Tripod buying advice for Canon 70D camera

[John Gerard]

Hi all,

I ask a similar question a few years ago and now I am in the market for a new tripod, again. Head and legs. My buget is about $700-900us. Let me start by giving you some background and where to base your commrnts. Thanks. I will be using a Canon 70D camera with both a 28-135mm lens and a 100-300mm lens and down the road Rails and a follow focus zoom attachment. I don't remember the exact name for this device. I started out with a Cheepy $40us tripod. I then got used the Slik tripod legs i think these are and I got a Bogon/manfrotto 501 head. This is what I like and don't like about each tripod. The first thing is that there is no ball for easy leveling. Something I need. The Cheepy is light weight and compact I love that. Light weight is importened to me but sturdy enough not to shake my camera in the wind 20+MPH. The cheepy is fairly easy to set up and I like the folding push clamps to lock the legs as opposed to the screw locks. What i hate about the cheepy is the head everything about the head excemp that I like the fact that I have a lever to release my camera from the head.
On to the bogon combo.....
I think the head is very smooth at pans. Except that it is a tad jurky at the start of the pan. I hear that is a problem with this type of head not being a real fluid head. No ball to level my tripod. The head is just to big and heavy and the legs are a bit bulky to carry around. I would like something that I can strap to my camera Backpack bag.
So I am reading a lot about Monfotto tripods i am looking at the I think it is the 502 head with the 75mm ball and maybe the Monfotto Carbinfiber legs. Can you please comment on this setup and any and all alturnatives? To help, I would like to know how the 502 head compares to my 501 head. Particularly in size and weight. Also both heads I believe have the slide plate. I can live with this but I dont really like it. If possible a clip in plate would work better for me. I don't mean to limit the discussion just to the 502 setup. I found ion my 501 head the tention knobs really did not help much.

Anything else you want to comment on is appreciated,

John Gerard

[Brian David Melnyk]

I very much like the mefoto globetrotter. Comes with a solid ballhead, folds down very small, and is very sturdy. It holds put to 26 pounds, and I have used it with a aviator jib and a edelkrone slider and it was perfect. It also turns into a monopod.
Very good product for just over $200. Add a decent fluid head and it gets even better.

[James Kuhn]

John Gerard...It would help respond if we knew what kind of maximum payload you plan on. IMHO, you need to buy a tripod and Fluid Head system that gives you the latitude to increase the maximum payload by at least >25% of what you think you'll need.

I've also discovered Fluid Heads tend to lose range of motion as you get closer and closer to the maximum payload capacity. I believe it has to do with spring compression and spring-rate. Hence the reason I recommend increasing payload capacity by 25%.

The other thing I'd mention is a simple law of physics. More Mass = more stability. Less Mass = less stability. You can't have it both ways.

Having the lightest combination possible is great until you see every shot get ruined because it moved inappropriately at the end of the Pan

I'd wait until you've got $1,000.00 (+-) budget and start lurking around DVInfo Classifieds, EBay, REDUSER, etc. Look for a pre-owned Miller, Vinten or Sachtler. I have never owned a Miller, but I've read good things about them from respected users.

For a lightweight system, the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks are very hard to beat. With a good Fluid Head, like one of the Sachtler FSB series it would be ideal.

I personally own the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks and an FSB-8 Fluid Head. It's lightweight, fast to deploy and reasonably stable with good technique.

Notice I said, "reasonably stable with good technique". You'll probably read on this website and others the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks can get a little 'twisty' at the end of a Pan with heavy fluid drag dialed-in.

I've seen for myself this can happen if you're not aware of the phenomenon. Technique can dampen this condition, making it almost unnoticeable.

It's not unique to Sachtler. Other lightweight tripod legs will exhibit this or similar instability. Refer to the Laws of Physics above. You can't fool Mom Physics. : )

I hope this helps.

J.

[John Gerard]

I am now looking at the 755 legs + MVH500A video head. This head is a 60mm ball or half ball. I like that it has the snap in plate design. There are several different models of the 755 legs. The Youtube video review i recently watched does not say the exact model of leggs they revommend. I am going to go back and look at the video comments section to see if this info is printed there. I still want carbonfiber legs. I think going Carbonfiber is not out of my price range.

Any thoughts,
John Gerard

Originally Posted by John Gerard

Hi all,

I ask a similar question a few years ago and now I am in the market for a new tripod, again. Head and legs. My buget is about $700-900us. Let me start by giving you some background and where to base your commrnts. Thanks. I will be using a Canon 70D camera with both a 28-135mm lens and a 100-300mm lens and down the road Rails and a follow focus zoom attachment. I don't remember the exact name for this device. I started out with a Cheepy $40us tripod. I then got used the Slik tripod legs i think these are and I got a Bogon/manfrotto 501 head. This is what I like and don't like about each tripod. The first thing is that there is no ball for easy leveling. Something I need. The Cheepy is light weight and compact I love that. Light weight is importened to me but sturdy enough not to shake my camera in the wind 20+MPH. The cheepy is fairly easy to set up and I like the folding push clamps to lock the legs as opposed to the screw locks. What i hate about the cheepy is the head everything about the head excemp that I like the fact that I have a lever to release my camera from the head.
On to the bogon combo.....
I think the head is very smooth at pans. Except that it is a tad jurky at the start of the pan. I hear that is a problem with this type of head not being a real fluid head. No ball to level my tripod. The head is just to big and heavy and the legs are a bit bulky to carry around. I would like something that I can strap to my camera Backpack bag.
So I am reading a lot about Monfotto tripods i am looking at the I think it is the 502 head with the 75mm ball and maybe the Monfotto Carbinfiber legs. Can you please comment on this setup and any and all alturnatives? To help, I would like to know how the 502 head compares to my 501 head. Particularly in size and weight. Also both heads I believe have the slide plate. I can live with this but I dont really like it. If possible a clip in plate would work better for me. I don't mean to limit the discussion just to the 502 setup. I found ion my 501 head the tention knobs really did not help much.

Anything else you want to comment on is appreciated,

John Gerard

[John Gerard]

Thanks, I took some time to research Mefoto. It does not seem like this tripod works as well with a video head since I want the ball design for ease of leveling.

John Gerard

Originally Posted by James Kuhn

John Gerard...It would help respond if we knew what kind of maximum payload you plan on. IMHO, you need to buy a tripod and Fluid Head system that gives you the latitude to increase the maximum payload by at least >25% of what you think you'll need.

I've also discovered Fluid Heads tend to lose range of motion as you get closer and closer to the maximum payload capacity. I believe it has to do with spring compression and spring-rate. Hence the reason I recommend increasing payload capacity by 25%.

The other thing I'd mention is a simple law of physics. More Mass = more stability. Less Mass = less stability. You can't have it both ways.

Having the lightest combination possible is great until you see every shot get ruined because it moved inappropriately at the end of the Pan

I'd wait until you've got $1,000.00 (+-) budget and start lurking around DVInfo Classifieds, EBay, REDUSER, etc. Look for a pre-owned Miller, Vinten or Sachtler. I have never owned a Miller, but I've read good things about them from respected users.

For a lightweight system, the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks are very hard to beat. With a good Fluid Head, like one of the Sachtler FSB series it would be ideal.

I personally own the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks and an FSB-8 Fluid Head. It's lightweight, fast to deploy and reasonably stable with good technique.

Notice I said, "reasonably stable with good technique". You'll probably read on this website and others the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks can get a little 'twisty' at the end of a Pan with heavy fluid drag dialed-in.

I've seen for myself this can happen if you're not aware of the phenomenon. Technique can dampen this condition, making it almost unnoticeable.

It's not unique to Sachtler. Other lightweight tripod legs will exhibit this or similar instability. Refer to the Laws of Physics above. You can't fool Mom Physics. : )

I hope this helps.

J.

[John Gerard]

My equipment is well under 11lb. I estimated about 3Lbs total. B&H recommended the Sachtler 1011 ace L MS CF combo head and legs. This is in my price range also.

John

Originally Posted by James Kuhn

John Gerard...It would help respond if we knew what kind of maximum payload you plan on. IMHO, you need to buy a tripod and Fluid Head system that gives you the latitude to increase the maximum payload by at least >25% of what you think you'll need.

I've also discovered Fluid Heads tend to lose range of motion as you get closer and closer to the maximum payload capacity. I believe it has to do with spring compression and spring-rate. Hence the reason I recommend increasing payload capacity by 25%.

The other thing I'd mention is a simple law of physics. More Mass = more stability. Less Mass = less stability. You can't have it both ways.

Having the lightest combination possible is great until you see every shot get ruined because it moved inappropriately at the end of the Pan

I'd wait until you've got $1,000.00 (+-) budget and start lurking around DVInfo Classifieds, EBay, REDUSER, etc. Look for a pre-owned Miller, Vinten or Sachtler. I have never owned a Miller, but I've read good things about them from respected users.

For a lightweight system, the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks are very hard to beat. With a good Fluid Head, like one of the Sachtler FSB series it would be ideal.

I personally own the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks and an FSB-8 Fluid Head. It's lightweight, fast to deploy and reasonably stable with good technique.

Notice I said, "reasonably stable with good technique". You'll probably read on this website and others the Sachtler Speed Lock 75 CF sticks can get a little 'twisty' at the end of a Pan with heavy fluid drag dialed-in.

I've seen for myself this can happen if you're not aware of the phenomenon. Technique can dampen this condition, making it almost unnoticeable.

It's not unique to Sachtler. Other lightweight tripod legs will exhibit this or similar instability. Refer to the Laws of Physics above. You can't fool Mom Physics. : )

I hope this helps.

J.

[Warren Kawamoto]

John,
You can't go wrong with this...he's located in South San Francisco. Very highly recommended if it's still available.
Sachtler Video 14II Tripod

[Richard D. George]

Sachtler fluid head for sure. With sticks there are different schools of thought. I prefer Gitzo CF to Sachtler for several reasons.

[Jim Martin]

Take a look at the Sachtler ACE L with the better carbon legs (#1013)...my favorite by far in the 15lbs and under load range.....
System Ace L TT 75/2 CF - Sachtler

the legs can go very low like a HiHat very quickly and insted of a spreader that will break, it has arresters at the top that puts the legs in one of three positions.
$1332......and we sell them...

Jim Martin
EVSonline.com