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What tripod will you use for Komodo?

Sean Montgomery

Sean Montgomery

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I'm sure this will generate responses all over the board, and admittedly I haven't paid much attention to the tripod market over the last 3-4 years. I've been using a Manfrotto 509 kit for my DSMC2 for probably 7 years, which served me well. I'm looking at Komodo as a chance to downsize in every way.

So I'm curious what tripods people are liking these days or plan to use with small Komodo builds? Last I remember, Miller had some nice offerings in this arena -- anyone else worth paying attention to?
 
Will depend on how people want to rig the Komodo will determine the tripods you'd want to use. For me and the work I do, I've been a fan of the Sachtler System FSB 8 Fluid Head, Flowtech 75 Carbon Fiber Tripod. Light weight easy to move around with. I'd probably use that with "larger" Komodo builds.

But then just a small light weight travel tripod when I'm on the go hiking or what not.
 
I'd expect to use it with my lightweight Miller Air, which I mount on a set of Gitzo legs for travelling light (I usually use this rig for a DSLR or locked-off B-cam). But I think I might have an old Manfrotto 701 in my closet that could probably handle the Komodo stripped down and center-balanced...hmm...

All that said, no reason it won't often find itself on my regular Sachtler kit.
 
I'm going to use it with a Peak Design tripod. I have a carbon fiber model; it's very light and compact, yet it's even able to handle my Epic-W with a big Sigma 50-100 lens on it with the 2x teleconverter. If you get it with the flat plate adapter, you can swap out the stock ballhead for another, like one of the Really Right Stuff heads, and use a panning clamp with an Arca-Swiss rail or choose a ballhead with a built in panning clamp. Or get something like the RRS fluid video gimbals...

For on set use though, I plan to continue using my Really Right Stuff legs, replacing the crappy manfrotto head with either a Miller or Sachtler or Really Right Stuff fluid head at some point. I got to play with the (then) new RRS fluid head at last year's Cinegear and was impressed, I'm hoping for a smaller version that's more trekking + travel friendly now.
 
I'll keep using my O'Connor 1030 with Cartoni A303 CF sticks. O'Connor is not cheap, but it's durable and butter smooth. Sachtler, Vinten and Miller all offer lower cost alternatives using proven designs. Never liked the action on 500 series Manfrottos. Keep in mind that even though Komodo is super light weight, if you're on a tele or long zoom you still need stability just as much - or more - as with a larger camera package.

Cheers - #19
 
I'll continue to use my Vinten 100 w/Sachtler Flowtech 100's. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as the say.
 
We picked up the Benro bvx25 about a year ago when it launched and have been loving it. The BVX25 is overkill for the Komodo, but they make the bvx16 which is very similar with a smaller head, might be a good option.
 
Mike Kohlbrenner said:
Does anyone have experience with the Miller CX8? Was wondering how it compares to a Sachtler FSB-8.
Click to expand...

Same question here. I spent a lot of time at Film Tools in January right before lockdown handling the Miller CX6, but was more interested in the CX8 with 5 steps of drag. What I liked about the Sachtler FSB-8 is you get the Touch and Go plate for the price of the head while Miller makes you spend another $250-ish for that. I handled the FSB-8 briefly with the intent of coming back into the store when I planned to come back to town in March, but that didn't happen obviously...
 
The tripod is dependent on the type of head and what kind of lens and use your going to be using it for. If you just going to lock it off and do interviews with say a Canon 50mm stills lens your not going to need the same tripod if your going to shoot wild life with a 300 or 600mm lens on it. For the wild life you'll probably need at the very least a Sachtler 20 or something similar with some solid legs. Ive made the mistake a couple times now of not buying enough tripod and it seems to work just fine for most of my work but when you put a long lens or start to rig your camera cup with a monitor and a cinema prime and then a focus knob and a matt box or even a filter then all of a sudden your over weight for the tripod you bought. Then every little movement becomes a struggle to just keep the camera move nice and smooth.
I would actually look at a tripod in the range of maybe 5 to 10 lbs above what your usual camera build weight is and that way you will always have some room and not be maxed out on your tilt and pan friction and tension.
Just a thought.
 
Russ Fill said:
I would actually look at a tripod in the range of maybe 5 to 10 lbs above what your usual camera build weight is and that way you will always have some room and not be maxed out on your tilt and pan friction and tension.
Just a thought.
Click to expand...

These are wise words. It's much worse to have too little tripod than too much.

I speak from experience.
 
Patrick Bishop said:
These are wise words. It's much worse to have too little tripod than too much.

I speak from experience.
Click to expand...

This is a good parallel to a topic I see on the home theater forums about screens and projectors and the saying that a lot of people use there, "You date the projector and marry the screen". Same thing here. You date the camera and marry the tripod. A good set-up will last you most of a career. And my tripod(s) outlasted my marriage.
 
Sachtler FSB-6 or FSB-8 or Miller compass 25 or arrow 30/40 on whatever sticks float your boat. All of them have handled my Gemini built up just fine and most likely all would be overkill and really nice with Komodo.
 
My tripod choices for KOMODO!

My tripod choices for KOMODO!

It really depends on the situation, I really love my Manfrotto 055, its carbon fiber, lightweight and I mainly find myself in situations that call for a super lightweight set that can all be packed into a 1510 and a protactic 450. If I'm in the studio, however, I could see myself reaching for the flowtech 75 legs though just because they are sturdier and have worked great with my raven so far!

it really all comes down to what I'm shooting though and who it's for. There are certain circumstances where I would use the Komodo as an A cam for more run and gun projects or lower budgets, and there are also times where I would pair a Komodo with helium or monstro. With the compact size and weight of the Komodo though I can see it being perfect for monopod use and wildlife as I do a lot of hiking in the Banff area and something as small and light as the peak design tripod may even work with an incognito setup (that being: no monitor, a cowboy handle, some Timmy ribs :) and two bp 75s)

1. Flowtech 75-----STUDIO A CAM RIG
2. Manfrotto 055 carbon fiber 3 leg------LIGHTWEIGHT CLIENT PROJECTS
3. Manfrotto 028-------STUDIO B CAM RIG
4. Benro A474T-------STUDIO WIDE C CAM RIG
5. Peak Design travel tripod in carbon fiber-------FUN RUN AND GUN PROJECTS :)
 
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