rcurrietn
New member
Acratech GP and Gp-ss Ballheads are excellent ballheads and can be reversed to act as a leveling base with no added weight or height.
Leveling bases for tripods
- Thread starter Wade Abadie
- Start date
If you would like to post, you'll need to register. Note that if you have a BCG store account, you'll need a new, separate account here (we keep the two sites separate for security purposes).
fcotterill
Well-known member
Acratech are worth the price, almost IMHO the optimum design of quality and minimal weight. I use the GPSS + Levelling-Base on a Gitzo Traveller. The facility to switch to a semi-gimbal mode is very useful but be careful of the high torque exerted by a heavy rig on the jaws. Especially hanging off the side of the head.
My only criticism is the jaw height is shallower compared to Sirui etc. Not all "Arca-Swiss" plates lock securely in these. Warning- the AS standard is variously interpreted!
Acratech anodised coatings are another important +ve, being of a dry type self-lubicrating, probably the same used on military assault rifles i.e. designed to minimize malfunctions especially in dusty combat conditions.
My only criticism is the jaw height is shallower compared to Sirui etc. Not all "Arca-Swiss" plates lock securely in these. Warning- the AS standard is variously interpreted!
Acratech anodised coatings are another important +ve, being of a dry type self-lubicrating, probably the same used on military assault rifles i.e. designed to minimize malfunctions especially in dusty combat conditions.
fcotterill
Well-known member
The 75 standard Levelling base, as used on the larger Gitzo tripods, and Sirui etc works very well under a loading of >3kg, as they are easier to control using the vertical arm. But in many places, as DR notes, a well designed gimbal obviates a levelling-base.
After (possibly too) much obsessing research, I concluded a Flowtech 75 based system is ideal for wildlife where stability is vital for a heavy telephoto rig in hides etc. The top-of-leg adjustment design and high quality are big +ves, with excellent stability. These are Sachtler design, now owned by Vinten (with Manfrotto, Gitzo, Zenelli). At a cool 2.9kg, the MS75 is the lightest model, as the spreader is overkill with a FX system. EXpensive but they are very robust and well built for extreme climates (eg arctic, hyperhaline!). Note these tripods are designed primarily for cinematography, but some landscape photographers have gravitated to the MS75. https://www.guyedwardes.com/articles/view/sachtler-flowtech-75-tripod-review
some reviews - https://www.newsshooter.com/2018/09/11/sachtler-flowtech-100-review/
nofilmschool.com
www.capture.ink
After (possibly too) much obsessing research, I concluded a Flowtech 75 based system is ideal for wildlife where stability is vital for a heavy telephoto rig in hides etc. The top-of-leg adjustment design and high quality are big +ves, with excellent stability. These are Sachtler design, now owned by Vinten (with Manfrotto, Gitzo, Zenelli). At a cool 2.9kg, the MS75 is the lightest model, as the spreader is overkill with a FX system. EXpensive but they are very robust and well built for extreme climates (eg arctic, hyperhaline!). Note these tripods are designed primarily for cinematography, but some landscape photographers have gravitated to the MS75. https://www.guyedwardes.com/articles/view/sachtler-flowtech-75-tripod-review
some reviews - https://www.newsshooter.com/2018/09/11/sachtler-flowtech-100-review/
REVIEW: Sachtler Flowtech 75 MS Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs Could Save Your Back
Here are my impressions from the field of the Flowtech 75 and its innovative single-clasp system.
nofilmschool.com
Sachtler Flowtech 75 Tripod hands on review — Capture.ink
I remember once I was chatting to two friends of mine, one a stills shooter and one a video guy. I and the video guy were talking about a new “lightweight” video tripod that had just come out and we were talking about how impressed we were that it only cost about $1500. At which point the stills sho
www.capture.ink
Last edited:
Thern
Well-known member
I am using a Gitzo series 5 tripod plus a PMG Katana Gimball, less weight and cheaper (plus according to Dave of the centercolumn site it’s one of the best tripods for stills he ever tested.)
Regarding the Sachtler.
I like the topnotch built, the locks, the claspsystem and how it’s designed to carry over the shoulder with the magnets aso.
I’m however absolutely no fan of spreaders they make shooting at lowlevel very difficult if not impossible (10” and 24” minimum height for the ground level resp. midlevel spreader vs 3.9” for my current setup)
Well it is removable I read, that’s okay but I wonder what will be the impact then on stability?
Then... somehow I allways tend to think max payload to ‘translate’ into stability.
In this case 88 lbs for the Gitzo vs 44 lbs for the Sachtler.
Back in the days we were told to use a tripod with a safety payload at least tripling the actual load, so that would be enough for me in both cases, but only just enough for the Sachtler (800mm + D6 is about 13 lbs if I remember correctly)
/edit
correct it’s 13.3 to be exact
just my 2 cents, again I do like a lot of the Sachtler’s props but it’s far from perfect to me so I still prefer the Gitzo.
Last edited: