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What tripod for scarlet dragon?

R

Rupert Hopkins

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I'm about to buy a scarlet dragon and I'm wondering what the best medium priced tripod for it would be? I have a budget of around £2000 for the head and possibly £800 for legs.

ideally the miller arrow 40 would fit nicely into my price point. Is 7-16kg payload a good amount for a fairly low accessorised scarlet dragon with Schneider xenon lenses (and rokinon for ultra wides)

Would the 10-25kg arrow 50 be over kill, I'm very budget conserved but also don't want to buy twice so best to get it right now.

Anyone know any carbon fibre legs that fit into an £800 budget?

Thanks!!
 
I'm getting a lot of use out of the manfrotto 509HD with the carbon fiber legs, very versatile.
 
Anton Shavlik said:
I'm getting a lot of use out of the manfrotto 509HD with the carbon fiber legs, very versatile.
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+1 for that. 509HD + 536 Carbon legs. Thats my main tripod.

I also tried to go smaller and lighter with a 502AH + MT055CXPRO4. Bought this for my DSLR, but Manfrotto says 9kg for the legs and 7kg for the head. So i tried. ;) And while this isn't the most perfect solution i am actually surprised how well it works. You can hit the maximum weight quickly, but there is some room and it can even hold a Scarlet-X + Dual Battery Module + Canon 70-200 2.8 L IS II. Great solution for run & gun, it's really small and light.

Nice thing about those two heads, they use the same plate.
 
I have the Miller Compass 12. Cheapest of the Miller tripods, but very very good. I feel like this will be the last tripod I buy (except for maybe something super portable).
 
Bob Gundu said:
I'm a fan of Miller heads and have no complaints with the Compass 25.
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Same setup, love it but using the Miller Solo CF sticks and need to get one with mid/floor spreader soon :)
 
Cheers for all the advice, I'm thinking that I'm possibly setting aside too much of the budget for the arrow 40 and I could lower to the compass 25 or something?
 
Dylan McLaughlin said:
I have the Miller Compass 12. Cheapest of the Miller tripods, but very very good. I feel like this will be the last tripod I buy (except for maybe something super portable).
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I've got the Compass 12 and Solo CF sticks... I like them a lot but I'd say they're a bit light for the upper end of his weight limit request wouldn't you?
 
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O'Connor 1030D head on O'Connor 30L carbon fiber sticks is a great, albeit expensive, and rock solid option. I love it and drag it all over the world.
 
I have the 504HD head with carbon 535 legs and the head is fine, it's a little weak for the full kit but it is smooth and handles it well.

The legs, however...I'm not a huge fan of. I understand the versatility, but having the clasps at the bottom makes quick height adjustments a pain in the ass. And the spreader button placement (on the inside of the leg at the top near the head) has me constantly accidentally clicking it in.
 
I haven't tried Really Right Stuff's new Versa 4 sticks or FH-350 fluid head, but I adore their Versa 3 sticks and every plate, clamp, adapter, ball head, monopod head, etc I've ever bought from them (wow, I've spent a lot of money on them over the years) has been of excellent quality, so I'd definitely say it's worth investigating.
 
Are you guys sure that the miller 25 will support a scarlet setup? With Mattebox, follow focus, monitor and rails etc I would think the camera can get pretty heavy.

It would be pretty awesome to save the money and get the cheaper tripod. :)
 
Rupert I can post a ton of production pics of my Scarlet fitted with:

RED MATTEBOX with flag
RED PRIME 18MM or Rokinon Cine (all sizes)
Bartech or Cinegear FF Wireless
RED SIDE HANDLE
RED ARM
RED 5" or 7" TOUCH
Paralinx Arrow +
Digital Tape system
RED DSCM QUICK RELEASE System with 19mm rods
WC A-Box
ViewFactor FMJ Top Plate

Get the picture ;)

Basically the above plus add another 1lb (give or take) of extra parts and the head handled it all well.
The only negative at times was the CF Solo was a painful to deal with since it lacks Mid/Floor spreaders.
Next on the list of items to buy.
 
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If it was me then every time I would go for a second hand older Sachtler or Ronford setup - you get a far better quality of construction and operation for less money. You can pick up Sachtler Video 18, 20 and even 25 heads for around £1,200-£1,500 and Ronford 2004 for under £2,00 and you're into an entirely different league of head than the likes of Manfrotto and the lower echelon Miller and Sachtler models.
Steve
 
I use an old Miller 30 for my Epic and it works very well. I also have a Vinten that's pretty good. I do have Manfrotto but use it for my smaller cameras and stills primarily. I don't care as much for it more from a usability standpoint than anything else.
 
BrandonChristensen said:
I have the 504HD head with carbon 535 legs and the head is fine, it's a little weak for the full kit but it is smooth and handles it well.

The legs, however...I'm not a huge fan of. I understand the versatility, but having the clasps at the bottom makes quick height adjustments a pain in the ass. And the spreader button placement (on the inside of the leg at the top near the head) has me constantly accidentally clicking it in.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's a real pain in the ass for one person, definitely my biggest gripe.
 
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