- So in this video, we're gonna talk about
what I consider one of the most important
pieces of equipment in a filmmaker's kit.
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So tripods, tripods, I think, are very under-played,
under-sold, under-talked about,
or not talked about a lot online
and tripods, in my opinion
are an extremely important piece of kit.
Being able to use a tripod properly
and knowing what is the proper tripod to use
for your camera
can really help to elevate your game
and to make your life easier
when you're working on productions.
So what I have here is three
of my different cameras set-ups,
and three different tripods,
three different tripods that I would use.
And I'm gonna go through different scenarios
of why I would choose one tripod over another
and things that you should think about,
when you are looking at purchasing a tripod
or investing into a better tripod.
So I've seen it many times of people
with a pretty heavy camera rig,
and a tripod and tripod-head
that does not match what they're using as a camera.
If you're using a $40,000 camera,
if you're using a Blackmagic built-up
with the battery in the back,
having a tripod-head,
especially your head,
good legs are great too,
but a head that can match the weight
that you wanna use
is gonna change the way that you use a tripod,
if you have a tripod that works properly.
And what I see a lot of times is people
using a tripod that's way too light
for what they're trynna use
or not even using a fluid head.
So really with a tripod and I said,
as a cinematographer, as a videographer
or whatever, you're calling yourself,
it is one of the main tools
and one of the key tools that you should have
and be able to use.
And what you're looking for is a tripod
that's gonna balance well with your camera on it, okay?
So you wanna be able to move
your camera around and it to stay in place.
You don't want it to be
really pitching heavy over in the other way,
which I'll show you when I put my FX9
on some of these other heads,
what's gonna happen with this.
And the reason you wanna have that as well,
you wanna have a bit of resistance
to how you're moving.
This helps to getting smooth shots.
A lot of people's styles
and the things that they're working on,
they're using hand-held or they're using a gimbal.
Tripods come in handy in a lot of other scenarios
where your, need a locked-off shot,
or you need a smooth pan of an area.
Really big for me,
key when I'm using a tripod
and using a well balanced tripod
is what I'm following action,
when I'm using a heavier setup,
and when I'm using a longer lens.
And I think this is the most important part of it
for me when I'm shooting,
if I'm, say, I'm shooting surfing
and I need to be on a 400 mil lens
with a doubler on or so, I'm using an 800 mil lens
on the front of the camera
and I need to be able to move slowly and accurately,
I need a tripod that matches the resistance
and the weight that I need on it.
Having it on something else and being all floppy,
it just doesn't work.
And I think that's where people don't think
a tripod can really do things for them.
I think a lot of people getting into filmmaking
and doing it to YouTube video content
and creating their own travel films
are really not thinking about that on their tripods
because they just haven't used a tripod properly before.
So the small one I have here this little, me,
I would call this like my travel kinda tripod,
or this is like a smaller rig that I'm using.
It is set up really more for using a DSLR on it.
It is a nice rig, I can get it,
I can do some nice moving with this
with something like a GH5 on it,
you know, an A73 on this,
I could throw this camera on here
and have it on here, the Blackmagic.
Then it's gonna stop being a bit too heavy for it.
I have even put on my FS7, before having an FX9
on this tripod when I was traveling over to Europe,
but I knew the majority of stuff
I was filming was hand-held.
And I was only using this for a interview
where I could just totally locked it off
and I wasn't doing any movement.
Now, this is the Sachtler Flowtech's legs
with an Ace head.
I did a review on this.
I have linked up in the corner over here
or whatever side in the corner it's linked up in there.
But this is my other tripod here.
my kinda Big Bertha that I will use
for a lot of things.
And kinda the more, I would say,
more of a professional kinda film tripod.
So what we have going on here is
this is something that has a lot of
different adjustments on here.
So I can move this
back and forth on the plate here,
so I can do some better things with my counter balance.
I can also change the tension on here,
the spring tension on here
for how it's moving
back and forth as well.
I can change the tension on how stiff it is for the pan,
for the tilt, all these things.
And this is basically
this manufacturer here, a Camgear.
It's a direct knock-off,
a hundred percent knockoff off the Sachtler bigger tripods,
but it's great value for the money, great sticks.
When I'm using this camera
and I'm using it with a teleprompter,
I'm using this head.
If I'm going into a scenario
where I need to be very precise on my movements
and how I'm capturing things,
or if I'm using a longer lens,
this is the tripod I'll be using.
So that I can get some very accurate movement with this,
really make it look great using this tripod,
really get some good resistance, is what you want.
It's actually pulling against it
instead of me trying to slow myself down.
So this is where I would use a tripod like this
and a head like this,
which is designed for a lot heavier payload.
And I can counterbalance with that again,
this one, this head here,
I use it for a different payload.
So I'm using this on different scenarios.
And again, this little travel one here
for very light cameras.
but there's definitely is some drawbacks
from using a tripod like this.
One of those main things is that this is a heavy tripod.
This is designed for a heavier camera
and the whole tripod itself weighs quite a bit more.
So if I was doing a trek into the woods,
if I was shooting mountain biking,
if I need to hike into a location,
if we had a place where we needed to get into,
and I'm moving around a lot,
I might be rethinking bringing this tripod with me.
And a lot of occasions,
as I talk about in my Flowtech review,
is why I would bring this one
with lighter legs on it, lighter head.
I am compromising for a head
that might not give me the best for my weight.
But I'm usually, if I'm doing a scenario like that
where I am needing to travel into a place,
I'm usually breaking down the camera a bit more
so it's lighter
and it does balance better on a smaller head,
a smaller weight range.
This travel kind of smaller tripod,
the head on this, I would say,
is where I'd be using when I am traveling.
if I'm just shooting with something like my GH5,
or my a7 III,
or if I'm shooting with a Blackmagic
without the battery back on it,
without a V Mount mount on it,
if I'm just using the internal batteries
or using a little Canon batteries that you use
inside of the Blackmagic that could use this on this.
But this is kinda like,
it really doesn't move that great.
And I am definitely,
if I have the time and the space,
and I'm not worried about carrying the weight as much,
I would rather carry this over this, no problem.
So these are just my thoughts on tripods,
why I would use different tripods
for different scenarios, for different cameras
and what you should think about
when you are purchasing a tripod
or you're looking for a tripod
to match a camera that you're using.
And I know a lot of people think about investing in a tripod
as kind of not a great thing to invest in
when you're buying camera equipment.
They think buying lighting,
buying lenses is more important,
that's what's gonna change your image.
And some ways they are correct,
that is what's gonna directly,
the image coming to your sensor that you're recording.
But I would argue that a proper tripod
for the camera that you're using
is just as equally important
and a key piece of kit.
I would not go out on a job,
I wouldn't call myself having a proper kit.
If I showed up with a dinky photo tripod
for a proper camera.
I wouldn't consider that a piece of kit
and something that I could charge for
as my kind of coming around as an owner-operator.
Having the right tripod is really gonna make the difference,
really gonna help you.
And I wouldn't think about it
as that big cost you look at.
Thinking of spending $2000, $3000, $5000
on a tripod and head,
don't think of that as an expense that year,
this is different than flipping cameras.
Cameras, we might be buying a new camera every year,
a new camera every two years,
the way technology is changing.
Technology on tripods, hasn't really changed that much,
it hasn't changed that radically.
It's not the same as cameras,
it's not the same as camera sensors.
So investing in a good tripod,
spending that money, spending that three grand,
spending that five grand,
say, if you're starting out,
maybe spending a $1000 on a tripod,
like something like the Flowtech,
that is money well spent.
Because if you're planning to have a longer career,
you should be thinking that tripod is gonna work for you
for the next 10 years for sure.
I would like to say that
I think I'm gonna have these tripods
or some of these tripods for the next 20 years.
I know there's other sticks that I have,
other tripods that I have,
this Miller solos that I've had for 10 years.
I still use those as well.
And I don't see anything really changing with them.
So think about it that way, guys,
when you're thinking about investing in your camera gear
or investing in tripods,
thinking about it as a long game,
something like investing in lighting stands
and C stands, things that you're gonna have for a long time,
really changes the way you think about spending that money
and why you wanna spend that money.
So let me know guys, in the comments below,
what do you guys think?
What tripods do you use, have you really considered?
Do you think it's a waste of money
to spend too much money on a tripod?
And let me know what would like to see
in another video coming up,
I'll create some more content like this for you guys,
see you on the next one.
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