Sacthler 18 / 20 S1 OConnor, Miller Tripods

[AndreasOberg]

I'm looking at investing in a tripod that can handle both situations
- commercials that will involve medium amount of travel. So going with train, car, shorter walks
- A few hour walks. 2 people carrying the camera, lenses and the tripod.

The trick is that I want it to be able to handle a fully equiped Epic with Red Primes, batteries, maybe the crutch, etc weighting about 27lbs /13kg or maybe a bit more. Would be nice to be able to put on a zoom in the future without problems.

I looked at
- OConnor 1030D, but it doesn't seem to be strong enough since it can only take 13kg
- OConnor 2060. Well it's so darn heavy. 13-14kg in total. I dont think we can handle it.
- Sachtler 18 S1. This looked great. It is quite light and seems very strong supporting 18kg. Looked very sturdy. I plan on taking the OConnor legs with it since they look stronger.
- Sachtler 20 S1. This could be even better than 18, only problem is that it cost about $1500 more.
- Miller Arrow 25. I know many recommend this tripod because it's affordable. However I'm concerned that it may not be good enough for my commercial shots which will be our main source of income. I haven't found any place in Sweden to try it either.
- Miller Arrow 55. Haven't read so much about it. Seems quite good. It made me a bit concerned that the minimum weight is 10kg. Will it not be smooth if i have less?

Right now I'm leaning towards the Sachtler 20, but ouch, it hurts. Does anyone have any experience with it or has any other recommendations? Will the Sachtler 20 be more smooth than the Sacthler 18 even if I only have say 13kg because it's stronger?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
/Andreas

 

[Eric Santiago]

We have a RED MX rig on a 20 S1.
The total weight was 29.x lbs.
Originally it was the 18 on the same sticks.
According to my boss, he felt the 18 was just too risky.
They both are smooth and sturdy.
I guess the money diff is all that you have to consider.
Personally I wish I can afford the 20 S1 for myself.

 

[AndreasOberg]

Thanks for the tip Eric.
How smooth do you find the Sachtler is compared to for example the Miller and the OConnor? We had no camera in the store so I couldn't try them fully setup before my Epic arrives. Tricky with all this guessing

It's leaning towards the 20 S1, it's 20% more expensive than the Sachtler 18 but that sounds worthwhile if I dont have to worry about it being too "weak".

Btw, I have done this big table comparing 10-15 tripods with all their data. Quite informative, could share it if I figure out the best way to do it, maybe a screen capture.

Best!
/Andreas

 

[Eric Santiago]

Sorry Andreas Ive only experienced the Sachtler 20/18 with the RED MX.

Im currently testing a Secced Reach 7 but its only rated for 30lbs.

Im still in the hunt for a tripod system but under 3k.

 

[david_winters]

I went with the 2060, with 150mm CF sticks as primary and a used Libec H55 for the small travel days. Totally happy, I use the 2060 9 out of 10 shoot days.

It's been years, and I'd go the same direction again, I really prefer an over sized head. FWIW.

 

[AndreasOberg]

I went with the 2060, with 150mm CF sticks as primary and a used Libec H55 for the small travel days. Totally happy, I use the 2060 9 out of 10 shoot days.

It's been years, and I'd go the same direction again, I really prefer an over sided head. FWIW.

Thanks for telling David. What do you find are the main benefits with such a heavy head as 2060? I guess it just stabilizes all the motion. Anything else? Will see if I can find one to try. They do seem a bit on the heavy side for traveling I must say but of course 2 setups is probably ideal
/Andreas

 

[Nikolay Spasov]

Did you see this?

http://www.ocon.com/products/fluid-heads/1030ds.html

 

[AndreasOberg]

Did you see this?

http://www.ocon.com/products/fluid-heads/1030ds.html

Yes, at first it seems cool but the tilt is very limited. Only

+60° / -60°​

Not sure I would want a tripod with this tilt range.
It feels like if it should be OConnor it should probably be the bigger brothers 2065 or higher. Mm, I think those will have to wait since they are too heavy for most traveling. Need to build a bigger team of people who can help carrying
/Andreas

 

[Nikolay Spasov]

Yes, 2065 is not good for one man show.

 

[stu aull]

Have used a Sachtler 18II (precurser to the S?) for 22+ years with fully kitted betacam EFP package and the CF legs. Now with 22+lb scarlet kit. Bomb proof, tho the head is heavy (as is S I assume). CFs are fabulous - no flex, stupidly light, lovely release action. Sachtler got it right. Think the 20 will be overkill.

Stu Aull
SX 199
Alaska

 

[AndreasOberg]

Yes, 2065 is not good for one man show.

Luckily I'm a one man AND woman show. Hehe my lady loves cinema as much as I. She is super strong, but has some problems with her spine so dont think she will be able to lug a 2065 around. It does look nice though..

/Andreas

 

[david_winters]

Buy a used 18. I've been shooting with various Sachtler 18 heads since the U-Matic portapack days, to BetaSP, DBeta and Varicam/HDCAM. When you have a studio day with a heavy zoom you can rent a bigger head.

With my 2060, I'm almost always working with a dedicated camera assistant, or solo but the camera only moves a few times per day. A bigger head has the advantage with stability on long lenses, 135mm and greater.

If you buy used, you can sell for about what you paid and upgrade to the next thing. Here in Los Angeles a basic 2060/2575 service is about $500 USD, if you buy a older head, plan on sending it in for service right away.