Sachtler vs. Vinten

[Myblue]

We are buying new tripod heads in the spring. Would you guys prefer a Sachtler DV-12SB over the O'Connor 1030B? They are more or less the same in price. Or is it one of those personal preference things?

Thanks

[engphotog21]

I've shot on a miller, an o'conner, and a sachtler. In my experience, I liked the smoothness of an o'conner head. I prefer to shoot on a sachtler right now only because all of our o'conner pods are all beat to $hit and the legs don't work right on them... (the photogs that used them before I got to were rather rough on them...) I like the versatility of my sachtler though being that I can get really high over crowds with the use of it's pedestal. The one thing I don't like about it is that it seems like no matter how suttle I hit the trigger on my camera when shooting, its very jerky like you bumped it or something... I know that may not be a big deal, but I shoot to edit alot in the field to make the editing process go faster... not much time to work with ususally... we all know about that though...

[Lensmith]

Sachtler. I've used just about every kind of tripod head out there and Sachtler remains at the top of my list.;)

[Douglas]

I own both O'Connor and Sachtler, and have owned/used most models of both brands. There's no comparison. O'Connor is THE only choice if you want the best.

Doug

[wtv]

Sachtler, Sachtler, Sachtler............

[Hiding Under Here]

Here are my thoughts.

Sachtler makes a better engineered tripod and a better all around "system". But, if used correctly, the O'Connor fluid head is a better head than say the Sachtler 18/20 series heads.

Sachtlers (and I have owned a number of them and do at this moment) are EXPENSIVE. And pianfully so. They're extremely good tripods. But I don't think they are worth what you pay for them. Except when you consider what you ask from a tripod, all the banging, the up and down with the legs, the twisting of the tension knobs, the falling to the ground when you have foolishly leaned it against the truck for the thousandth time. From that perspective, maybe Sachtlers ARE worth the money. They hold up. They are the Mercedes Benz of tripods.

But Sachtler head mechanisms are NOT as good as O'Connor.

O'Connor heads are REAL fluid heads. Sachtlers use spring mechanisms. And O'Connor heads are infinitely variable. You can dampen them at any point that feels right. Sachtlers have presets, generally 1 through 7. And if you have your Sachtler drag mechanism in the middle by mistake, the head doesn't have the right amount of drag on it and you could screw up a shot. So I repeat: Sachtlers should be better.

But O'Connor legs are poorly designed. Sachtler has them beat by a mile. And the older O'Connor heads leaked fluid. And they shouldn't be left out in the cold. So, in the end, you have what you have -- Sachtler makes the better, albeit more expensive, overall "system". O'Connor's heads are nice but they've got issues and the legs aren't as good.

Like many things, particularly with video field production tools, it comes down to taste and tolerance for annoyances. And budget. I own a Sachtler. In fact I prefer it. I know what O'Connors are capabale of and sometimes I wish I had a real fluid head. But I also know what the downsides are and I have made my decision. There's no clear answer. You weigh the positives and the negatives against the money your willing to spend. How much of a priority is it to have one tripod over the other?

[Douglas]

There's nothing wrong with the quality of O'Connor, and having a real fluid head is the only point that really matters. I would NEVER use a head that cannot be balanced properly. There's no excuse for it, and I can't imagine working with a head that can't be balanced precisely. Everything else is secondary. I'm surprised anyone would settle for Sachtler.

I agree that O'Connors used to leak, but who's buying a 15 year old tripod anyway? Today's models do not leak so that factor is irrelevant. I store my 1030B upside down in an unheated garage. No problem in 8 years. It works just as good today as it did when it was new.

As for legs, nothing beats the O'Connor 35L Carbon Fiber legs. I always get a laugh when I see someone struggling to extend/lock their tripod legs one at a time. How archaic. From the O'Connor website:

http://www.ocon.com/products/tripods/35l.html
"This lightweight, rugged, quick deployment tripod features instant set-up on most terrain. This is achieved by having a ring, located under the tripod top casting, which releases all three legs simultaneously. Each leg can also be independently adjusted."

That's no lie, and you can't really appreciate it until you've used it. The mechanism simply works great, and has for 8 years. I couldn't imagine going back to a tripod with independent locks on each leg.

Another thing I dislike about Sachtler is that most of them have ground spreaders. Ground spreaders suck on uneven terrrain, and even indoors I hate having crap under my feet to step on. Spreaders should be mid-leg -- where they belong.

The O'Connors are as well built as anything I've seen from Sachtler, and when you factor in the performance advantages, there's really no other choice.


Doug

[amp]

I prefer Miller. Good sticks on a budget. We have 8 DS-25 tripods, half with aluminum legs, half with the carbon fiber Solo legs. I prefer the Solo. They are just like the old Gitzo legs, but they work!

[Max Girth]

Oh my god, I can't even believe it's a question, 1030B vs. DV12.

You have to get more into something like a Sachtler Video 20 or 30 before it compares to a 1030B. And even then I'd still choose the O'Connor.

Shopping in Burbank for almost two weeks and getting to try out a whole lot of heads really opened my eyes. I had assumed before I went looking I'd buy a Video 20 with Speedlock legs...Sachtler's the best, right? Everybody knows this. Well...I had that opinion turned on it's head (no pun intended).

I did indeed get to play with a DV12. It's not in the same category as a Video 20.

[Corporate Management]

What is this, Medialine?

[couryhouse]

I need a tripod and head for sony Z1 hdv camera... I ahve an old tripod witha jusnk head that is light I use now...

my large gitzo and conner 1030 heard is just TOO LARGE to use with the z1... and difficult for me to carry in advancing age. I still like it t use with a larger camera in a studio type of setting... o when I have people to help carry stuff....


Does anyone now what happened to ITE I have some monsters with fluid heads and one nice field tripod but need some minor parts......

thanks ed

[2000lux]

The slug for this thread was Sachtler vs. Vinten. Most people have talked about O'Connors or Sachtlers. I just want to say that most Vintens I've worked with when new are great, but the legs seem to wear out quickly and become unreliable.

I like both the Sachtlers and O'Connors as well. At my last station we had two of the DV-12s with the speed lock legs and they were great to work with. If I was going to by a tripod today that's what I'd look for.

We also had an O'Connor with the quick release legs but it was very head heavy and had been abused. I liked the legs though.

[Wideangle]

Sachtler. I use a DV15 with carbon fiber hotpod legs and love the
weight and ease in the field. Sure it's expensive, but you get what you pay for!

[Skipcam]

Interesting to note that the three companies mentioned, Sachtler, O'Connor and Vinten, are now all one company. Sachtler owns all three.

[couryhouse]

But but but..... Does anyone now what happened to ITE I have some monsters with fluid heads and one nice field tripod but need some minor parts......

[Douglas]

And that, is not good for anyone -- no matter which brand you prefer. One way or another, it's going to lead to higher prices and less innovation without the pressure of competition. Take care of what you have now if you like it.

Doug

[Geezer.1]

We have some Sachtler HotPods with Panorama 7+7 heads that we bought for use with 3/4" gear and they still work just fine. That makes them nearly 20 years old.
Most recently we have DV12/CF HotPods and they are also great systems provided you don't need worm's eye view shots.
I'm not knocking O'Connor or Miller or Vinten or whatever you are looking at but we have had terrific luck with Sachtler tripods and heads.

[Nooze Hound]

I keep reading here that the o'conner has the better head, but the sachtler is the better engineered, and that the o'conner's legs are, for lack of more description, garbage.

Is there a way to "frankenstein" an o'conner head to a Sachtler base?

[Raiderfan]

"Is there a way to "frankenstein" an o'conner head to a Sachtler base?[/QUOTE]


Sure you can. I saw the reverse the other day with O'Connor legs and a Sachtler Video 15 head. As long as whatever head you get fits the bowl of the tripod, you can get whatever head you want for a tripod (as long as the tripod can also handle the size and weight).

I think most people get the same company head and tripod as a set so it's easier when ordering and they both arrive at the same time, so no scrambling while waiting for one or the other to show up.

[canuckcam]

Didn't Sachtler have a t-shirt that said something like, "Good legs, great head?"

[2000lux]

Just today I worked with a tripod that had Sachtler legs and an O'Connor head. I like the O'Connor heads but they tend to be a bit heavy.

[Tippster]

We have both O'Connor 35Ls and Sachtler Hotpods. I have the Video 18III head on my hotpod and that is the smoothest, easiest to balance head I've ever used. the counterbalance actually works, and it levels much more fluidly than the O'Connor. There is something to be said about the individually telescoping legs, but the spread on those things, even with the smallest spreader, is ginormous. Not much room in some of the pressers here, so I gotta say I prefer the Sachtler over all.

O'Connor does use standard SAE sized parts, however, and I have been able to replace busted c-clips by going to the hardware store.

[Stoney]

Vinten stuff is garbage, in my experience. I used a set of Vinten sticks about 5 years ago, so they may be better now. However, those sticks were wobbly, had a garbage floor spreader that was all cheap plastic and the head was not very tuneable and had some "catching" problems when panning.

I own a Sachtler 18 with carbon 3-stage legs and I really like it. It isn't the lightest but it works very well and holds up to regular use.

In Phoenix, I worked with an O'connor on Gitzo legs... seems everyone in Phoenix bought that weird combo for years, all the stations had them. The O'connor head was the smoothest head I have ever used BUT it was an ANVIL! I actually can still picture the day a reporter dragged the tripod through AZ Mills Mall! Just too heavy for news.

Gitzo sticks are the simplest/lightest sticks out there and I really liked them. Very adjustable. Very simple. Very inexpensive. People knocked them for being unsteady but I found that to be untrue. However, fully extended they do leave a wide footprint... but without a spreader needed they are easy to wedge into places. Plus, they can get down to high-hat levels (7-8 inches off the ground, no problem).