years. The Libec is fine for lock down interviews and lugging round factories but for any "elegant" moving action/panning shots its a bit of a challenge....

I visited BVE (Broadcast Video Expo for those that don't know) at Earls Court last month and got a chance to talk to Peter at Vinten and test drive an EX3 on one of their Vision Tripods on their stand - after he'd set it up and perfectly balanced it for me. It was love at first sight (with the tripod that is...!!!)

I agonised for a week or two about which model to get (V3AS or V5AS). My Sony EX3 is usually pretty lightly loaded for most corporate work (DM Accessories base plate, Rode NTG-3 and Invision Video mic attached, sometimes with a Rode WS7, maybe a Sennheiser G2 radio mic receiver and big Sony battery and rarely much else). I weighted my EX3 and all that lot and it totals a figure right at the top of the spec curve for the V3AS, and right at the bottom of the V5AS (for perfect balancing). Both heads are effectively identical apart from the balancing spring mechanism (as far as I know). However, the 5 is a bit pricier. I also knew that cameras I'm going to buy in the future are unlikely to be any heavier than the EX3 - so in the end I decided on the V3AS. Time will tell if that was right.

I already knew I wanted 2 stage aluminium legs (carbon fibre are just too brittle for my liking) and for sure wanted to get their excellent mid-level twist lock spreader rather than a floor spreader (so the model number I bought was V3AS-AP2M).

Then of course no one seemed to have that model in stock in the UK! So I ordered it from CVP last month and more or less forgot about it.

It arrived this morning. Set it all up, managed to balance it with ease (haven't opened the instruction book yet) and I'm as happy as a Cheshire Cat! It all just works beautifully. Superb piece of engineering. I love every little design feature about it. Mid-level spreader is great, so easy and fast to use/adjust then lock. Camera mounting/un-mounting is a joy and once balanced it works exactly like I've always wanted. It is really, really good!

So to Chris Soucy and all those others of you who lurk in this area of the forum preaching the virtues of a decent tripod (Vinten or otherwise) a big thank you! You were right - it is worth spending some decent dosh on a tripod!!!

Quick snap of the happy couple below!

[Mike Beckett]

I'm very happy for you both, Andy. You'll never look back now you have a "real" tripod!

As I think I said to you at the time, the great thing about a tripod like this is you can pretty much forget that it is there, and enjoy just getting a perfect pan, tilt, or combination, and not take several goes to get it right. The balance on these systems is a joy!

I'm sure this investment will be well worth it, congratulations on the purchase.

(And it's too late to refund the Libec now!)

[Chris Soucy]

Of course I'm bloody well right!

Not too many "Thank You" cards to Peter, mind, people will talk.

Glad you like it, mate,



CS

[Andy Wilkinson]

Cheers you two!

Mike, if you hadn't sold me that old Libec of yours in mint condition at a good price I would have done this purchase so much sooner :-) Ah well, at least I made the jump in the end. Now all I need are some passing steam trains to practice my smooth pans!

Chris, your excellent and thorough reviews and general solid advice (excuse the pun) here on DVinfo were very much a factor helping me narrow down on my shortlist. Thank you!

[Chris Soucy]

No, Andy, thank you.

For your glowing comments on my reviews (another coming soon, going to be a corker , a "two in one" no less).

And for finally biting the bullet and going the "whole hog", the more people crow about it, the better for all concerned.

Enjoy, but of course, with a system like that, you won't even think about it after a week or two, it's that effortless.


CS

[Peter Harman]

Well done Andy. Dont forget to register it on the Vinten web site to get your second year warranty cover for free.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Thanks Peter.

Just registered to do that - now I'm stuck. I can easily find the serial number for the 3VAS Head and the Spead-Loc Mid Level Spreader.... but for the life of me I can't work out where the serial number is on the two-stage aluminium Pozi-Loc Tripod (model 3819-3).

I know it must be on the tripod somewhere - it certainly doesn't feel like a cheap Chinese forgery!!!! I've had it upside down, taken the head off etc. but still can't find it. I bet it's really obvious when someone points out where it is.

Someone care to give me a clue? Thanks!

[David Dalton]

Andy,

In the model I have, the number is tucked away inside the top of a leg, just under the bowl.
I've had a Vision 3 for some 4 years now, and while it was more than I could afford at the time, I have never regretted the purchase. I can only endorse what the others have said - you'll enjoy every moment you use it.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Thank you David! That's where it is on my tripod too.

Only becomes "viewable" with the tripod upside down AND the legs spread as wide as they will go. You also need to do it in good light. I only tried upside down with normal spreading before - which is why I could not find it!

Will register this last bit with Vinten now. Thanks again.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Recently I bought a carry strap (VI-3425) for my Vinten tripod as I was finding it awkward (read heavy!) to carry around when on large sites shooting for clients. I do not always have the excellent Vinten bag with me when out and about in a factory etc. and rarely the time to "bag up" the tripod when shooting in lots of nearby client locations (note that the bag has a carry strap/is very comfortable to carry whenever I do though).

Well the strap arrived.... just as I put my back out for the first time in years - so fitting it had to wait! [As an aside, luckily last week's big shoot in Manchester needed me to use my Hague dolly for everything/very little hand carrying at all - just as well as it's taken 2-3 weeks to get over this!]

So today I came to fit it. I studied the instructions that came with the strap carefully, especially as I did not like the idea of taking a blunt tool and hammering into the bottom of one of the leg supports of my beloved tripod to knock a hole through for one of the the anchor points!!! However, in the end this was very easy to accomplish with just a small hammer and the blunt end of a thick masonry drill bit.

I even managed to retrieve the loose plastic plug (only about 1 to 1.5mm thick and about 8mm in diameter - guesses) that got knocked inside the tube by tipping it right way up again and carefully removing it with fine nose pliers (once it had fallen back down to the newly created hole). Vinten recommend you try and do this or it will forever rattle around in there!

Wasn't sure at first how the plug that goes into this new hole was going to stay in - but soon realised that as you tighten the bolt (with the anchor hole in it) what happens is that it bulges the rubber as it pulls against the brass nut within, trapping the anchor point very securely in place. Pretty clever really.

Whole process took 10 minutes and now I have a neat way of carrying the tripod "naked" with a nice comfortable strap. My back will be pleased :-)

The straps not cheap but making life easier to carry gear around is more important nowadays.... now that I'm no longer such a spring chicken!

Link to CVPs webpage for the strap that fits my type of tripod here:

Vinten 3425-3P (3425-3) Tripod Carrying Strap - fits all pozi-loc tripods

Just posting this for anyone considering buying/fitting such a strap.

[Mike Beckett]

Andy,

Well done with that! I bought this strap a while back too, and had a devil of a job figuring out what went where, and what on earth threadlock compound was.

Funnily, after trying to use the shoulder strap, I gave up after a few months and am back to carrying the tripod on my shoulder. Not the best thing for my long-term health, but the strap didn't help me at all, that lump of metal slung across my back was painful. Not to mention the shoulder strap banging against the tripod leg in the wind and interfering with the sound.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Oh, I'll have to watch out for that Mike! Last thing I want is even more back pain!

Re the flapping around in the wind, well the strap can be easily removed (in seconds) if needed via the two locking links (not sure what they are called - but they look a bit like small versions of what climbers use with a nut that turns on a thread to reveal a gap in the link). It can get pretty windy here on the flats of the Cambridgeshire fens!!!

[Mike Beckett]

Andy,

I think it may be down to personal preference. The ways I tried it were:

1. Across my shoulder, with the tripod horizontal and perpindicular to my body
2. Slung across my back, bandolier-style, with the tripod almost diagonal
3. Vertically, with the strap on my shoulder and the tripod vertical, hanging down from my shoulder (either with the head at the top or the bottom).

None of those "did it" for me. 1 and 2 actually caused pain and discomfort, and 3 kept slipping off!

I think it might be OK if you were just carrying camera and tripod, but generally I have a shoulder bag or backpack with me too.

I hate resting the tripod directly on my body (even via a thick coat), so normally I use a Kata backpack for my accessories, and the tripod rests horizontally on my shoulder on the thick padding of the backpack.

Again it's all down to personal preferences, everybody's a different shape and strength!