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Has anyone tried this for filming? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/223630-REG/Davis_Sanford_PROVISTA12_ProVista12_Video_Tripod_System.html

It's more expensive than this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/727498-REG/Pearstone_VT_2100.html But is it worth it?

The first one I haven't found any good reviews on.

The second one I saw a Youtube Review on:

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Best for what? The tripod is only part of the story, what you plan to put on it and how you plan to use it is the part that will help determine which tripod is best for the job. – filzilla Feb 10 '12 at 22:41
Best for filming, panning and tilting without jerky movements. – Friend of Kim Feb 10 '12 at 22:46

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

How to judge a tripod.

Generally I would go with the heavier tripod of the two which appears to be the first one weighing in at 9 lbs vs. the 2nd one at 4.5 lbs. However, this is at best a calculated guess as I have not played with the head. Fluid heads can vary on smoothness, and the only way to really tell what's going to make the smoothest shot is the old 'A vs. B' test. This would require you to take similar footage with the same camera on both tripods and compare the results.

Suggested tests:

1) make a pan and a tilt shot for each with the widest angle lens.

2) repeat pans and tilts, continue to work the focal length with more telephoto, see which one is smoothest as you use more magnification.

3) take it outside on a windy day, see which one can handle the wind the best.

4) how does it feel? Is it easy to adjust or does it feel sticky and sluggish.

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I'll try that. Do you know if a 18-200 is wide enough for filming? I haven't bought the camera and the lens yet, just so I don't get any unpleasent surprises. (I need 200 for regular photography.) – Friend of Kim Feb 11 '12 at 8:59
Are you saying 18-200 mm based on a 35mm format? If you are not sure you can learn about "the crop factor" from this tutorial on Vimeo's video school: vimeo.com/videoschool/lesson/127/crop-factor. If this was a 35 mm camera with a 18 - 200mm lens you would have a very wide to about a 4x telephoto. This would cover live action and portrait like close ups. – filzilla Feb 13 '12 at 19:22
It's a DX sensor.. – Friend of Kim Feb 13 '12 at 19:31
Ok, so you need to learn about the 'crop factor' so you can convert your lens numbers into a meaningful number. – filzilla Feb 13 '12 at 21:15
Oh? I always use the lens millimeters? – Friend of Kim Feb 13 '12 at 21:20

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