Vinten Support System for F3

jimflores · Post by **jimflores** » January 21st, 2012, 2:16 am

Alister,

Hey I'm looking for a recommendation on a Vinten head/stick combination for my F3. I have a full F3 set-up that includes Matte Box, FF, cp.2 Lenses, baseplate, rods, evf, KiPro mini w/ cheese plate. I then rent v-mount batteries from my local rental house that I mount on the rods as well to power the KiPro. When I bought my rig I was moving up from an EX-1 camera and Manfrotto 501 head/sticks set-up. I didn't purchase a tri-pod since I wasn't sure what I really wanted with this new set-up. I decided I would rent some different ones to see what I'd like best. I'm looking to invest in a support set-up, but I'm looking for a solid good quality set-up without giving up my first born.

So yesterday I went to rent a support set-up for a shoot and the rental house just had a couple of options for me to choose from... A cartoni and a Vinten Vision 3. So I tried them out and really didn't like the cartoni head and how the plate locked in. I tried the Vinten and, although the head was a bit on the small side, I went with that. I found I really liked the head a lot and I really liked how the plate slides on. It's actually very similar to the Manfrotto style plate system and I found I could operate quickly in that fashion. I had to max out the counterbalance and it was just barely enough, but I still really liked the feel. I also really liked how easy the counterbalance system was to adjust. At the church I volunteer at we have Sachtler 15SB's and I think they're kind of difficult to adjust + it costs a small fortune.

Tonight I noticed while on xdcam-user.com that you use Vinten systems and I thought you'd be the perfect guy to help with a recommendation. I'm obviously thinking that the Vision 3 head is to small for my set-up, but what about the V5AS? Is that sufficient or do I need to move up even more? I think that I'd like a mid-level spreader and a 2 stage system, but whatever suggestions you have would be great. I shoot a lot in the field and so it's gotta be able to work for that.

I'd appreciate any advise that you have.

Thanks,

Jim Flores

--
Jim Flores
Cinematographer
512-450-4267
JimFlores.com
@jimflores

jimflores · Post by **jimflores** » January 21st, 2012, 4:24 am

Picture of my rig from yesterday...

: F3 Rig; photo2.jpg (215.68 KiB) Viewed 9567 times

--
Jim Flores
Cinematographer
512-450-4267
JimFlores.com
@jimflores

MaxVolokh · Post by **MaxVolokh** » January 23rd, 2012, 12:42 pm

Hi! As for me, I prefer Ronford.

jimflores · Post by **jimflores** » January 23rd, 2012, 3:33 pm

Max,

Never heard of them. I'll check them out. Do you have any additional info about them you could share?

Thx,

Jim

MaxVolokh · Post by **MaxVolokh** » January 25th, 2012, 12:09 am

http://www.ronfordbaker.co.uk/atlas_head.html

Robert Jureit · Post by **Robert Jureit** » January 26th, 2012, 10:35 pm

Jim
My name is Robert Jureit,just thought i would let you know,my set-up
In your photo, it is amazing how similar my set-up is to yours
my tripod is Manfrotto 509HD and the legs are 545B with center stx.
I use the legs, but not the head...... the slide in with my set-up does not work well
i use the cartonie Focus HD, only number on it was Fh0909, must be ser # don't know,
it has a quick release, that i like, although the plate is smaller it works for me
the only problem is , that to me the locking handles are small, like one inch long
it can be a real bear,to get them loose from, real tight, especally the forward tilt
i also have and use a porta-jib traveler, set-up is just minutes, and use it more than tripod
hope this helps
Robert

Post by **alisterchapman** » February 8th, 2012, 9:37 pm

I use a Vinten 5AS with my F3 and it's a good fit. If you are using a lot of optional extras then you may want to consider the 8AS. The 5AS is a very capable head, I've even had a full 3D rig on it, not that I'd recommend it for that. The tripod plate on the 5AS latches in from the side and is really easy to drop in and release. My previous Vinten 5 head gave me excellent service for 12 years and was still perfectly useable when I upgraded to the 5AS. My only small gripe is that my 5AS has a 75mm bowl, I would have preferred a 100mm bowl as this is what most mid to large size pro tripods have. You can get a cheap 75mm to 100mm adapter if you want to use legs with a 100mm bowl. I also have a Vision 100 head with both carbon legs and fibertec legs which are a real dream to use, but sadly no longer available. The carbon fibre legs do save a bit on weight, but it's not a massive difference. The alloy legs are still quite light and certainly very robust.