Mounting Red One on Bogen 526

[Peter Majtan]

Hi All!

I am planing to get the 526 head with 515MVB legs.
If anyone has an experience with this setup - here are my questions:

A) Which legs do You use?
B) How do You find the 526 with the Red One?
C) What was the heaviest setup You have used comfortably on the 526?

and most importnatly:

D) What do You use to connect the Red One body to the 526 head? The Red One in theory should mount directly to the Bogen shoe, but this would prevent the mounting of the rods. I was hoping (since I am planing to travel as light as possible all around Latino America next year to film a doco for NGC) that I would not need the bottom rods and I could always use the top rods to mount (in reverse) any accessories... Would this work for any matte box? What do You use to mount the Red One onto the 526?

Thank You very much for any feedback...

Kindest Regards

Peter

 

[Shawn Nelson]

Hey Peter! Got your PM, I'll reply here to benefit others as well.

A) These legs http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...rotto_526_528XBK_528XB_Tripod_w_526_Head.html

B) It works, though panning can be difficult at times, and using the 300 is trying. If I could afford a heavy Sachtler or Oconnor I could, but this is an excellent sub-$2k tripod.

C) Hmm...35 lbs? Red+production pack+lens+mattebox+EVF+LCD+upper and lower rods+follow focus+battery+reddrive

D) Two 3/8" screws from the cookie into the Red dovetail (shoulder mount piece). You really need two screws or it will fishtail on you.

 

[Peter Majtan]

Thanks Shawn - much appreciated...

I have a question about the Dovetail. Jon mentions this in the delivery schedule FAQ:

Our Shoulder Dovetail is an accessory meant for shoulder support and is not as stabile on a tripod as a RED Cheeseplate. For stationary mounting on a tripod, the Shoulder Dovetail is fine; for panning or any camera movement, the Cheeseplate is recommended. We are looking at doing a re-design on the shoulder mount and will make it available as a future purchase (not replacement).

Care to comment on this? Could this be why are You having problem with panning?

Thanks

Peter

 

[Tico Llaurador]

I have the same set-up as Shawn: 528XB and 526. Works fine if you can roll with the occasional punches. Meaning... the 526 is not as "precise" or "consistent" as you'd probably would like it to be. But, once you tweak it and find its specific sweet spot for your rig, you're golden. And, as Shawn points out, I don't think you can get any better performance within that price range.

In brief... it does the trick!

 

[Peter Majtan]

Thanks Tico. What do You use to mount Your Red One on the 526 head?

 

[peter roehsler]

I use this head for `private work´ and the occasional interview.
Works kind of OK for me.
I have a Sachtler quickplate on the cam and a quickplate mount (Sachtler spare part) fixed to the Manfrotto plate.

 

[Tico Llaurador]

Peter, I use Zacuto support accessories, as you can see below. Pretty versatile.

 

[Peter Majtan]

Thanks guys - much appreciated...

We are going to be traveling all over Central and South Americas having to carry many times most of the gear on our backs up the mountains (like Machu Picchu) including a portable dolly with track, crane and audio gear besides of the Red One (Epic if released by then) and three Scarlets with accessories...

This is actually a good point - The Epic is going to be lighter then Red One, so this should improve the tripod handling... I really hope it is going to be out by then - where we are going no RED has gone yet...

 

[jimhare]

I'm using the 526 as well and seems to work great so far. I can easily lift the tripod and camera to move on my own. I think I'd struggle with an O'Connor.

I have the newest RED dovetail (only arrived a few days ago) and it's VERY stable in the bottom plate. Doesn't rock or give. I think they addressed the movement issues from early on as mine is solid. That is unless it loosens over time...

I have the cheeseplate as well, since I thought the dovetail might be a problem. So far I haven't even tried it since the dovetail has been great.

Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[Peter Majtan]

Thanks Jim, it does help a lot...