Small Video Tripod
We often shoot still photos handheld but find that we need a tripod for our videos. Finding a good video tripod with fluid head is hard and often expensive. If you look for a smaller and reasonable solution for cameras like the Panasonic GH3 it gets even harder. We’ve looked for a solution for at least 3 years now. Finally, we settled with this kit.
Here are the needed parts:
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Induro CT214 Carbon tripod: We use it as our lightweight tripod for some years now.
The head section is quite a bit more elaborate.
From bottom to top:
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Acratech Leveling Base (leveling is essential for video, especially pans)
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Manfrotto 701HDV Video Head (very good for the weight and price point)
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Video Adapter Clamp: we have Arca style plates on all our cameras and mount this adapter to the 701HDV quick release plate. This way we can mount the cameras also on our other non video tripods. Handling the camera for stills would be bad using the video plate directly and switching plates all the time a hassle.
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Arca style camera plate
All the connections need to be rock-solid without any play and this setup works just fine.
For our use this setup is exactly what we looked for. Panning is always tricky with any tripod and head. It requires a lot of practice and we are still learning. Here is a nice trick we use now:
The critical step for a pan are always the start and stop. Using a rubberband can create a much smoother start and stop. Still lots of practice is required until you get the right feel for it.
—
Uwe Steinmueller / Editor+Owner of Digital Outback Photo
uwe@outbackphoto.com
www.outbackphoto.com
408 627 4019
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