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  • 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 :)

smallest / suitable fluid head for R1 ? HELP

light weight:
if i recall correctly - Rodney Charters ( DP , 24 TV series) uses a bogen 503 head when he travels with his Red ( very light weight - birger mount , long valley rod support) ... there was a video up on the web awhile back with him showing his setup ...
 
I use a video 14 on Gitzo carbon fiber stix. it has a 75mm ball head. I love this set up and have put a pretty heavy camera on it, just can't walk away too far. They are light but really strong, the legs will hold anything, the head is the wimpy part but it works for backpacking etc. I think the legs are model #GT5531S they are awesome, the 75mm ball head plate is separate.
 
Tim Whitcomb said:
We also have a Kessler Hercules Head and Kpod System if we need a real heavy duty RED ONE rig...
Click to expand...

That Hercules head doesn't even look like it's for cameras...more just a pivot point for a jib. There's no counterbalance there, right? Looks like a hinge with friction discs...not really suitable for putting a camera on it.
 
I am now using the Miller Arrow 40 with Miller Solo VJ legs. My Red setup is 28 lbs (birger, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS, 2x, lens support, stock 19mm rods, Red battery + ET quick mount plate, lcd+ noga arm, Impero, Red bottom plate, shooting to CF cards.) This combo handles the load perfectly. This head is as smooth as any and quite a bit cheaper than the Arrow 55. I expect to upgrade to Epic X and anticipate it being slightly lighter than my current set up which is why I am shying away from acquiring these more expensive heavy duty heads. I am mostly solo shooting/run & gun which is the other reason for the lighter setup. My previous set up I was using with my Red was a Vision 3 head with Solo DV legs. This set up worked and was light, but I had to run the 22lb spring to try and keep the camera from tipping over and the drag was set to 9 (max). This was the tripod I have been using since before I acquired the Red and I figured it would work ok. While it works in a pinch, it is far from being in it's rated work load and I began to notice excessive wear in the Vinten head. Thus the reason for acquisition of the Arrow 40 with Solo VJ legs. Hope this helps.
 
Elliot Leboe said:
I am now using the Miller Arrow 40 with Miller Solo VJ legs. My Red setup is 28 lbs (birger, Canon 70-200 2.8L IS, 2x, lens support, stock 19mm rods, Red battery + ET quick mount plate, lcd+ noga arm, Impero, Red bottom plate, shooting to CF cards.) This combo handles the load perfectly. This head is as smooth as any and quite a bit cheaper than the Arrow 55. I expect to upgrade to Epic X and anticipate it being slightly lighter than my current set up which is why I am shying away from acquiring these more expensive heavy duty heads. I am mostly solo shooting/run & gun which is the other reason for the lighter setup. My previous set up I was using with my Red was a Vision 3 head with Solo DV legs. This set up worked and was light, but I had to run the 22lb spring to try and keep the camera from tipping over and the drag was set to 9 (max). This was the tripod I have been using since before I acquired the Red and I figured it would work ok. While it works in a pinch, it is far from being in it's rated work load and I began to notice excessive wear in the Vinten head. Thus the reason for acquisition of the Arrow 40 with Solo VJ legs. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

How do find the solo VJ legs? Are they quick to adjust or a bit of a pain? I can see their worth if you not moving around too much.
 
Liam Hall said:
How do find the solo VJ legs? Are they quick to adjust or a bit of a pain? I can see their worth if you not moving around too much.
Click to expand...

I've found the Solo VJ legs very quick to adjust. I grab the camera top handle with one hand, lean the camera over a bit, unscrew the lock on a leg, pull out the needed extra length, screw down the leg lock, then quickly repeat the process on the other two legs. You can also just steady the camera by its top handle, and outward click each leg for a choice of two wider stances, then quickly balance the head using the lock lever underneath and the balancing bubble.

A word about Miller for others on this thread. I own multiple Miller 55 heads, and multiple sets of Miller legs - Solo 1505 VJ, Sprinter II CF (mid-spreader), and one set of alloy (mid-spreader). For real mobile work, and anything out in a natural environment, the Solo VJ are my legs of choice. For more stationary work and a lot of interviews, etc, I quite often change the head out quickly from the VJ legs to the Sprinter legs. Thats not to say the VJ legs aren't fine for mobile documentary work (interviews, etc.), but changing the head from different legs is very quick, and sometimes for an entire day of interviews I'll change to the Sprinter legs.

The Solo VJ legs adjust quickly in height - from about 7 feet down to around 8 inches - something I've found incredible useful in getting quick creative shots from a variety of head heights.

IMO the Miller 55 head offers the best performance to price ratio available in heads - and I've owned and used a wide array of heads over the past 30+ years - Sachtler, O'Connor, Vinten, Cartoni, etc. I've quite often maxed out my Miller 55 heads, with 55+ pound loads - and the head performance has been spot on. I've also used loads ranging down to very light (21 pounds), and head performance has been excellent.

Narrative cinema people tend to mostly stick with O'Connor, but hybrid EFP/cine and EFP people seem to have a much wider range of tripod choices - and Miller is quite often their choice with RED. IMO everybody just needs to analyze the best heads/legs for the genres they regularly work in, and the needs of their crews, and get the head/legs combos that best suit their needs.

The combo of the Miller 55 head (7 pounds) and Solo 1505 VJ legs (6.8 pounds) makes an easy to carry tripod package of around 13.8 pounds. If you have the extra money, the Miller 55 head weighs just a hair more than the Miller 40 head. If you're absolutely sure you won't need head weights of up to 55 pounds, yes the Miller 40 is a viable option. But if you have the funds, and think you may need the heavier head weight support at some point, I'd suggest getting the Miller 55.

I've been posting pics here on RED User of my RED cameras on Miller 55/Solo VJ rigs (and other Miller legs) for over two years now. I have no connection whatsoever to Miller - I just really like their heads/legs and their performance to price ratio.
 
Liam,

Happy to help...

I'm thankfully real busy now days, but when I get the chance I'm more than happy to post my real world impressions of what has worked for me and my crews on the front lines of mobile production.

There are absolute hordes of us hybrid EFP/cine people out here in the production world. In fact, as you know as a longtime industry veteran, of the overall world yearly quotient of motion media production, the total of non-cinema productions (hybrid EFP/cine, EFP, ENG) absolutely dwarfs the total of straight cine-style productions.

RED One can be adapted pretty well for hybrid EFP/cine production - using 35mm stills lenses and some cine accessories in non-hardlined EFP genres and workflows - but even though the tech specs for Epic and Scarlet haven't been finalized, I'd hazard a guess that both Epic and Scarlet will be much more hybrid EFP/cine and EFP production friendly than RED One is. IMO hybrid EFP/cine and EFP will represent the overall largest customer market for Epic and Scarlet - and I believe RED Team realizes that.

Back to the thread topic - alternate equipment and accessory choices are the legacy of the indie filmmaker, hybrid EFP/cine, and EFP industries - and tripods are no exception :-)
 
I own a Cartoni and our business partner has a 2075 O'Connor. Reading the threads on reduser, I followed your advices, Steve, and I bought a Miller Arrow 55 with carbon heavy duty legs from Abel cine tech. I'm very impressed about the quality and the performance of Miller tripods. Thanks!
 
I'm happy the Miller 55 is working out for you Luca :)

I also own an O'Connor 2575 for my head loads way above 55 pounds - but it rarely gets used. The Miller 55 basically satisfies all the RED camera head loads me and my crews work with.
 
Great posts Steve. I based my decision on legs/head combo largely on your past posts on this forum. I not only shoot Red One, but also get hired out on a lot of P2 jobs, and much of the Panny HVX200 / HPX500's I shoot with fall within the 11-18lb range when decked out. The Arrow 40's minimum counterbalance is 15lbs which will suit these lighter setups when I need them. I think the minimum counterbalance on the 55 is around 22lbs. Not a big deal, but If I can get away with one tripod for all these different cams, It makes my life simpler. The Arrow 40 was also $1300 cheaper than the 55, which is the other reason. The Solo VJ legs are unreal, especially if you end up hiking all your gear into shooting locations which I usually end up doing.
 
I might suggest that if you ever rent bigger optics you may want more substantial support. I just shot with the Ang 25-250HR in the package for a few weeks and it was just at the limit with the Sachtler 150mm Studio II head. Steve's advice is good but bear in mind that you may want to consider renting heavier sticks and head if you go to bigger glass.

:J
 
I do own the O'Connor 1030HD. I do NOT own a large zoom. When a large zoom is rented, we just pick up a 2060 or 2575 O'Connor and beefy sticks while we're at the rental house.

If you own, rather than rent, bigger optics - THEN - owning more heavy duty support makes more sense. In small crew or solo situations a smaller zoom is going to be easier to live with on several counts. As detailed throughout this thread there are several attractive options for lightweight support.

My O'Connor 1030HD on Cartoni A303 CF legs weighs under 11 lbs. (5kg) total and if you keep the COG (center of gravity) low its terrific. YMMV.

Cheers - #19
 
Steve Gibby said:
I've found the Solo VJ legs very quick to adjust. I grab the camera top handle with one hand, lean the camera over a bit, unscrew the lock on a leg, pull out the needed extra length, screw down the leg lock, then quickly repeat the process on the other two legs. You can also just steady the camera by its top handle, and outward click each leg for a choice of two wider stances, then quickly balance the head using the lock lever underneath and the balancing bubble.

A word about Miller for others on this thread. I own multiple Miller 55 heads, and multiple sets of Miller legs - Solo 1505 VJ, Sprinter II CF (mid-spreader), and one set of alloy (mid-spreader). For real mobile work, and anything out in a natural environment, the Solo VJ are my legs of choice. For more stationary work and a lot of interviews, etc, I quite often change the head out quickly from the VJ legs to the Sprinter legs. Thats not to say the VJ legs aren't fine for mobile documentary work (interviews, etc.), but changing the head from different legs is very quick, and sometimes for an entire day of interviews I'll change to the Sprinter legs.

The Solo VJ legs adjust quickly in height - from about 7 feet down to around 8 inches - something I've found incredible useful in getting quick creative shots from a variety of head heights.

IMO the Miller 55 head offers the best performance to price ratio available in heads - and I've owned and used a wide array of heads over the past 30+ years - Sachtler, O'Connor, Vinten, Cartoni, etc. I've quite often maxed out my Miller 55 heads, with 55+ pound loads - and the head performance has been spot on. I've also used loads ranging down to very light (21 pounds), and head performance has been excellent.

Narrative cinema people tend to mostly stick with O'Connor, but hybrid EFP/cine and EFP people seem to have a much wider range of tripod choices - and Miller is quite often their choice with RED. IMO everybody just needs to analyze the best heads/legs for the genres they regularly work in, and the needs of their crews, and get the head/legs combos that best suit their needs.

The combo of the Miller 55 head (7 pounds) and Solo 1505 VJ legs (6.8 pounds) makes an easy to carry tripod package of around 13.8 pounds. If you have the extra money, the Miller 55 head weighs just a hair more than the Miller 40 head. If you're absolutely sure you won't need head weights of up to 55 pounds, yes the Miller 40 is a viable option. But if you have the funds, and think you may need the heavier head weight support at some point, I'd suggest getting the Miller 55.

I've been posting pics here on RED User of my RED cameras on Miller 55/Solo VJ rigs (and other Miller legs) for over two years now. I have no connection whatsoever to Miller - I just really like their heads/legs and their performance to price ratio.
Click to expand...

Thread is a little dated here but...

Steve, can you say what are the significant differences between the miller arrow 40 and 55? These two seem very close. Have you had experience on both?

Thanks,
 
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