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Posted by J. Clarke on 05/16/06 03:21
CCMiami wrote:
> I just ordered & received one of these "pro" Sony tripods (VCT-1170RM) and
> I would appreciate some comments on what I should expect for $350 (List
> $500) as I don't have a lot of experience with higher end tripods.
What you should _expect_ for that price is a lot more than you've got. If
you put that tripod next to a $150 Sunpak Video M you will, I believe, find
that the only difference between them is the Sony sticker and the remote
control handle--I paid 180 bucks for a $60 Velbon with a Sony sticker on it
a while back and compared to a Bogen/Manfrotto (_any_ Bogen/Manfrotto) it's
a piece of crap. 350 bucks puts you in the ballpark of a magfiber
Manfrotto.
> I am using this with a Sony HDR-HC1, I tried to tape my daughters play the
> other day and my old-old still camera tripod just didn't cut it. But,
> this is just for amateur stuff and frankly $350 was about twice what I was
> expecting to spend on a tripod. But, I really liked the remote control
> and
> wanted a solid, smooth motion. From the news group comments I could see
> the Bogen's are preferred by the pro's, but I couldn't seem to find a
> reasonably priced combination that had the video head and multi-speed zoom
> remote control so I opted for the Sony package. (I did see notes about
> buying the cheap Sony and taping the remote to a better tripod - but
> yuck!)
The control handle is the sticky part--the advice to get a cheap Sony tripod
and transfer the handle is actually not bad--it may very well clamp right
onto the fluid head on the new tripod. This is one area where living in
New York would be helpful--go by B&H and look the stuff over and you can
probably cobble something up right there in the store that looks like it
was meant to work together. Alternatively you can pull the handle off and
fit it onto the panning bar on the new head--at worst that would take some
shims that you can make out of a soda can.
> Reactions to the Sony - while the motion is smooth, there is some
> "backlash"
> in the movement when I let go of the handle. On the horizontal it is not
> that bad, perhaps 1 inch when zoomed out 20 ft away. Vertically it is not
> balanced and tends to creep up when I let go of the handle - it will then
> settle down but I would have to hold the handler the entire time to keep
> it
> steady. There does not seem to be any way to balance it, there are some
> holes that may be intended for some weights, but I don't think they would
> hold sufficient weight to compensate. So, how are these usually balanced,
> if at all?
If you look at the Bogen fluid heads you'll find that they have a groove
that allows the camera to be positioned with the center of mass above the
pivot.
> Also, for a Tripod that should be "matched" to the camera there are some
> issues, the removable plate would normally be convenient but it prevents
> BOTH the tape and battery from being able to be removed, so it has to come
> off to change either. The plate is not the same is the Bogen monopod I
> have (that doesn't interfere with the battery).
The plate is probably the standard Sunpak plate. Look for a part number on
it and search the B&H site and you'll likely come up with it as a Sunpak
part.
> The tripod sticks are very solid and it has reasonable weight for
> stability
> and transport. The remote works quite well and it is easy to do a slow
> zoom.
If you can get a look at a magfiber Manfrotto or Gitzo, do. The stiffness
is amazing.
> So, any thoughts? I can still return this but don't want to spend more
> (would like to spend less). I really like the idea of a remote but all
> the ones I could find that are variable zoom cost a lot.
Sony sells a remote model RM-VD1 that they claim is dual-speed for about 40
bucks. Giottos has a LANC remote model RC-2020 for 30 bucks or so but I'm
not clear on whether it has variable-speed zoom. Or you could get a Sony
tripod for 50 bucks or so and find a way to transfer the handle.
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
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