Oconnor 1030 with a C300 II, III / C500 II

[Derek Doublin]

Has anyone out there used an Oconnor 1030 series head with a Canon cinema series camera? Do you feel that it is overkill? I have a C300 III and I was considering getting a used 1030HD, but I’ve heard that lighter cameras can be cumbersome to balance. I’m wondering if a used Ultimate DV might be better suited for a C300 III.

 

[Christopher A. Bell]

The 1030 is more or less in the same class as my Vinten Vision 100 in regards to size, use and payload capacity(Vinten has a little higher payload capacity) and it's what I put my C300 on. As a matter of fact, it's carried everything from a 5D through a C300, F55, Betacams, VariCam's and Amira's. The 5D was always a PITA, because it's so light, but by the time you make a C300 "shootable", counterbalancing it shouldn't be a problem. You don't want to be working at the upper limit of your head all of the time. You want room to add accessories(weight) and be able to handle "non-standard" set-ups, if the need should arise. For example, if your standard rig weighed in at 18lbs, you don't want to buy a head that maxes out at 20lbs, because depending on the CoG of your rig and the CoG the head may have the payload rated at, you may already be at or over it, but best case scenario, you just don't have much wiggle room to play with, if say you use a heavier lens than normal or with an additional piece of gear like a big matte box or on-board monitor.

Just things to think about. If you're going to spend money on something, spend it on something that is going to serve you well and be versatile and last a long time. And a good head will outlast any digital camera, many, many times over, so get one that will work with you today and tomorrow, as your needs may grow.

 

[Derek Doublin]

Thanks for the reply. All good points.

The 1030 is more or less in the same class as my Vinten Vision 100 in regards to size,
use and payload capacity(Vinten has a little higher payload capacity) and it's what I put my C300 on. As a matter of fact, it's carried everything from a 5D through a C300, F55, Betacams, VariCam's and Amira's.

Just curious, do you use your Vinten 100 for run-n-gun stuff? Do you find it too bulky for that kind of shooting, when you’re just using a C300?

 

[Christopher A. Bell]

Thanks for the reply. All good points.



Just curious, do you use your Vinten 100 for run-n-gun stuff? Do you find it too bulky for that kind of shooting, when you’re just using a C300?

No sir. My run & gun and primary set-up is a Vinten 100 with Sachtler Flowtech 100’s, which weigh in a little over 16 lbs total. But I’ve spent my entire career running around with 25lb+ cameras and 15lb+ tripods. Largely by-myself. But I don’t really own any smaller heads. I started out on Betacams and VariCams and the like, so all of my heads are designed to handle cameras like that, so I just dial the counterbalance down for lighter payloads. I never saw the need for smaller/lighter/lower capacity heads, when my current ones work and my builds can run the gamut from (somewhat) small to large.

 

[Blair S. Paulsen]

I run a 1030 head on Cartoni A303 CF legs, total weight under 12 lbs. I use an ET double dovetail to keep the CoG low. From the old ENG cams to the R1 to DSMC2 and a plethora of other camera packages, it has been clutch. The only rigs that have been too much for it have been with big zooms like the Angie 12x. Since I don't own any lenses over 11lbs, the bomber zooms are always rentals - so I just add a 2575/2060/etc to the order for that shoot.

Bottom line - I consider the O'Connor 1030 (and it's progeny) the best owner/op fluid head on the market and should have no problem with Canon C-series/REDs/ARRIs/Sonys/etc unless you're mounting up really big glass.

Cheers - #19

 

[Derek Doublin]

I started out on Betacams and VariCams and the like, so all of my heads are designed to handle cameras like that, so I just dial the counterbalance down for lighter payloads. I never saw the need for smaller/lighter/lower capacity heads, when my current ones work and my builds can run the gamut from (somewhat) small to large.

Yeah, I started back in the days of 3/4" tape, but I was in post. My days were spent with a Grass Valley switcher and eventually a state-of-the-art Video Toaster! By the time I got around to shooting, the Sony VX1000 had just come out, so I started off with lightweight stuff right off the bat. The nicest head I've owned is a Miller Compass 25, which is nice and light, but there's only 4 steps of counterbalance on that thing and I've never been able to get it where I want it.

 

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I have an older Oconnor 1030 HDS. Its been a decade or more and has been working fine. I works fine with my C300 as well as with other cameras both for shooting corporates, docs and wildlife. My heavy wildlife lenses work well when mated to the C300. If all you need is a locked down interview then you can shoot with a lesser fluid head. I have done that in some cases when I was hired to shoot solo for corporate work. However, the moment you start panning the OConnor comes on its own. Of course these days many people simply snip off the starting and end portion of the pan, however, I believe the starting and end of a pan should be a good composition as well.

When you are buying an expensive item like OConnor you have to realise that the annual cost of using such a good fluid head is very low. These are long term acquisitions and improves the overall image quality.

 

[Derek Doublin]

I have an older Oconnor 1030 HDS. Its been a decade or more and has been working fine.

Do you have the 1030HD with the Euro plate? I went and rented a 1030HD today to try it out. I love it, but man, the Oconnor Euro plate is not confidence-inspiring. Maybe it's just the banged up rental that I got. It probably needs servicing. But I must say, it does give me pause. The plate doesn't snap into place effortlessly and with the first try. In fact, it sometimes half locks, which is super dangerous. It appears to be locked and it feels tight. But when you visibly inspect the plate, it's not flush with the base. The snag up seems to be happening on the back end where the release lever is.

I also noticed that the tie down on the 1030HD needs to be ratcheted down with a lot more muscle than I'm used to with my Miller. The metal dome on the Oconnor seems to like to slip inside the Flowtech's bowl.

I get what everyone says about the motion though. It's really like butter. Just not sure I want to deal with a fiddly Euro plate in a Run-N-Gun situation.

 

[Sabyasachi Patra]

People take from rental and then really beat up and throw around. I think some moron would have locked it and then without unlocking used force or something.

My version is 1030HDS. I bought and a month later OConnor launched the new 1030HD. �� During that time I had also bought an SUV and a month later a new model was launched. I remember OConnor had said that they can send my fluid head to the factory and update it. But it was too much of pain as I had already got it to India. I use with an wooden camera Arri dovetail to the euro plate. Then attach the camera/lens to a wooden camera dovetail clamp and mount that to the arri dovetail. So it becomes a bit easy.