>E-Image 7083
> Still an "off-brand", so I'm not 100% about it, not much less than a Vinten, current rig might be too light!

It is not "off-brand". E-Image is brand of Weifeng and Weifeng is largest tripod manufacturer in the world.
Tripod you selected is for large ENG cameras.
Counterbalance won't work properly as it is for heavy rigs.

You can look at FC-470 Fancier tripod.
But it's counterbalance is also 4-5kg minimum, I'll have custom made head with different counter balance spring soon and we'll see how it behaves.

As I know Vinten and Sachler low end models are not really very good heads.
Their heads must be worse comparing to Weifeng heads.
But I don't know how much

btw, as V says, the #1 problem with GH2 and tripods is that most, nearly all tripods need a heavier payload than is provided by GH2. Counterbalance won't work right. Key point.

I just bought the Sachtler FSB 4 and I absolutely love it. And the CF sticks with the "speed lock" is a thing of beauty. Actually the counterbalance does work with my GH2 but I know what you mean. I see it as future proofing for building a heavier rig on top of it. Expensive but a good solid tripod is the scary basic of what's to come.

On the FSB 4 the pan handle sticks back far enough that I have to slide my camera on the large plate ahead to find the right C of G balance point. But yeah the FSB 6 wants more weight, for sure. My 14-140 is the minimum for mine, so before I buy a smaller lense I'll have to beef up with a FF system, etc...

Vinten has LED illuminated leveling bubble. That helps a lot maybe in dark theater.

@Gabel: What did you end up buying? Are you satisfied with your choice?

CineDSLR all the way. I helped beta test it and they made changes to accomodate my suggestions. This head has FAR more weight range than any of the others AND most importantly it will function equally well with a tiny barebones GH2 body and 20mm lens than with a full rig. Show me any other that is a proper fluid head with springs that can do that. You should be able to tilt in any direction and it stops wherever you let go of it without ever using drag.
See my video here:

@yoclay

Sounds pretty suspicious, as it is your first message on forum.
And right away it is "CineDSLR all the way. I helped beta test it and they made changes to accomodate my suggestions."
It is fine head, but not the only option.
As they tried to cut in all possible parts.
My understanding it is your words in their arvertisment:
http://www.sachtler.com/ru/latest-news/news-detailed-view/article/bravo-sachtler-filmmaker-clayton-burkhart-puts-the-cine-dslr-fluid-head-through-its-paces-3.html

You could also find links to topics on two forums.
As I remember, Vitec Group sponsored and advertised on both :-)

This is NOT my first post on this forum and I am also a moderator onother forum if you have any questions about my credibility. Further, I independently reviewed the product for that forum and made suggestions as a real world DSLR user which to my surprise, they adopted. They stopped production, changed the design and re-released it so that it would be a better fit for our needs. Pretty incredible if you ask me.

I do not work for Vitec. Only after I reviewed it, did they ask to use it on their site.

I have tried all the fluid heads in question as well as A LOT of others as a real world user, and I can tell you without hesitation that the CineDSLR blows them all away. So you can choose to focus on the fact that Sachtler posted it on their website or you can look at the video which I made to try to clearly show what it can do, or you may read the in-depth review which also includes criticism of the fluid head itself. In terms of the OP's greater weight needs for instance, I feel that the carbon speed lock legs or a third party manufacturer would be a better choice than the inexpensive aluminum ones that are commonly offered.

While all the fluid heads in question can deal with mid-range rigs, neither the Vinten nor the E-image can properly deal with a bare-bones, body only GH2 for tilt adjustments without having to introduce drag.
The OP's final choice of a Panorama 3+3 is a good fit for heavier rigs of up to 12Kg officially (probably more actually) and makes sense, but would also not be as good on the extremely light end, if that was ever to be a need. This is of concern to us because many DSLR users today have a greater range of needs than the old style video camcorder users. Sometimes we just need to throw a camera on the tripod and this is where most fluid heads fail.


Of course O'Connor and Panther makes great tripods too, but then again how many of us can actually afford to buy one?

With lighter cameras I just use a rubber band stretched between my fingers and the handle. Takes only a few minute to learn.

"Here is the thing.
We do not talk in this forum on such level.
Words like " blows them all away" ,etc have no value.
As far as I know it is very good head. But try to keep bounds."

No one has to believe me if they don't want to. If anyone has any questions about it's ability to do what I am saying they can simply look at the video. I have not seen any other tripods out there that are able to reproduce this weight range in anywhere close to this pricepoint or cheaper, including the E-image ones.

"FC-HDSLR head can deal pretty good with 1Kg load, with ability to adjust balance without steps.
Normally it is GH2, lens, light camera base and rods or light cage with rods (at least this is how I use my bodies)."

There are many, many users who do not even use a camera base, rods, light cage or mattebox, especially for B-roll. They use just the camera and the lens and this is where most fluid heads fall flat. They can't deal with it and therefore produce rebounding, because it is too light for them. They are forced to use drag (friction plates) and are thus limited in their movement abilities. Or if they can deal with the light load they only go up to 4kg. maximum. What impressed me was the range of the CineDSLR as a non-friction system. 0.5-9.7kg

"And believe me, it is made not to cut costs, contrary to CineDSLR."

Not sure what you are referring to. It strikes me that it is the other way around, the E-Image tripod was more likely made to cut costs. Maybe this is what you meant. Most of the Weifeng tripods are FRICTION based or at best hybrid, this is common for cheaper video heads. The clue is "stepless" balancing. That means they often don't use fluid cartridges as their main support.

The CineDSLR has exactly the same shell as the FSB shells and uses exactly the same counterbalancing springs as in their other heads, they are just configured differently. No shortcuts here. It is a true fluid head with fluid cartridges. It is not a friction based system and this is why I could actually remove the drag knob in the video and it would still balance properly. Further it is an all metal shell and probably could last an entire career. You could womp an elephant with it and it would probably still go on working!

"Yep, Vitec makes some heads better than Vitec :-)"

I think you are referring to the fact that O'Connor (THE cinema industry standard alongside Mitchell) is now a Vitec brand after being purchased by them several years ago. However, Panther is not.

I am glad Gabel has found the right tripod for him. It does seem to make more sense that he go for a 100mm bowl system, regardless of the manufacturer. Even better if he got it at a good price.

On a personal note, outside of this little debate, I really like what you are doing here and admire the spirit. So sorry if I have ruffled any feathers. It just happens to be a subject which I have spent a lot of time investigating.

I would love to take the DSLR head apart, but I am not sure if I would be able I would be to put it back together again. Which would be a bummer, because I need to use it :-)