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Need opinion on tripod for video

R

RCAFBrat

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 10, 2013
270
79
Montreal, QC
My son needs a new tripod and his birthday is coming up.

Found the following one on sale but not sure if it's suitable for video - he will be filming with a DSLR (Canon 70D with kit 18-135 mm lens most of the time I expect although I would have liked to have gotten him a better suited lens):

MANFROTTO 190XPR03 ALUMINUM TPOD+496RC2 HEAD

Cost is $280 CDN plus taxes which is about top of range for his birthday gift.

Can anyone offer an opinion on whether this is a decent choice?

He mentioned something about getting a slider - would it mount on this tripod or is the tripod too lightweight?

Appreciate any feedback you can offer.
 
My bad, couldn't find reviews so I thought I'd ask but had a closer look and the head isn't at all suitable.

This one is less expensive at $170 and looks better suited to video but I think I'll need to take my son to the shop and check it out first hand:

Manfrotto tripod kit MT294A3 with 128RC head

Any comments still appreciated, especially about adding a slider.

Cheers
 
both tripods are good, small & lightweight, perfectly suited for small dslrs and/or lightweight travel. i'd use something more massive for mounting a slider, though. but it's possible to mount a small slider on those, although two of them would be better. of course you can still use a slider without a tripod.

but the head seems just barely good enough for filming. the mounting plate looks pretty flimsy (i'm sceptical if it would even be strong enough to support a slider without dropping it) and you can't control friction (for panning/tilting) very well with it - maybe something like the mvh500 would be better, where friction can be adjusted.

also, it helps enormously, if the head is mounted in a bowl, so you can level it, as it can be a massive annoyance to always have to level your tripod via it's legs.

maybe one of of those sets:
http://www.manfrotto.com/video-supports-tripods-head-500-series

(e.g. the MVK500AQ)

generally, i think, it makes more sense to invest in a better tripod first, rather than buying a slider as well.

also, consider buying a used one. i once bought a really old manfrotto for €150, which was just as smooth (and unfortunately twice as heavy), as an €800 set at the time.

i think the cheapest (new) option would be to get the mvh500ah (with the flat bottom) and mount it on a 190 or 055 series tripod, with the option of getting a leveling middle collumn ( http://www.manfrotto.com/photo-supports-accessories-columns ) later.
 
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I have done some videography but date back more to film. More than just a stable tripod is the value of a good head. The simplest being a head that allows for smooth panning in any direction. Fluid heads were popular back then on the basic tripod and probably today there are some counterparts to what we used then.
 
Thanks for the comment. I talked to my son and he was thinking of a substantially larger, heavier tripod than the ones I was looking at! He somehow imagines the company where he is interning didn't pay very much for the ones they have.

I found the MVK504AQ on the Manfrotto website listed for $1000 CDN.

Very nice but he won't be getting that one for his birthday this year!

It's tough; I appreciate that decent equipment is expensive and worthwhile getting but at the same time better to have something than nothing for now. I think I'll take him shopping with me so he can pick out something that's good enough until he can afford better.

He dreams big - he was at a shoot the other day and they were using a Ronin for most shots - he really liked it.

Thanks again.

Cheers
 
RCAFBrat said:
Thanks for the comment. I talked to my son and he was thinking of a substantially larger, heavier tripod than the ones I was looking at! He somehow imagines the company where he is interning didn't pay very much for the ones they have.

I found the MVK504AQ on the Manfrotto website listed for $1000 CDN.

Very nice but he won't be getting that one for his birthday this year!

It's tough; I appreciate that decent equipment is expensive and worthwhile getting but at the same time better to have something than nothing for now. I think I'll take him shopping with me so he can pick out something that's good enough until he can afford better.

He dreams big - he was at a shoot the other day and they were using a Ronin for most shots - he really liked it.

Thanks again.

Cheers
Click to expand...

If there are any services like Craigs List, you might find a higher end used tripod and head that perhaps belonged to a film student who is selling it now. The first film tripod I used was entirely wood with a nice fluid head. It was very sturdy and to further stability, used sandbags by the feet and/or hung items on the legs (camera bags etc.). Hope you find something for your son.
 
when shopping for used tripods: "sachtler" and "vinten" also make good video-tripods.
 
RCAFBrat said:
My son needs a new tripod and his birthday is coming up.

Found the following one on sale but not sure if it's suitable for video - he will be filming with a DSLR (Canon 70D with kit 18-135 mm lens most of the time I expect although I would have liked to have gotten him a better suited lens):

MANFROTTO 190XPR03 ALUMINUM TPOD+496RC2 HEAD

Cost is $280 CDN plus taxes which is about top of range for his birthday gift.

Can anyone offer an opinion on whether this is a decent choice?

He mentioned something about getting a slider - would it mount on this tripod or is the tripod too lightweight?

Appreciate any feedback you can offer.
Click to expand...

Get this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...MeG48cCFZKGfgodedUGuQ&is=REG&m=Y&A=details&Q=

I kid you not I have 2 504HD heads and I like this cheap one better. Frustrating, but it really feels like a thousand dollar tripod head.
 
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RCAFBrat said:
Thanks for the comment. I talked to my son and he was thinking of a substantially larger, heavier tripod than the ones I was looking at! He somehow imagines the company where he is interning didn't pay very much for the ones they have....
Click to expand...

What you do is buy the smaller, more affordable legs then you buy a set of empty sand bags and fill them with either sand or lead shot. For field use where you might be lugging the tripod outdoors I'd get a sling (or sturdy tote bag) and have a large rock between the legs. The mass you add really does make it more stable for not much money. Most professional res will place sand bags on EVERYTHING, light stands, tripods even power cables. The industry standard is a yellow/black two compartment bag. I put the snd in zip locks then in there bag. Load then to about 10 pounds using sand from Home Depot.

Yes the huge tripod is better but a medium duty tripod with heavy bags on each leg can work about as well.
 
sevoneone said:
For a solid DSLR setup, this is the way to go: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/944781-REG/manfrotto_mvh500ah_755xbk_mvh500ah_fluid_head.html
Click to expand...

I have legs like this from Manfrotto. I call them medium duty. I actually bought it for use with a medium format still camera. With sandbags they are rock solid.

I don't use a fluid head, I almost never do pan shots. I think they mostly look like amateur vacation videos. Yes there is good use for pans in film making but only one in the thousand shots. 999 in 1000 will for fixed and locked down.
 
Zwhaler said:
Get this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...MeG48cCFZKGfgodedUGuQ&is=REG&m=Y&A=details&Q=

I kid you not I have 2 504HD heads and I like this cheap one better. Frustrating, but it really feels like a thousand dollar tripod head.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback everyone; went with this one (added a very inexpensive dolly for about $9 for which my expectations are quite low) based on reccommendation of Zwhaler, reviews and price being in the right range (this being important given that tuition payments are due shortly).

Will update in a few weeks with first impressions.

Thanks again!
 
Sachtler, Manfrotto, Anton/Bauer, Gitzo and SmallHD are all owned by Vitec.

I have owned a Sachtler tripod for years and it’s been a great piece of gear. I also had a Sachtler camera bag that developed a problem and the company stood behind it.

They’re not cheap, but quality costs. With video being a time, budget and/or resource constrained field, sometimes you only have a limited chance for a shot. Quality gear sometimes is worth every cent.
 
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