Gimbal and fluid head advice

[JR1]

I only use gimbals, Lensmasters and have 4, however I will soon be getting new gear, a Canon C100 included.

Does anyone use a CF gimbal, if so what one and comments please.

If anyone uses a vidcam on a fluid head advice please

Considering the

Manfrotto 504HD Pro Video Head

Thanks

[Geoff F]

I use the Manfrotto 468MGRC4 head on a carbon fibre tripod.

That head never slips and is easy to tighten with large easy grip knobs. Or leave with just a little tension for fully controllable but stable pan action.

I use it all the time for macro photography (not video) when I need quick shots.

On the downside. There is limited 'diagonal' manoeuvrability but I have become used to doing part rotation and vertical movement to achieve the same thing. Mostly, I keep the left/right rotation control just snug but moveable and fully tighten the vertical movement as required, just a very easy tighten of a 1.5 inch grip knob.

The action is very smooth and stable even when not fully tightened.

But one other thing to be careful about. I tend to pick up my camera and tripod by holding the head to camera baseplate; and if this isn't fully tightened the camera can move downwards which will 'bite fingers'! And I keep forgetting about this - until it happens again.

[JR1]

Thanks for the reply but as I say I need a gimbal CF and Pan tilt fluid head, it is not possible to mount £4000 worth of C100 and up to £2000 of lens on a b&s

http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Prod...eras/EOS_C100/

[Colin Southern]

Really Right Stuff recently released one:

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/FH-3...ideo-Head.html

[Manfred M]

I use a fluid head on a video triopod for video work. A fluid head is absolutely necessary for smooth panning and tilting. Good ones also incorporate a counterbalance system to allow you to compensate for camera lens balance.

Also, a video tripod is quite different from a still tripod, from both a construction and feature standpoint. A video tripod is a lot more rigid than a still tripod, as the camera has to be held still for a shot that will last seconds or minutes, while the camera operator moves the camera, zooms in/out or changes focus. They have either a mid or bottom spreader to ensure that the legs do not splay during the shot.

Aother feature is a large ball (75mm is standard) to allow the camera operator to ensure that the camera is absolutely level during the shot; again a feature not found on still camera tripods (actually not quite true, as Feisol does a leveling head in some of their designs).

Lastly, the names you know in still camera tripods are NOT the same as the video ones. Gitzo is the "gold standard" for still cameras, Sachler is the equivilent for video work (and both companies are owned by the same holding company, Vitec Group).

[JR1]

Thank you all, in fact I agree that the tripods are totally different, however I am going to see if my Manfrotto 475b

http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/475-digit...-trripod-black

[chauncey]

My purchase of a bogen manfrotto 3063 fluid head was one of my better decisions, use it on my monster tripod, car window or scooter using appropriate clamps.

[JR1]

My purchase of a bogen manfrotto 3063 fluid head was one of my better decisions, use it on my monster tripod, car window or scooter using appropriate clamps.

But would you place £8000 worth of gear on it.

[chauncey]

You mean like this...usually my Canon 1Ds3 is coupled to the 300mm f/2.8

[JR1]

No, nothing like that.

The kit I am using is twice the weight, did you google the C100

http://www.proav.co.uk/Canon-EOS-C10...ra/p31720.aspx

With

http://www.proav.co.uk/Sennheiser-MK...it/p19349.aspx

[Manfred M]

No, nothing like that.

The kit I am using is twice the weight, did you google the C100

http://www.proav.co.uk/Canon-EOS-C10...ra/p31720.aspx

With

http://www.proav.co.uk/Sennheiser-MK...it/p19349.aspx

Your gear is even larger and heavier than my Panny AF100. I use a Libec TD58 tripod and H22DV fluid head, and I really wouldn't want to put a much larger rig on it. The legs you are looking to use don't look all that rigid on top, but the only way to find if they will work is to get out and shoot some footage.

I can't quite figure out how the fluid head is going to mount to those legs.

Good luck!

[JR1]

Your gear is even larger and heavier than my Panny AF100. I use a Libec TD58 tripod and H22DV fluid head, and I really wouldn't want to put a much larger rig on it. The legs you are looking to use don't look all that rigid on top, but the only way to find if they will work is to get out and shoot some footage.

I can't quite figure out how the fluid head is going to mount to those legs.

Good luck!

12k capacity, but you are right I have yet to look into these heads as I have never used one, will probably end up with doing what you say and getting new legs too,

[Manfred M]

12k capacity, but you are right I have yet to look into these heads as I have never used one, will probably end up with doing what you say and getting new legs too,

The main difference between setting up a still camera tripod and a video camera tripod is that you always level your camera. The ball and cup arrangment with the tripod / fluid head means that you loosen the head clamp and swivel the head until the built-in bubble level show you are level, and then you tighten things up. That way all of your pans and tilts are aligned properly.

This mechanism is just the way that the video tripod legs are setup and the leveling mechanism is where the column of your tripod sits, hence my question on how the fluid head mounts to those legs. Every video tripod I've used is set up the same way.

The built-in ND filters are quite standard in pro and prosumer video cameras. One tends to shoot at base 0 db gain) on the cameras and there is no other way of dialing back the exposure (generally most users shoot at the standard frame rate and standard exposure), so varying shutter speed and ISO as in film work is not really an option. Iris control and ND filters are the workhorses here.

I haven't shot the C100, so don't know its idiosyncrasies, but if the camera has focus peaking, it's a great feature to ensuring you get a sharp focus. I never use auto-iris and autofocus, and do a white-balance check any time I think the light has changed (no RAW to save one on a blown WB setting).

Looks like a great cam.

[JR1]

I use a fluid head on a video triopod for video work. A fluid head is absolutely necessary for smooth panning and tilting. Good ones also incorporate a counterbalance system to allow you to compensate for camera lens balance.

Also, a video tripod is quite different from a still tripod, from both a construction and feature standpoint. A video tripod is a lot more rigid than a still tripod, as the camera has to be held still for a shot that will last seconds or minutes, while the camera operator moves the camera, zooms in/out or changes focus. They have either a mid or bottom spreader to ensure that the legs do not splay during the shot.

Aother feature is a large ball (75mm is standard) to allow the camera operator to ensure that the camera is absolutely level during the shot; again a feature not found on still camera tripods (actually not quite true, as Feisol does a leveling head in some of their designs).

Lastly, the names you know in still camera tripods are NOT the same as the video ones. Gitzo is the "gold standard" for still cameras, Sachler is the equivilent for video work (and both companies are owned by the same holding company, Vitec Group).

Thanks I am looking into Sachler