Sachtler, Miller or Cartoni?

[Curran Giddens]

Trey,

My grandpa always says, "I don't have enough money to buy inexpensive things."

Meaning, he always buys the higher quality stuff, so he doesn't have to buy it over and over, therefore not wasting money.

Always thought it was a cool quote.

Joe

Love that quote.

[Jason Diamond]

+1 for the 509HD. I did look at all the other systems mentioned and fter owning Sachtler systems for a few years I was hesitant going to a Manfrotto system but it's been a few weeks and so far pretty happy. Only complaint is I think I should've gone with the 536 legs, but that's on me.

What sticks did you get with the 509? I'm about to dive into that package as well and was going back and forth between the 536 and 545B

[Mark K.]

Good choice...

For real heavy head load work with my Red One and Epic cameras, me and my crews use Miller Arrow 55 heads with Miller Sprinter II CF 2-stage mid-spreader legs. Head action is very smooth and those rigs easily handle up to 55 pounds - or even more.

Most of the time we do real mobile work using Canon 35mm still lenses, so we use Miller Compass 25 heads with Miller Solo 1505 CF spreader-less legs. I've attached some pics of some of those rigs in action - both 3D rigs and 2D rigs. The Miller Arrow 25 is rated for a maximum of 31 pounds - easily enough for most Epic rig setups - except super heavy setups with huge lenses and tons of accessories.

On one of our recent 3D productions we decided to see how much we could load up a Miller Compass 25/ Miller Solo CF tripod, so we shot with our Epic 3D setup on a Genus Hurricane. The head weight was 41 pounds, a full ten pounds over the Compass 25 rating of 31 pounds - and the head worked perfectly (see attached pics). The Miller Solo CF legs are rated for 66 pounds, so no problem there either.

The Miller Arrow 25 head you bought is rated for exactly the same head load as the Miller Compass 25 (31 pounds). My guess is that the Arrow 25 will over-perform on specs the same way as the Compass 25.

Over all these years working with Red One and Epic I've found Miller heads and legs to be great performers - and me and my crews do highly mobile work under some of the most trying conditions possible (desert, mountains, seashore). The Miller stuff costs less than the other top level manufacturers - and to me they have the best price to performance ratio in the head/tripod industry.

Thanks Steve, your earlier recommendations about the Miller gear played a big part in my final decision, so a big thanks for sharing your thoughts on here so freely.

The kit arrived yesterday, and it really is a terrific piece of gear, super-smooth and as well built as anything.

[jonascollins]

I've re-read this forum several times and finally broke down and ordered and quickly received Miller Compass 25 head and sticks from B&H. Thanks, Professor Gibby, for the insight and photos. Really was the clincher for me. :-)