Hi all! I need an ultralight tripod for a travel documentary that can bear at least 4/5 kg. My budget is around (if below even better!) $1000. Any suggestions? Thanks!
The Safari Travel Tripod is one option though 5Kg is its max payload. http://www.safaritripod.com/product.htm I have one, and it's... okay. The first few jobs were really irritating as the fluid head needs time to 'bed in', needing an Allen Key on hand to tighten it up. I would recommend doing a few day long shoots to sort it out before a longer journey further afield. Having said that, it's proved to be exactly what I wanted: a lightweight tripod that fits in a suitcase, suitable for interviews and GVs, and cheap enough to be 'disposable' in a pinch. However, its head is nothing like a Sachtler, the plate is stupid (I put a Manfrotto sandwich plate on it), the levelling bubble isn't exactly accurate, and the 55mm bowl seems inadequate. But hey. It's very light. The second option is the Miller carbon fibre Solo legs - the 3 stage, not the 2 stage. These are proper grown-up legs that will support a DSR570, will fit in a suitcase, and generally do the job. They're light weight compared to the aluminium legs out there, and they're structurally simple and comfortable to carry, they'll take a separate head (I use a Sachtler DV8), but it's a different class to the Safari.
I use a Sachtler fsb6 and remove the head to store it in luggage. But it wont fit your budget. The Ace is a nice option for smaller budgets. Big difference to the fsb6 but will fit your budget. Had my c300 on a Ace at the Filmmaking Masterclass in Mallorca. Not perfect but usable.
@Matt I am actually having some difficulties in finding a dealer for the both solutions you proposed in my area in Italy (I need to get them there from where they will be sent by van overseas). @Mathias I checked the Ace out and it seems to be a pretty good solution. I was still hoping to save 1kg from that though. What do you guys think of a Manfrotto 755CX3 (specifications: http://tinyurl.com/cdsyluk) with a 701HDV head? Apparently its is a quite light system. Any thoughts? Thanks
Did you see the Ace Version with carbon legs? That one is a bit lighter then the stock one. I've got also an 701HDV head on a Manfrotto tripod. If i had to choose i'd go with the Sachtler ACE head. The Sachtler is better damped and so runs smoother.
I didn't find any ACE system with a weight under 4kg. Also, it seems to be pretty difficult to get a Sachtler in Italy (while Manfrotto is an Italian brand). Is the 701HDV really bad?
