Kessler K-Pod any good?

[Omar N]

Hello everyone,

For those who may have experience with it, I am wondering if the Kessler K-Pod will make a good companion for the Scarlet camera? Particularly, I will be doing a lot of documentary work in somewhat dangerous areas of the world, and I need a tripod that can be extremely sturdy but at the same time be very quick to extend, shorten, etc.

My old tripod was great but it was very problematic because to extend the legs, I had to extend each one individually until it was just right which usually ended up costing me my shot since what ever I wanted to photograph would be long gone by the time I got the all the legs out/in.

Can anyone comment on the ease of use and practicality of the K-Pod? Is it easy and quick to shift from one height to another?

Any other overall comments that should be shared?

Thank you in advance for your time.
~Omar

 

[vincent kardasik]

K-Pod is a good tripod if you use it as a base for a crane or for a slider.
It's really heavy, around 20kg, and also very solid but not that easy to carry.
If you need to move your set-up during your shooting day, I don't think the K-Pod is a good option.

 

[Iain Philpott]

I have the K-Pod,Hercules head, Pocket Dolly & Pocket Jib. The legs/head are 'bombproof' which makes it fantastic with the dolly/jib (add a set of wheels and seat and it works well as a simple dolly) but I would not want to be lugging it any distance in difficult terrain. As the previous post suggests I can confirm this thing is big & heavy! As for the head it does not have anywhere near the smoothness of a fluid head but that is well reflected in the price. Great kit though, really well made and does what it says on the tin.

 

[Tom Lowe]

KPOD is built like a tank. It's made for cranes, sliders and jibs, not for everyday camera use. It's super heavy and robust, but not as quick to set up as average 3-stage tripods.

You would probably be better off with Manfrotto 536 CF sticks.

 

[Michael Kromschroeder]

The K-Pod is really rugged AND has a weight just below 10 KG.
I use it for slider and crane work, I even put a 24 feet ABC 100 crane on it.
Only issue is, that the minimum hight is about 95 cm.

 

[Tyler Bourns]

The K-Pod is amazing and highly recommended... for crane and slider work. Although possible it's just not built to be a standard tripod. The ease of raising and lowering is not quick compared to standard size tripods and it is very heavy and would be a pain to be lugging around to multiple locations on the fly.

Although Tom already said it, the Manfrotto 536 sticks are great and very versatile. They can very quickly go from almost to the ground low to very high. They are also quite heavy duty but still light and easy to move around. Lastly they also have a 100mm bowl that comes with a 75mm adapter so you have options when choosing a head. I use the Vinten Vision Blue Head with it which i think will be a perfect fit for the Scarlet.

 

[Omar N]

Thank you for the fantastic replies everyone! Your input has truly influenced my decision.

With regards to an alternate tripod, what do you guys think of the 536 as mentioned, compared to the Manfrotto 528XB? It appears that the 528XB can handle 110lbs, which may be good since I intend on using it with a slider.

My old tripod had a problem with using a slider in that whenever I would move the camera to either end, it would tilt and eventually fall over if I was not there to hold it. It appears that the 528XB may be a good balance between heavy duty and portability.

Any thoughts?

Thank you again for your terrific help,
~Omar

 

[Tom Lowe]

Make no mistake, the 536 is badass.

:thumbsup:

 

[Michael Millichamp]

The photo that Tom posted is the reason I got my Manfrotto 536's.

I absolutely love them.

Pretty light, can have go extremely high, or extremely low.

 

[Michael Millichamp]

I forgot to mention, I also tested to see if you can do what the person is doing in Tom's photo...



You can.

 

[Omar N]

Hi Michael,

Thank you for your input. I like the 536, but it does not appear to be as sturdy as the 528xb, and sturdiness is really what I am after (albeit it I must say I am impressed with how you guys can hang off it!)

Can anyone give input on the Manfrotto 528xb with the 509HD fluid head?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/779187-REG/Manfrotto_528XB_Heavy_Duty_Tripod_with.html

I would like to go Satchler but it seems that for a rig that can support up to 110 lbs like the Manfrotto would cost me well over $8000.

I appreciate everyones valuable input. You guys have been tremendous!

~Omar

 

[Michael Millichamp]

What exactly do you need the 110lb capacity for?

 

[Omar N]

Hi Michael,

At the moment...nothing. However in the near future I intend to start working on a feature and will need cranes and jib's mounted onto a tripod that can support it. So even though I will not need that sort of capacity now, I would still like to plan my purchase according to what I have planned for in the months to follow.

This is one of the reasons I was originally looking at the K-Pod; for the heavy weight capacity. However most of the shooting I will be doing takes place in the Middle East and Europe, so something which can support heavy weight, but also lend it self to travel is important, and it is the latter which I feel the K-Pod will not do for me.

 

[Michael Millichamp]

I would go look at the Epic M owners thread, and look at Tom Lowes. He has pictures of his Manfrotto holding a lot of weight.

I, like you, plan to use my tripod for Jibs, and Tom's pictures made me change my mind from getting a 110lb capacity. You just gotta see the 536's to love them. Right when I opened my box I fell in love.

 

[Omar N]

Thank you Michael. I will certainly have a look in the Epic M section and see what Tom has.

 

[Michael Millichamp]

Yea, but more importantly, just use the method I live my life by.

"Wear what ya dig." - Boogie Nights

Just get what you think is best, and if it isn't, then find what is.

I hope you find the answer to what you're looking for and get a tripod that's best for you!

 

[Tyler Bourns]

I've put the Kessler Herculues Head on the 536 Legs as well and run a 3' Pocket Dolly across with no additional support and it held up perfectly even with the camera all the way to either end, no slipping. I haven't tried it with the crane yet, as my K-Pod is perfect for those situations of course.

Actually Tom, I owe you a thank you, it was your posts that got me to check out the 536 legs in the first place and I couldn't be more happy with them.