Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Tripod Head Reviews

Jeremy Wiles

Jeremy Wiles

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2008
Messages
601
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
West Palm Beach, FL
Website
www.kingdomworks.com
I'm buying a head and want to stay around a $5k budget. I don't want anything too bulky since most of my shooting is on the move. A max load of around 40 to 50lbs is suggested, since sometimes I'm hauling a teleprompter.

Here are the options...

Oconnor 1030 (39lbs max): $5564

Miller Arrow 55 (55lbs max): $4000

Panther X15 (33lbs): $4000

Cartoni D600 Delta (38lbs): $4250

Cartoni C20S (66lbs): $4700 ???

Cartoni Delta Plus (55lbs): $5300

I'm leaning towards the Cartoni Delta Plus - http://www.cartoni.com/eng/delta-plus.html I own a Cartoni Focus and it has been a great head.

Any thoughts before I buy?

Thanks,

Jeremy
 
Jeremy Wiles said:
I'm buying a head and want to stay around a $5k budget. I don't want anything too bulky since most of my shooting is on the move. A max load of around 40 to 50lbs is suggested, since sometimes I'm hauling a teleprompter.

Here are the options...

Oconnor 1030 (39lbs max): $5564

Miller Arrow 55 (55lbs max): $4000

Panther X15 (33lbs): $4000

Cartoni D600 Delta (38lbs): $4250

Cartoni C20S (66lbs): $4700 ???

Cartoni Delta Plus (55lbs): $5300

I'm leaning towards the Cartoni Delta Plus - http://www.cartoni.com/eng/delta-plus.html I own a Cartoni Focus and it has been a great head.

Any thoughts before I buy?

Thanks,

Jeremy
Click to expand...

Presuming you already own sticks and case? I've never seen any of those prices except for the naked head, most of the complete packages run $7k plus, which has been a real barrier for me. If I could get any of them (well, any except the panther) for head+sticks+case for under $5k brand new,i'd love to hear your sources
 
Especially if they can take the load...

My sticks were $2K alone, head I got a deal on and was only $9K = $11K for top/line....

ATA Case for head was $500, sticks case was around $300...
 
the cartoni heads are very nice. You would not be disappointed.
They are just as good as the Ocon products, except i dont remember or if it even matters if it goes +/- 90deg.
 
Arrow 55 ($4000) and Varizom Sticks ($700) ..... Done
 
Kwan said:
Arrow 55 ($4000) and Varizom Sticks ($700) ..... Done
Click to expand...

Thanks Kwan. I was very interested in the Arrow 55 until I read a comment from Jason Ing on a previous post:

“Miller, Panther, and Sachtler uses a step system as opposed to Catroni's and Oconnor's continuous system. Continuous vs step makes a huge difference in the setup and performance of the counterbalance. With Catroni and Oconnor, I could tilt the camera forward and backward at any degree and it would stay put.” http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11943

I'm wondering how true is that statement?
 
I have the large Cartoni set up as well and it works fine. But if you're in Calif and especially in LA, O'Connor seems to be THE system to use. Walk through Cinegear and see how many Cartoni setups there are except for the Cartoni booth. Steve with Cartoni has always been super helpful to me, which is another consideration. These things last a lifetime (almost) it seems. But if you are thinking of renting it out, consider the market you're in.
 
I have the Vinten Vision 100 ($4800). Awesome head that supports up to 44lbs. +/- 90deg. Dial in the weight of your camera and it perfectly balances. Best head for the price. I think The Oconnor is the only other head that compares.

Dusty
 
Nothing beats O'Connor 2060HD unless you are going for much heavier or lighter set up.
 
Jeremy,

I've owned several RED cameras for almost two years now, and me and my crews use them exclusively on Miller Arrow 55 heads. The Miller 55 is an excellent head - smooth, well built, and affordable. IMO its price to performance ratio is among the best in high quality heads.

We do a lot of mobile production like you mentioned you also do. Our head loads vary from around 22 pounds all the way up to 50 pounds at times. The Miller 55 handles all of them equally well.

Since we do a lot of tight-framing action tracking of sports and wildlife subjects and objects, good, smooth head action in both pans and tilts is absolutely critical. The Miller 55 delivers it...

We use three different types of sticks on the Miller 55 heads: Solo carbon fiber for hiking long distances, doc work, etc. (head + sticks weight =13.8 pounds), Sprinter 2-stage carbon fiber legs for more stationary production with interviews, and some single stage alloy legs for more stationary work.

L.A. people and narrative cinema circles in many other places seem to favor O'Connor - but many indies, hybrid production people, and EFP types use a lot of Sachtler, Miller, Cartoni, and Vinten

You said in your opening post that you had a head budget of around $5k. The people on this thread who recommended the O'Connor 2060 overlooked that - or they have a phenomenal connection to get the 2060 at $5k :-)

BTW - I also own an O'Connor 2575, which is a fantastic head, but its huge, heavy, and very expensive. In two years of owning multiple REDs I've used my 2575 only about three times. If mobility is your need, and $5k is your budget, I'd seriously consider a Miller 55.

See if you can get to a dealer or rental house and try out each type of tripod. Its a big investment and you want to be happy with your purchase when you do a lot of shooting on it.
 
If you buy an O'Connor, buy a 2060 not the 1030. It's more appropriate for the weight of the camera, and is more likely to earn a place in a rental package.

I have a 2575 and it gets constant use.

IBloom
 
I own a Cartoni C20S head, and am very happy with it. I find it much better than a more expensive Sachtler head.
The Oconnors are great, obviously, but for a small budget I'd go with a Cartoni. I think the C20S has a better range than the 1030.

Jeremy Wiles said:
Thanks Kwan. I was very interested in the Arrow 55 until I read a comment from Jason Ing on a previous post:

“Miller, Panther, and Sachtler uses a step system as opposed to Catroni's and Oconnor's continuous system. Continuous vs step makes a huge difference in the setup and performance of the counterbalance. With Catroni and Oconnor, I could tilt the camera forward and backward at any degree and it would stay put.” http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11943

I'm wondering how true is that statement?
Click to expand...
The Delta uses a continuous counterbalance adjustment, the C20S uses a step system.

And yes, the statement is true. You can fine tune it better with a continuous adjustment, but most of the time you can also achieve a near "perfect balance" with a step system. The fact is that a lot of people just don't know how to adjust it...:huh:
 
The Vinten Vision 100 also has Continuous counterbalance and it is awesome. Once you know how to properly use continuous counterbalance system you will never want to use a step systems again. When I have my balance set, I can pan and tilt with no friction and let got of the handle anywhere and the camera will stay perfectly still.

Oconnor and Vinten are the only heads I have used with continuous and it makes a difference to me.


Dusty
 
Ditto on the Miller....!


Steve Gibby said:
Jeremy,

I've owned several RED cameras for almost two years now, and me and my crews use them exclusively on Miller Arrow 55 heads. The Miller 55 is an excellent head - smooth, well built, and affordable. IMO its price to performance ratio is among the best in high quality heads.

We do a lot of mobile production like you mentioned you also do. Our head loads vary from around 22 pounds all the way up to 50 pounds at times. The Miller 55 handles all of them equally well.

Since we do a lot of tight-framing action tracking of sports and wildlife subjects and objects, good, smooth head action in both pans and tilts is absolutely critical. The Miller 55 delivers it...

We use three different types of sticks on the Miller 55 heads: Solo carbon fiber for hiking long distances, doc work, etc. (head + sticks weight =13.8 pounds), Sprinter 2-stage carbon fiber legs for more stationary production with interviews, and some single stage alloy legs for more stationary work.

L.A. people and narrative cinema circles in many other places seem to favor O'Connor - but many indies, hybrid production people, and EFP types use a lot of Sachtler, Miller, Cartoni, and Vinten

You said in your opening post that you had a head budget of around $5k. The people on this thread who recommended the O'Connor 2060 overlooked that - or they have a phenomenal connection to get the 2060 at $5k :-)

BTW - I also own an O'Connor 2575, which is a fantastic head, but its huge, heavy, and very expensive. In two years of owning multiple REDs I've used my 2575 only about three times. If mobility is your need, and $5k is your budget, I'd seriously consider a Miller 55.

See if you can get to a dealer or rental house and try out each type of tripod. Its a big investment and you want to be happy with your purchase when you do a lot of shooting on it.
Click to expand...
 
Jeremy Wiles said:
Thanks Kwan. I was very interested in the Arrow 55 until I read a comment from Jason Ing on a previous post:

“Miller, Panther, and Sachtler uses a step system as opposed to Catroni's and Oconnor's continuous system. Continuous vs step makes a huge difference in the setup and performance of the counterbalance. With Catroni and Oconnor, I could tilt the camera forward and backward at any degree and it would stay put.” http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11943

I'm wondering how true is that statement?
Click to expand...

I've either owned or used Miller DS10 (not with a R1) to 150 heads never had a problem with them. Maybe that your rig was not on perfect balance I normally am very happy using the miller 55 or 100 they are great as a slightly cheaper solution. But if money was not a problem I'd say an Oconor 2575 if that is not an option go for the 2060 but no less especially if you plan on building a teleprompter regularly. I was on a job yesterday and we built a R1 + teleprompter on a 2575. It was sturdy and stable would have hated to have done that on anything smaller.
 
Ernesto Lomeli said:
the cartoni heads are very nice. You would not be disappointed.
They are just as good as the Ocon products, except i dont remember or if it even matters if it goes +/- 90deg.
Click to expand...

Shawn Booth said:
Not intending to fight but I couldn't disagree more...
Click to expand...

Actually I'm a Ocon owner and very happy with them. I only choose it over Cartoni because the common believe is that they're the best out there and therefor it would slightly affect my rental by choosing Cartoni. My personal experience and knowledge is that they're equal. Cartoni has a nice feature in there tripods. They're both mitchell and bowl.

Don't rule out Ronfords Atlas heads, which are superb and in many ways better then the others. Again, if you're looking to rent your equip you're better of with getting what people generally wants (Ocon). Otherwise I would definitely see what deals you can make between Ocon, Cartoni and Ronford.
 
Jeremy Wiles said:
Thanks Kwan. I was very interested in the Arrow 55 until I read a comment from Jason Ing on a previous post:

“Miller, Panther, and Sachtler uses a step system as opposed to Catroni's and Oconnor's continuous system. Continuous vs step makes a huge difference in the setup and performance of the counterbalance. With Catroni and Oconnor, I could tilt the camera forward and backward at any degree and it would stay put.” http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11943

I'm wondering how true is that statement?
Click to expand...

Older Sachtler heads do use the step system. Newer Speed Balance (SB) heads from Sachtler are continuous.

Step is a pain. Once you go continuous you'll never be happy with a step system!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top