jonpais

I level the camera using the bowl or ball (not sure what it's called!) supplied with the tripod. You can see a picture of it on the previous page, with the read handle just below the head. When I set up the head this afternoon, the knob that tightens the QR plate interfered with the camera, but I discovered while watching the following video that it can be pulled out and moved out of the way. Like tripod manufacturers, boys out on a first date and just about everyone else, some tripod head companies overstate their capacity, and the S8 is no exception. But the worst part for small camera users is that, even though the counterbalance is supposed to be adjustable to 0 kg, in reality, it is not, and because there are only four settings on the dial, which may increase by 2.5kg increments (not sure), this particular head might not be ideal for something like a BMPCC or A6300 with no rigging. When I got home from the coffee shop this evening, I put my Fuji X-T2 with 16-55mm f/2.8 and battery grip on the head (a pretty heavy combination), set the counterweight to '1' and added some drag and it seems fine. With just a Lumix GH4 and a pancake lens, I don't think it would work. I do think it will be fine for what I intend to use it for most, and that is panning while on a slider. But as the reviewer in the following video points out, the Benro S8 has a lot of issues, there are better heads available, but it's also true that they cost a lot of money. And yes, if you're lugging lots of gear around without any assistants, you don't want to be carrying around a 3 or 4 kg head. I learned a lot from this video, and if you're suffering from insomnia, I recommend having a look.

The single most thorough review I've ever seen of a tripod head.

Correct. I got the vertical power booster today and some other accessories. And to my surprise, I like it! From the billions of reviews I read, I expected to absolutely hate the piece of plastic that fits over the camera body's grip. I don't think it's at all necessary, but so far, it appears to fit and feels just fine. That is, until you start carrying it - with the 16-55mm f/2.8 and power booster, the camera is starting to weigh a ton. One thing's for sure though, the GH4 has some magic when it comes to battery life. Now, I'm going to check and see if I'm supposed to update the firmware or something...

First impressions (cross-posted at my blog) After my rant last night about the lack of meaningful exposure aids on the Fuji X-T2, I've settled down a little, and had my first opportunity to actually go out and grab a few clips with it, along with the Fujinon 16-55mm f/2.8 lens. It's been drizzling all day, so I couldn't do much shooting. Where should I begin? Let's start with the body - while other manufacturers boast of a magnesium alloy body, some of them are housed in shoddy plastic that makes them feel like Fisher Price toys made in China. Because the knobs and buttons aren't engraved metal, the lettering wears away with time. Buttons feel mushy and don't give reassuring feedback when pressed. The X-T2, on the other hand, looks and feels as though it was sculpted out of one solid block of metal. The buttons are all 'clicky' and will probably give years of dependable service. While I seldom use one since most of what I shoot is video, the sound of the mechanical shutter and the sensation of the shutter button when depressed is positively thrilling compared to the rather pedestrian implementation on my GH4. The LCD screen is supremely clear and bright, and with magnification enabled, those with better eyesight than mine may feel peaking while manually focusing is altogether unnecessary. Still, some filmmakers will deplore the retro physical controls on the Fuji because their sound will be picked up by the microphone. And touchscreen is not an option. The new lock on the latch to the SD compartment might be more secure, but it is more cumbersome to use than that of the GH4, which only requires a slight pressure and sliding movement of the forefinger. Regrettably, the metering and drive dials, as well as the focus mode selector are very awkwardly placed; and the camera settings displayed in the viewfinder are absurdly small and difficult to read comfortably without eyestrain: not at all unlike going to the optometrist and being asked to read the very first row of letters. That goes for the EV meter as well, though I found it to be quite reliable: in fact, I have so much confidence in it, that I find I'm no longer bracketing every shot like I typically do with the Lumix. But I still entertain the hope that Fuji will release a firmware update enabling the histogram in movie mode. For my first lens, I decided to go with the closest equivalent to a full frame 24-70mm with constant f/2.8 aperture (which every manufacturer has in their catalogue, and none of them are dogs) because I really can't tolerate variable aperture kit lenses. Shooting 4K video (which crops the image a further 1.17x), the zoom range is more like 27-94mm, meaning it will be good for everything from street photography to portraiture. One thing I find peculiar is that some of the very same people in video forums who are always complaining about low light sensitivity are perfectly willing to settle for a kit lens whose widest aperture at the long end is f/4. Like the camera body, the lens is made of metal and weather sealed, and it even has an aperture ring (!), something which many other manufacturers have bewilderingly concluded photographers no longer need. Edge-to-edge sharpness is far better than I'd expected from just reading the benchmarks, in fact, it's f*** incredible. At the same time, the lens does not have OIS, so filmmakers will either have to have nerves of steel or use a monopod. And the lens is monstrous, so you many need to purchase an L bracket just in order to mount it to your tripod. All the clips were shot using AWB, which I've never trusted the Lumix to get right, but which the Fuji handles superbly. And while the Fuji sensor has no AA filter, aliasing and moire are very well controlled. If you look closely at the power lines in the shots below, you'll see traces of aliasing. The final shot in my room was taken at ISO 1,600, which would be utter folly to attempt with my GH4. It must be said, however, that the actual measured ISOs of both the Panasonic and Fuji cameras are considerably lower than their settings would indicate. Unlike the micro four thirds system, which practically necessitates fast glass or focal reducers to shoot in low light, the Fuji can easily get by with higher ISOs and f/2 or f/2.8 lenses. Anyhow, the whole process seemed so effortless, from focusing to white balance to exposure to editing - in fact, I didn't do any color correction at all - that my impression of the camera is overwhelmingly positive. Touch screen and IBIS be damned!

Another manufacturer that's been off my radar because of lack of 4K. I like the style of the review, but it's a bit insubstantial, isn't it? Especially when we're talking about selling our bodies to buy one. But I like the chunky dials. It looks as though the camera settings in the EVF are nice and large. In my very first Fuji, the X-T2, reading the information in the viewfinder is a bit like going to the optometrist and being asked to read the very first row of letters...

Yes, I always use the flywheel. And the fluid head. The Benro I got has the option of flat base or bowl. If you get the bowl version, it can be detached. And never, ever use a cheap ball head for video work. When it comes to tripods and heads, there is no such thing as 'overkill'.

@webrunner5 Yes, I was just about to edit my post when I realized what you meant. The Benro is adjustable to 0 kg, so you can mount a DSLR or mirrorless camera no problem. With the slider, tripod head and camera attached, it would take a bulldozer to knock this bad boy over! I like gear. I appreciate fine craftsmanship. If I'm out in the field, I want something that's going to protect my investment. I might have as much as $3,500 or more sitting on top of those legs, and I don't want some unsupervised child running into my setup and see it crashing to the ground.

The iFootage Wild Bull comes with an adjustable 75mm bowl. Of course, you can always hang some weight from the center of the tripod if you want some extra heft.

The iFootage Shark is an exceptional slider. And I'm not experiencing any flex in my setup.

@scotchtape I'd prefer webrunner5's choice over the one you linked to any day. Not only does it look far sturdier, I hate twist locking collars on legs.

The Benro just arrived. I think it is a perfect fit with my iFootage Wild Bull tripod. My biggest gripe is with the knob (not seen in this photo) that tightens the QR plate in place - the camera body interferes with it, meaning I must use the camera in a forward position rather than centered over the tripod.

My advice is to go for the iFootage Wild Bull T7 carbon fiber tripod (around $575, so within your budget). I have used it along with the iFootage Shark Slider S1 and have not experienced any flexing when used with the Lumix GH4 and Leica Nocticron, for example.

My Manfrotto head is still in customs hell, awaiting a Vietnamese translation of the shipping invoice or something stupid. Meanwhile, I managed to find a shop here in Saigon selling the Benro S8 for just 4,100,000 vnd, or $181.00 USD, so I went ahead and ordered it. Should arrive within the hour. At last I can toss out my leaking Weifeng garbage head.

I never paid much attention to Fuji since my main interest is in video, but I knew they were awesome when it came to updates (from reading Imaging Resource). So I wouldn't be surprised if they added a bunch of goodies for us. I just finished watching this video from a couple months ago about a firmware update for the X Pro 2, and it makes me very hopeful.

I didn't buy the kit lens, but I have watched a ton of videos and read bunches of reviews, and I don't recall a single one mentioning a problem with it either. Glad to hear the lens is working for you now.

This question's already been asked in the GX85 thread.

You could just slap a Crane on the tripod and pan remotely.

This is from Google Translate: F-Log in practice In this external log mode, the camera can practically no longer be adjusted in the picture characteristic (and probably not only) in our sense. Only the sharpness can still be changed, but we recommend that you adjust it to the desired cinematic look. In F-Log, the minimum ISO starts with ISO800, which should probably represent the base ISO of the FUJIFILM X-T2 in log mode. After our first test recordings, we were disappointed: the shadows in each shot flashed enormously, but this was not explained by the lighting or the exposure. After our sharpness test measurements were also significantly worse than in the internal recording, we became skeptical. In fact, although a 4K data stream s. HDMI output is, if the camera is internally set to 4K, however, this is filled by the FUJI X-T2 only with a kind of highly scaled fullHD. That made us baffled. Only by chance did we encounter the following behavior: Although the camera can not record to the internal map, if the camera is set to 4K-F-Log. However, the HDMI output still outputs the signal in "filled" 4K, if one at the camera the recording triggers, which in turn is possible, even if a card is in the camera. In this case, the camera signals an internal 4K recording, but does not land any files on the card. At the same time, the camera (if activated in the menu) can also start and stop the external Atomos recorder, which is why one should get used to this procedure urgently, in order not to erroneously record the "worse" 4K signal, which consists only of high-scaled HD resolution. But not only the resolution differs in the two modes, the color quantization also increases significantly (which ultimately also brought us to the 10-bit thoughts). Here is a picture of the 4K-HDMI-Log signal with and without triggered "internal" recording. On the right you can see the "dirty" signal, if the camera has not triggered the flame recording and left the clean signal. By the way, in the "dirty" output also still some digital audio disturbances can be recorded. So if you listen to the recording crack in the audio channel, rather check again, whether the camera also an internal 4K recording is indicated. ONV, who shared F-log sample footage last week on Vimeo, has this to say: I didn't really put the X-T2 through any rigorous stress-tests but I found it curious that you only get a proper signal from it over HDMI when you hit the record (shutter) button of the camera body. Only then a proper full-resolution picture is being send to the recorder (if you don't start "recording" on the camera body you only get a mushy looking lo-res preview image). So I imagine that it doesn't really matter wether you are recording to the SD card or sending the signal through the HDMI out since the X-T2 seems to be doing the very same thing in both cases (short of recording anything to the SD card when in HDMI mode, that is). So the limits are most likely the same as with in-camera recording (10 min w/o grip and 30 min with it IIRC). But that is just conjecture. Maybe I can get around to testing that next week. cheers! So, it looks as though F-Log is limited to 8-bit, the user must be careful that he is actually recording F-Log, maybe some recorders don't behave the same way with the output, shadows are noisy (as usual)... and buy some strong ND filters, because you'll be shooting at ISO 800.

No question Sachtler is the better fluid head, and they have three bowl head models and one flat base model for lightweight rigs to choose from. I would still buy the sturdiest available, you won't need to buy twice should you move up to a larger camera, and all three Sachtlers have counterbalance to 0, so they should still work fine with DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Even though the heaviest camera I own at the moment is a GH4 (or the X-T2, not sure!), I still bought a tripod (the iFootage Wild Bull T7) with 40kg max load. For tripods, I would divide the manufacturer's stated capacity by ten to arrive at a more realistic figure. Sure it's a little heavy, but I carry it around with me every day, and I'm 60 years old and weigh 140 lbs. Right now, I just use a slider, but in the future, I may invest in a good jib, so I'm covered there. And if I get stupid and buy a Kinefinity or something, I won't have to get a second tripod. I went ahead and inquired about the S8 anyway, waiting to hear back from the shop in Hanoi. The S8 sells for around $260 over at B&H, which I consider cheap when it comes to camera gear. But again, I'm not sure what tripod Alex is using, he doesn't say (is it the Be Free?), and he also doesn't say exactly how he'll be using it or what other gear he might expect to purchase in the near future (monitor, slider, jib, follow focus, shoulder rig?), so pretty difficult to make any recommendation without having that information first. Even the topic heading is a bit confusing: is the OP looking for a tripod or a head? Update: Just heard back from Hanoi, S8 out of stock (meaning will never have it). Can't even buy a decent fluid head in the third world!

Here's an excellent comparison between the Manfrotto 504 HD and Benro S8.

Any color comparisons between the GH4 and the GX85 that don't involve a bowl of fruit?

I just might end up getting one of the Benro heads after all. Right now, I'm waiting to see how much Vietnam customs is going to gouge me for the Manfrotto I ordered from B&H. But I'll need something I can also place on a slider, and the 504 HD's ball (or bowl) is not detachable as far as I know. So, in addition to making sure the counterbalance goes to 0 for light loads, I guess a detachable bowl is another thing to consider. It's only money...

I would go with the heaviest duty fluid head you can afford. If you're at home, you won't be carrying it around much anyway I assume. And if you ever get a larger camera, you are all set. Don't cheap out on a poor tripod head. Actually, good fluid heads for lightweight cameras are not that common. Be sure the fluid head counterbalance can go down as far as 0 kg or you will always be struggling to balance it. You don't say what tripod you are using, but a 75mm bowl would be ideal.

Here's the page explaining the update procedure. First, hold the DISP down while turning the camera on. The screen will show the latest firmware for both body and lens.