"PTRAVEL" <PTRAVELspamtrap@cox.net> wrote in message

news:bl7fgu$8uges$1@ID-101118.news.uni-berlin.de...

> "Tony Mueller" <kb9qks_AT_yahoo.com> wrote in message

> news:vnefs1am11k4e6@corp.supernews.com...

> > 3-way heads are generally a still photo head, unless you just need a

> > locked down shot.

> This is probably a stupid question, but couldn't I lock down the tilt access

> (after leveling up the shot), and use the other two as I would with a video

> head? The picture seems to show a rather large handle that makes it look a

> bit like a video head (though it may just have been the angle).

There are BIG differences between video and still camera

tripods and heads. For stills, you need good damping in

the set of legs more than ultimate rigidity (to minimize ringing

with shutter-release, etc.); with video, you need rigidity

more than damping to resist backlash with movement of the

head. With the head for stills, damping is not required

(though it is useful with ball heads); with video, it is essential

to have good bearings and good damping for smooth

stop/starts/continuous-changing of the camera aiming

direction. Unfortunately, good "fluid heads" are VERY

rare at the low end of price/weight availability range, though

decent legs can be had cheaply (but they are not light...).

A good video tripod that is also cheap, and also light is

basically nonexistent, though with luck in finding a good

sample of a low-priced fluid head and combining it with a

decent set of short carbon legs, mebbe a short, fairly

light, adequate video tripod can be had. Otherwise, looking

at the under-$200 Libec or c. $250+ Bogen combinations

(as others suggested) may be the way to go, if you can

stand the weight and performance level...

--

David Ruether

d_ruether@hotmail.com

http://www.David-Ruether-Photography.com