vinten vision

[Michel Domaine]

Hi dear redusers,

I have a Red Epic-MX just bought.
I will use it overall with still lenses and light set-up (red touch 5.0 and V-lock battery).
I'm trying to find a used light tripod for every situation, stable, fluid, but easy to transport and fast to use.

I found two offers on ebay for:
- Vinten Vision 8 (500€ more or less) - in good condictions, but with two different type of vinten nuts and scratching on the pan bar due to fitting accessories
- Vinten Vision 3 (650€ more or less) - in almost perfect conditions

What do you think about those tripods? Can they be good for the Epic? Which one do you recommend?

Thanks for any help for a new red user.

Best.

 

[Joseph Boyle]

Hi Michel,

I would stay away from the Vision 3. The issue with those is that you need to install different colored/weights of springs depending on how much camera load you are counterbalancing. This would be a hassle, not to mention that they're very difficult to find and quite expensive when you do find them. I haven't used the Vision 8, but I do have a Vision 6 and I like it pretty well. It's not quite as smooth starting/stopping as an O'Connor but it's still nice. I tested out the counterbalance mechanism in the Vision 6 vs. an O'Connor 515 and for me the Vision 6 did a better job of stopping on a dime when tilting. There was a little more play in the 515 head, though it could have been due to the fact that it was fairly old and had seen some wear. It was certainly useable as well though. The tradeoff is that the Vision series only balances a certain mid-range of weight, whereas the O'Connors will go all the way down to zero. I don't have a Red so I can't comment on the use with those cameras specifically. I would just check and see if the weight range is correct for your setup.

Hope that helps!

 

[C. Burkhart]

The Vision 100 and 250 are absolutely fantastic heads.
I find them smoother than OConnor's.
The smaller heads are probably a little less impressive.
The caveat is that there is a stigma for Vintens because they are often viewed as broadcast equipment.
So in the cinema world there is a kind of snobbism against them. (Which is really quite stupid).
I generally don't like friction heads, but my Vision 100 is certainly a joy.
I generally prefer it to my Sachtler heads.

 

[Frank Glencairn]

The Vision 100 and 250 are absolutely fantastic heads.

So in the cinema world there is a kind of snobbism against them. (Which is really quite stupid).

Yeah, couldn't care less, what anyone thinks.
I have a 30+ years old Vinten 20 head, never serviced and still works like a champ.
No wonder they stopped making them, Vinten can only sell you one in a lifetime, they last forever.
Build like a tank, and you can throw up to 40 pounds at it, without blinking an eye.

 

[Joseph Boyle]

The Vision 100 and 250 are absolutely fantastic heads.
I find them smoother than OConnor's.
The smaller heads are probably a little less impressive.
The caveat is that there is a stigma for Vintens because they are often viewed as broadcast equipment.
So in the cinema world there is a kind of snobbism against them. (Which is really quite stupid).
I generally don't like friction heads, but my Vision 100 is certainly a joy.
I generally prefer it to my Sachtler heads.

I had a Vision 100 for a short while and it felt really smooth. It also had more drag than a Vision 6 or the O'Connor 515. The only Sachtler I have tested (never owned one) felt like it had a decent amount of drag and it was really smooth, but the stepped counterbalance system was its major weak point. There was always some sort of backlash in a tilt unless you could perfectly hit the weight of one of the steps.

 

[Iwan Jones]

I have a Vision 10LF,11 and two 100 heads and they are perfect.The only drawback I found was the 100 head had a strong counterbalance even at zero meaning I had to have a fully loaded Red in order to have perfect balance.