Best Tripods

[Jonathan Bryant]

What tripods do you use that you would rate a 10? Who has the smoothest heads ? And who has the lightest and strongest legs?

[David Mullen ASC]

The most popular head in the industry for 35mm, HD, etc. has been the O'Connor Ultimate. Probably overkill for a lightweight video camera though.

[Jonathan Bryant]

The most popular head in the industry for 35mm, HD, etc. has been the O'Connor Ultimate. Probably overkill for a lightweight video camera though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah I believe thats what they were using on the commercial shoot I did with a Cinealta camera. Those are bigger than my head. lol

 

Yeah so I guess what is a good head/tripod upgrade for my SONY DSR-500? I have a Bogen 3066 head and 3191 legs right now. Though we need another tripod and I believe there are smoother heads out there.

[Stuart Brereton]

I like the Sachtler Video 18 or 20 with 2 stage Carbon fiber legs for this sort of work. The Video 20 is heavyweight enough for a Cinealta, too, though the Video 25 is even better :-)

Edited August 20, 2005 by Stuart Brereton

[Markus Rave]

I try to have two tripods with me. One smaller to get into tight corners like the Sachtler 20 Plus and a bigger one like the 75HD which is a pita to carry around but comparable to the large O´Connors which are pretty expensive to rent around here.

Just bought a used Mitchell geared head and find that nothing compares to that in precision on one hand and bulkiness on the other.

[Guest Adam L]

For a smaller camera, like a dvx with mattebox, etc, what would you recommend, for something that has a professional-level feel. I've tried the bogens and lower-end sachtler (dv4?)and was disappointed.

[Stuart Brereton]

you might try something like a sachtler 7x7 head. They're not as big or expensive as the video 18/20 heads, but they're better than the dv range

[Paul Bruening]

Hey now,

 

I love my old wood sticks. Maybe, it's just sentimentality.

[Luke Prendergast]

Wood legs is good

[Nathan Milford]

I really love the O'Connor 1040B head. It's a true fluid head unlike a Sachtler which uses fluid modules. Most Panther heads use modules too, but the X15 doesn't and I find it is a very fine fluid head, comperable to the 1040B, but I havent used it in production.

[Lars.Erik]

The Tiffen Vision 3 is a good tripod for a 1/3" camera. It's lightweight and quite cheap. But DO NOT buy it for a 2/3" camera. Then it's way too light.

 

Otherwise, for a 2/3" camera I'd never go for anything lesser than a Sachtler 18. These are quite expensive, but believe me, in the long run, these are the ones you want.

[Matt Irwin CSC]

I have a Manfrotto 519 that I use with DV and SD cameras and I love it. Supports a max payload of 22 lbs. As stated above though, a heavier head such as the O'Connors mentioned or a Cartoni Sigma would be better for larger HD or film cams.

Edited August 22, 2005 by Matt Irwin