There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Thoughts anyone?
The reason you don't want a plain ball head for videography is because the range of motion is beyond just the x and y axis. Ball heads can make it difficult to do clean pans and tilts (very common in video). Also, ball heads do not typically have "arm" attachments that allow for ease and accuracy in movement of the shot.
Source: 10+ years of videography and photography experience.
*this is not a hard-and-fast rule but a rule of thumb.
I went to a small meetup of local professional photographers sharing with newbies last week and noticed quite a few Manfrotto tripods and most were the Befree model. I thinks that’s the way I’ll probably go. It has good solid reviews and seems to be a favorite among professionals too. Now I need to figure out the ball head/ fluid head that I need and I’ll be set.
Thanks for your advice!
Michele
And suggestions of the type of head you would recommend? Any and all product information is welcomed!
Thanks
Michele
Thank you for the advice. I have a Nikon d800 and the biggest lens is a 70-200mm f/2.8. I don’t suppose I will use that lens for video but for portrait work it’s great.
I was able to get the camera and lens at a great price from a friend so I’m able to budget higher for a quality tripod and head. I’ve been jotting down what I want to accomplish with my photography and what I need right now to achieve that goal, so I’m planning on getting the best tripod and head for my camera and later down the road I can get another for a flash/lighting system. That was a great idea, thanks for bringing that up. I’m learning the basics of using a flash right now so I think I’ll wait to get a second setup for a bit but that is definitely something to think about.
Thank you!
Really if you have the budget to get the right tripod to use it with, fluid heads made for video work also work very well with still photography. I have a link below for a video that makes a very persuasive case for still photographers to use fluid heads. I would say the parts I disagree on are that he has to use a tripod with no center column and longer legs to use this setup. That boosts the overall cost beyond the cost of the Manfrotto fluid head he is naming. And there is the fact that he is using multiple adapters because video fluid heads tend to use bigger size quick-release plates and not the Arca-Swiss compatible gear that become the standard for DSLR gear if you don't buy Manfrotto's more proprietary system. But I say all his points are still pretty valid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epPSQaYnU8M
If you are doing video I would avoid "3 Axis Heads" that look like this:
To do it well, you want two different heads - one for photo, one for video.
I see a few people liking Manfrotto tripods, which obviously come with their plates. On the other hand, I've seen that many prefer the Arca plates, which seem to be more compatible with non-tripod accessories like those from Peak Design (I know they have Manfrotto-compatible plates, but they're extra).