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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 :)

what tripod?

G

Guillaume Tisserant

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I have just buy a Red One MX last week ( #2222 :-) ), but after try to use it with my Manfrotto HDV tripod, I have understood that I must buy another tripod.
The red one has kill my bank account, so can't buy an expensive tripod. (And I need money to buy new lens, for now, I haven't wide angle than I can use with the Red One).
Have you nice, and relatively unexpensive tripod to advise me?
 
I would recommend the Manfrotto 509HD head, its 100mm ball mount, supports 28lbs. I have been working up to that one. Right now i'm using a 503 HDV head, and been doing ok, I have a large zoom on my Red topping it out at 31lbs. I've weighed it with a prime on it at about 18-23lbs depending on the prime. The 509HD is $900 at B&H. A lot better than some that are around $1400-$7000 like OConnor or Sachtler.
 
The RED MX is a beast.

The Manfrotto 509HD wont cut it for too long.

We had ours on a Miller 25 and now Sacthler 20.

Safer on the Sacthler.
 
Look for a used Cartoni Gamma. It's in the same league as the Oconnor 1030 or Sachtler 18, but tends to go for much less money on the used market.
 
A Miller arrow 55 will future proof you and can be found used -- light in weight but takes a heavy load. Better to have more head load than you need than be on the edge. Nils's recommendation also good, but I feel the Miller is a bit more robust.
 
cartoni focus hd, has a 100mm ball, holds something like 26lbs, really smooth, and only 900 dollars for the head or 1300 for the kit.
you can also shop around used and find an old school oconnor 50d, its a monster that holds 50lbs and can be had for less than 1000 dollars with legs and everything
 
All theses tripod are too expensive for me now.
I think I will buy a Manfrotto MVB-525 with 116 fluid head (I have find one for cheap) and do some shoot with, and if the head is not enough good, I probably will buy a cartoni or a oconnor.
Thank you for all your suggestions :-)
 
Guillaume Tisserant said:
All theses tripod are too expensive for me now.
I think I will buy a Manfrotto MVB-525 with 116 fluid head (I have find one for cheap) and do some shoot with, and if the head is not enough good, I probably will buy a cartoni or a oconnor.
Thank you for all your suggestions :-)
Click to expand...


I feel for you Guillaume.
It took me 6 months of fence sitting before pulling the trigger on a Miller Compass 25 and Solo sticks :)
Makes a world of difference in my shooting style ;)
 
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the 116 head may hod the camera, but it has no real variable drag. If you just flat out need something the right size as a prep stand, then go ahead.
otherwise, rent a good tripod from someone else who already has one.. your shots will be MUCH better, and you will be better able to charge for your labor.
 
As Sinh Tran said, find yourself an O'connor 50 or 50D. I bought one on fleabay for $200 a couple of weeks ago. Has the sliding plate on top but missing the handle. It's a thing of beauty and holds a fully loaded Red perfectly (still lenses, not PL). I've got a 509HD as well from the office, no comparison, it won't hold the Red and no where near as smooth. I do feel that if I added any more to my rig (PL lenses, production matte box) even an Oconnor 50 would be overloaded and I'd need to move to one of the more modern heads like a 2575 or 2060.
 
Jason, fully agree, 2060 or 2575. But the OP asked for inexpensive, which neither of them is. I myself don't make a living doing this, so a 50 was all I could justify. It works. Is it as good? No, of course not, but it's a lot better than his alternative choice.
 
I have to say... in the grand scheme of things my O'Connor head is the least expensive piece of gear I've ever purchased. Its the only piece of gear that gets used for practically every shot, it can make or break a compound move pan/tilt, and has actually gone up in value since the day i purchased it. The only other piece of gear I can say that did that was my lenses, but its not like they get used for every shot. Alot of times, the director will choose a different set of glass and my glass stays in the truck. when i first bought my o'connor it felt silly spending so much on a head. over the years i've purchased smaller heads trying to get away from this heavy one, and every time i've left feeling a little short. then i try to sell the smaller head, and find myself surprised at how much value they lose. i end up having to give them away just to get rid of them. its quite a strange business, but that's just what i've observed.

my sympathy goes out to the OP, but if you can get a great deal on a 2060 or 2575 go for it. you won't regret it. and if you do regret it, you can sell it to me or anyone else in world and you will surely get your money back on the purchase
 
Jason, I fully agree with everything that you have said and would dearly love to own a 2575. The 50 barely holds my Red One with still glass, would hate to try it with PL zooms. As I said though, a multithousand dollar head is just not in the picture for me, this is just a hobby these days, gave up the industry a long time ago. Just having a bit of fun. The OP was looking for something cheap and I just wanted to point out to them that there were alternatives to the Manfrotto heads that would work much better. But you're right, the 2575 would be better in every way.
 
2060 is awesome for sure! But if you are a one man band or quick run and gun shooter it is definitely not the tripod to have! Perfect tripod for studio production, hefty rigs, or when you have a caddy ;)

I LOVE my 50D head/ tripod, but my smaller Sachtler eng 12 with carbon fiber legs is really awesome for my light Red One setup and would be flat out amazing for a Scarlet or Epic setup. Light as a feather and holds up to around 30lbs. But for bigger studio setups or situations that would require a big cinema zoom I definitely break out the 50D ;) but of course a 2060 would be superior.

By the way - I might be selling one of my tripods if you're interested.
 
Ron Steinberg said:
As Sinh Tran said, find yourself an O'connor 50 or 50D. I bought one on fleabay for $200 a couple of weeks ago. Has the sliding plate on top but missing the handle. It's a thing of beauty and holds a fully loaded Red perfectly (still lenses, not PL). I've got a 509HD as well from the office, no comparison, it won't hold the Red and no where near as smooth. I do feel that if I added any more to my rig (PL lenses, production matte box) even an Oconnor 50 would be overloaded and I'd need to move to one of the more modern heads like a 2575 or 2060.
Click to expand...

A tip on replacing the O'Connor handle: I went to a metal shop and had them fashion something for me. First one kinda blew some a did some rejiggering and ended up using around 2.5 ft long piece of aluminum. It's the same shape as the original and the nice long handle helps with smooth movement.

I have 2 old O'Connors. There easy to find on Fleabay and work well great, "until I get more money" option.
 
Several Oconnor 50's on Ebay right now for cheap. A few upgrades from Visual Products and you've got a great head for little money.
 
We have, and dearly love, an O'Connor 1030HDS.

Stephen
 
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