Defending the 501

[Mike Teutsch]

Originally Posted by Ian Stark

Just wanted to chip in again about the upgraded 501, the 501HDV - this is an improvement over the 501 in that it has a counterbalance system for just the kind of thing Mike mentions - ie decent action during tilts without turning up the friction too high.

Combine it with the extra long mounting plate (to shift the CoG for front heavy cams like the XL2) and I have to say it's performance to value ratio over the old 501 head is significantly improved. I own both and use a set of 525 legs (not sure what the Bogen equiv is).

I just took one on a two week run 'n' gun documentary shoot in the Kenyan bush and I was DELIGHTED with the performance . . . for the money.

Personally I'm unlikely to buy a new system until I can afford something several price brackets up. I am almost certainly going to skip the 503 level now having experienced the new 501HDV.

Just my two cents. All I'm saying is it's worth checking out if you're on a tight budget.

With the addition of the springs the 501HDV should be a winner! We don't do nearly as many tilts as pans anyway. The price is sure right.

Good post Ian!

Mike

[Ian Stark]

Originally Posted by Mike Teutsch

We don't do nearly as many tilts as pans anyway.

You might do when you've tried the new 501HDV!!!!

Happy Easter Mike!

[Steve Leverich]

Mike, Ian, thanks for your help - I can get the 501HDV head with the same sticks I'm using now (3046) for $400, sounds like a winner. These sticks let me get the camera up to 8 feet off the floor with the center column up, they're quick to set at normal height (about 3-4 seconds) and pretty stable. Without moving the decimal place over in the price, I can't think what I'd change in that setup :=)

Again, thanks guys; when I get some time I'll post a pic or two of my MicroTrack mounting scheme... Steve

[Mike Teutsch]

Originally Posted by Ian Stark

You might do when you've tried the new 501HDV!!!!

Happy Easter Mike!

Happy Easter Ian! Find an egg for me!

Mike

[Andrew Fraser]

the 501 is a great head for its price, after using it for over a year when I finally bought my own tripod I decided to opt for the 503 w/351mvb2 legs. I now use them both and yes there is a difference between them they are both very good heads for their price/range.

[Adam Bray]

I've been playing with my Miller DS10 w/XL2 for a couple days.

Conclusion: Not worth $1400. Maybe $800 (if they fixed the plate pin problem). The legs are OK, not that great. All the plastic parts on it seem kinda cheap feeling. Not very durable. But it's OK. I like them better than the 501's The head is pretty good. I like it much better than the 501. One big problem I discovered. No matter how good the legs and the head are, it's all worthless if the sliding plate pin does not fit in the hole of the bottom of your camera with a tight tolerance(the pin is slightly too small on my XL2). This allows a lot of play in the camera unless you tighten the heck out of the screw (which is a PITA Philips head type, versus the much better thumb screw I had on the 501). Miller needs to fix this. I don't understand why their own pin does not properly fit their own plate. Then on top of that the pin does not fit the camera hole either. $1400 tripod ruined by .25 cent pin. I'm not too happy about this at all. The sliding plate on the 501 was better.

Major points for the half bowl. It's WAY better than that stick thing on the 501. I also like that the bowl/head come off pretty easy. As opposed to the 501's head being bolted to that stick thing.

[Alex Humphrey]

Originally Posted by Stephen Claus

I just purchased my first Bogen/Manfrotto 501 head to use with my Sony FX1 and I really like it. I have it mounted on my old reliable Bogen 3021 legs and it is smooth as silk. I have not seen any of the "stiction" or "bounceback" issues that I've been reading about, as long as Steadyshot is turned OFF. (Yes I did zoom in all the way, and I would hope that 12x is enough to see a problem.) I did see some weird things with stabilization on, but that's not the head's fault.

So why do I see so much 501 bashing on this forum? Are you guys leaving stabilization on? Do you have the friction knob cranked too tight? Are you guys drinking too much coffee? Or am I just too ignorant to know the difference? I think I have a pretty good eye.

Anyone else on my side? Is there anybody out there?

I have your setup. For soccer with a DV camera it's great (never stop panning). For concerts, baseball, cinema etc with HD with a 16x lens, these 501's are worthless. Tight focus on a singer, then slowly pan left or right to the piano player...bounce shake, sticky starts and stops. Again, for soccer and DV NTSC, they are fine. My next set of sticks will likely be a Miller DS-10 or DS-20- for $1,100 to $1,500. I've used better Sachtel (spelling?) that were about $4,000 just for the head, but you don't put a DV camera on top of one of those.