Rob Ruffo
Well-known member
So many people have posted amazingly helpful reviews here and elsewhere that I thought I'd chip-in.
We recently became aware of the very sad fact that our trusty old Sachler fluid head, purchased used from a defunct rental company, was nearing the end of its useful life.
I wanted a 75mm bowl, because we travel an awful lot with a tiny crew and portability is a major issue. We we found most 100mm tripods to just be too heavy, especially since our heaviest cam config is only about 22 pounds.
Plus we already found a 75mm bowl tripod we really like: the Libec Ls38 tripod is sturdy, works well and does not wind up much at all, while being light and easy to haul around long distances on foot in European urban areas where prod vehicles are hard to move and even harder to park (as many of you know).
As an aside, the head that comes with it is mediocre - I suppose great for how little it costs (almost a free add-on to the tripod itself, which is why we figured "why not") , and useful on those rare occasions when we need a second head for some reason, but nothing I would use on a regular basis.
Anyway... when Scott at Tapeworks suggested I give the new Libec Rh 45 (with 26 lb capacity) a try, and, I should disclose, Libec agreed to lend me (albeit not give) said head for free, I was a bit skeptical. I don't like to be a brand whore, but Libec is just not a name that brings a twinkle to my eye the way Sachler and Cartoni do.
I was in for a very pleasant surprise.
The motion on this head is about as perfect as fluid head motion can be.
Most fluid heads under $3000 get a little easier to move (less drag), the faster you go, with the biggest difference being between the resistance the head gives when it is fully stopped, and the resistance it gives once some motion has begun. This is due to some law of physics I forget the name of, and the effects of this law can also be seen in how it's easier for your car to keep skidding on ice once the skid has begun.
Using some kind of new technology, Libec has completely eliminated this effect from their head. Its' really pretty amazing. The result is that it's inordinately easy to feather the beginning and ends of motions smoothly. It's so good, it's pretty freaky. Apparently thsi head also does not change under extreme cold, but I have not been able to test this, as it has been unseasonably warm here in Montreal.
The motion has no stiction, no "crunchy bits", no unevenness, it's so perfect it's almost otherworldly - like a reflecting sphere in a 1990s computer graphic. I have never seen better, and I've tried many models of most brands of head, at all price ranges.
What really tripped me out was the "0" setting. On many heads this feels like you suddenly switched for a photo tripod, including all the Manfrottos I've tried (although I have not tried them all, so please don't flame me). On this head, it's actually 100% usable. There is a very tiny amount of drag, but the thing moves so smoothly it strongly reminded me of my wife's Steadicam gymbal.
But all is not rainbows and flowers in Libecland.
The head does have one drawback which may be a big one for you, depending on how you like to operate. It only has 3 settings (in addition to "0"), not 5, as I have come (and maybe you too) to expect. (LAthough these, of course, can be set separately for tilt and pan.
"1" is a bit stiffer than "2" on a typical Sachler or Miller rated at 20-25 pounds or so. You may not, but I often use that "1" setting for fast-moving scenes, like music video dance routines, when filming action from a car, or when using a slider like the Cinevate Pegasus. I like "1". This head has no "1". I want my "1"
"2" is a lot like what you might expect from between 3 and 4 on most +/- 20 lb heads
"3" is very stiff - I think it's the stiffest drag I have ever encountered - more than a typical '5'.
That said, the "3" setting was at the same time, like all the other settings, mind-bogglingly smooth, and it permitted very smooth long-lens follows (like panning up a skycraper from miles way, zoomed-into a single window) on a 20 pound rig, with perfect feathers-in and feathers-out, this without being a tai-chi master or ballet star in terms of grace and concentration (Hey, I'd like to think I'm pretty good, but I'll take all the help I can get).
Another thing that bugged me, but may mean nothing to you, is that the counterbalance adjustment, while being - amazing at this price!!!!!! - continuous rather than in steps (usually, you have to fork over at least $3000 to get continuous), only varies between 10 and 26 pounds. (Their specs say 23, but 26 still works fine - we have now tested this.)
We frequently use 3 rigs: A bare EX1, a lightly rigged-up Red, and an Ex1 + Redrock Encore 35mm adapter. The Red and 35mm adapter rigs are fine here, but the bare Ex1 is below the range at 7lbs or so, thus the counterbalance, while smooth, with no sudden "no spring-free zone" in the middle, is too much when using this camera. It's not unworkable by any means, but... I'm also concerned that the Epic will be too light as well, as will any number of future DSLR-like form-factor cameras (that actually really work for video) that are sure to appear. To be fair, few heads offer a much wider range than this - you have to chose between a head for a light camera or for a heavy one, and this head is no exception. Also, to be fair, once you have a mattebox etc, on an Epic, you will be within weight limits.
When within range, the counterbalance is also stupendous - it works perfectly - no drift, no "hard edge" to the degree of spring-back. Even when your cam is too light - the counterbalance is gentle and smooth enough that you can still operate perfectly, you just have to keep your hand on the stick to hold a down or up-pointing shot. You cannot really get meaningfully better, at any price, in my memory.
Will I keep the head? Probably. The quality of movement is supreme, amazing, a dream come true, but the lack of a low setting that resembles my idea of "1" and the too-high weight minimums on counterbalance (albeit common for a head of this weight class) are drawbacks, but the rest is so awesome for so little money, that's hard to pass up.
Before I draw any final conclusions, I will try out one of their lighter capacity heads, as they have a lower counterbalance weight range, and all their drag settings are less stiff. Maybe it will be just perfect for my rig set.
If this things had 5 settings, I would buy it without thought, even if it were twice the price (at ANY price I could afford) because it really is, in most ways, the best head I have ever used.
They are hard to find without the tripod, but Tapeworks has em' at his usual crazy-low prices (it's amazing how much stuff he carries, I never knew), and as some of you know Scott is a great guy who does the Lone Star State proud.
So there you go - I hope this has been helpful.
We recently became aware of the very sad fact that our trusty old Sachler fluid head, purchased used from a defunct rental company, was nearing the end of its useful life.
I wanted a 75mm bowl, because we travel an awful lot with a tiny crew and portability is a major issue. We we found most 100mm tripods to just be too heavy, especially since our heaviest cam config is only about 22 pounds.
Plus we already found a 75mm bowl tripod we really like: the Libec Ls38 tripod is sturdy, works well and does not wind up much at all, while being light and easy to haul around long distances on foot in European urban areas where prod vehicles are hard to move and even harder to park (as many of you know).
As an aside, the head that comes with it is mediocre - I suppose great for how little it costs (almost a free add-on to the tripod itself, which is why we figured "why not") , and useful on those rare occasions when we need a second head for some reason, but nothing I would use on a regular basis.
Anyway... when Scott at Tapeworks suggested I give the new Libec Rh 45 (with 26 lb capacity) a try, and, I should disclose, Libec agreed to lend me (albeit not give) said head for free, I was a bit skeptical. I don't like to be a brand whore, but Libec is just not a name that brings a twinkle to my eye the way Sachler and Cartoni do.
I was in for a very pleasant surprise.
The motion on this head is about as perfect as fluid head motion can be.
Most fluid heads under $3000 get a little easier to move (less drag), the faster you go, with the biggest difference being between the resistance the head gives when it is fully stopped, and the resistance it gives once some motion has begun. This is due to some law of physics I forget the name of, and the effects of this law can also be seen in how it's easier for your car to keep skidding on ice once the skid has begun.
Using some kind of new technology, Libec has completely eliminated this effect from their head. Its' really pretty amazing. The result is that it's inordinately easy to feather the beginning and ends of motions smoothly. It's so good, it's pretty freaky. Apparently thsi head also does not change under extreme cold, but I have not been able to test this, as it has been unseasonably warm here in Montreal.
The motion has no stiction, no "crunchy bits", no unevenness, it's so perfect it's almost otherworldly - like a reflecting sphere in a 1990s computer graphic. I have never seen better, and I've tried many models of most brands of head, at all price ranges.
What really tripped me out was the "0" setting. On many heads this feels like you suddenly switched for a photo tripod, including all the Manfrottos I've tried (although I have not tried them all, so please don't flame me). On this head, it's actually 100% usable. There is a very tiny amount of drag, but the thing moves so smoothly it strongly reminded me of my wife's Steadicam gymbal.
But all is not rainbows and flowers in Libecland.
The head does have one drawback which may be a big one for you, depending on how you like to operate. It only has 3 settings (in addition to "0"), not 5, as I have come (and maybe you too) to expect. (LAthough these, of course, can be set separately for tilt and pan.
"1" is a bit stiffer than "2" on a typical Sachler or Miller rated at 20-25 pounds or so. You may not, but I often use that "1" setting for fast-moving scenes, like music video dance routines, when filming action from a car, or when using a slider like the Cinevate Pegasus. I like "1". This head has no "1". I want my "1"
"2" is a lot like what you might expect from between 3 and 4 on most +/- 20 lb heads
"3" is very stiff - I think it's the stiffest drag I have ever encountered - more than a typical '5'.
That said, the "3" setting was at the same time, like all the other settings, mind-bogglingly smooth, and it permitted very smooth long-lens follows (like panning up a skycraper from miles way, zoomed-into a single window) on a 20 pound rig, with perfect feathers-in and feathers-out, this without being a tai-chi master or ballet star in terms of grace and concentration (Hey, I'd like to think I'm pretty good, but I'll take all the help I can get).
Another thing that bugged me, but may mean nothing to you, is that the counterbalance adjustment, while being - amazing at this price!!!!!! - continuous rather than in steps (usually, you have to fork over at least $3000 to get continuous), only varies between 10 and 26 pounds. (Their specs say 23, but 26 still works fine - we have now tested this.)
We frequently use 3 rigs: A bare EX1, a lightly rigged-up Red, and an Ex1 + Redrock Encore 35mm adapter. The Red and 35mm adapter rigs are fine here, but the bare Ex1 is below the range at 7lbs or so, thus the counterbalance, while smooth, with no sudden "no spring-free zone" in the middle, is too much when using this camera. It's not unworkable by any means, but... I'm also concerned that the Epic will be too light as well, as will any number of future DSLR-like form-factor cameras (that actually really work for video) that are sure to appear. To be fair, few heads offer a much wider range than this - you have to chose between a head for a light camera or for a heavy one, and this head is no exception. Also, to be fair, once you have a mattebox etc, on an Epic, you will be within weight limits.
When within range, the counterbalance is also stupendous - it works perfectly - no drift, no "hard edge" to the degree of spring-back. Even when your cam is too light - the counterbalance is gentle and smooth enough that you can still operate perfectly, you just have to keep your hand on the stick to hold a down or up-pointing shot. You cannot really get meaningfully better, at any price, in my memory.
Will I keep the head? Probably. The quality of movement is supreme, amazing, a dream come true, but the lack of a low setting that resembles my idea of "1" and the too-high weight minimums on counterbalance (albeit common for a head of this weight class) are drawbacks, but the rest is so awesome for so little money, that's hard to pass up.
Before I draw any final conclusions, I will try out one of their lighter capacity heads, as they have a lower counterbalance weight range, and all their drag settings are less stiff. Maybe it will be just perfect for my rig set.
If this things had 5 settings, I would buy it without thought, even if it were twice the price (at ANY price I could afford) because it really is, in most ways, the best head I have ever used.
They are hard to find without the tripod, but Tapeworks has em' at his usual crazy-low prices (it's amazing how much stuff he carries, I never knew), and as some of you know Scott is a great guy who does the Lone Star State proud.
So there you go - I hope this has been helpful.
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