Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

THis tripod was an extremely helpful tool for making our video short. The ability to move a tripod around quickly, by adding the dolly, is a huge benefit! The carrying bag adds convenience for travel. I would buy it again!

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

The tripod head is great. It's large, but works perfectly and smoothly. The tripod is a little flimsy if extended all the way. The legs flex and bend, and the locks seem cheap. It was still worth getting for the price I paid, but I imagine I'll be getting a new tripod sometime in the future.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

Just purchased this, very impressed. Very great tripod, comes with a very nice, tough bag that makes it really easy to move around.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

The head is great for run-and-gun shooting - easy setup, and good control. Legs are light, feel a little cheaper, but work great in most situations. I'd definitely reccomend this set for someone looking for good equipment on a budget.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I am a videographer, and I recently used this product to film a concert with a DSLR. I was on a budget, and BH had a deal. With that said, this tripod is an excellent value for the money. However, if you have a little extra, I would advise getting a 503 or 504 head instead. Unlike those models, this is not a true fluid head. Instead, it contains a Friction Teflon coating on the inside to smooth pans and tilts. This is fine if you are doing quick, or medium speed pans (you could track someone walking by and still keep it pretty smooth). However, it gets a little jittery with slow pans, especially if you don't have a lot of weight on the head. As for the sticks, they're not bad, but I do wish the midlevel spreader was extendable. This isn't a huge deal-breaker, as you can always just buy a midlevel spreader that extends separately. All in all, if you're on a budget, this is a great tripod for the money, and definitely beats out the 701. It can hold a lot of weight, features counterbalance, and is relatively smooth. However, if you have the money, this is still no replacement for a true fluid head.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

The 501HDV tripod head is fantastic for the price. The 547BK tripod is sufficient, but affordable.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

great for low budget, and DSLR users. my first semi-pro tripod, and i'm loving it. especially for the price I got it for.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

After owning many budget tripods, I knew it was time to make a leap into something more substantial. So I bought the 501 HDV, 547 Video tripod system and I LOVE IT. The tripod head is amazing. If you're not using some type of professional head system, it really is worth the investment. You can't find much better sticks for the price either. (Especially when you consider the manfrotto tripod bag that comes with it.) Really great way to get into a tripod system.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I create videos, so balance is important to me. I need to be able to pan smoothly and without noise. This tripod and the tripod head is sturdy, supports a lot of weight, and is easy to turn in any direction. It also comes with a very nice carrying case. The only criticism that I can imagine anyone having is that the legs are a little hard to adjust and the tripod is heavy to carry around. Personally, I don't mind that; I prefer that stability it provides.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I bought this tripod to use in videography/documentary work. I was looking for something lightweight, durable, as well as affordable. So far, this product has met my expectations.

Straight out of the box, it was easy to set up-- with the exception of the closure clamps which were (and still are) very tight fitting. I'm hoping these losen up with time.

But all around, a decent product for a filmmaker on a budget.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

Compares well to our LIBEC.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

A professional visual effects artist who primarily uses this tripod kit with Canon DSLRs. The fluid head is important for pan and tilt for motion tracking and I have past experience using this so it was a must. This particular item made financial sense and I love using Manfrotto so it was a no-brainer. The legs stand tall and lock in place as they're suppose to. However, it does feel a little flimsy and cheap. But! Being a professional for so many years, its understandable that anything can happen on a shoot. If I had any experience with equipment issues was usually do to human error so I'm not worried about it. The legs are more than adequate to handle the workload. I would have easily gave it four stars but the bag that comes with it ensures its longevity and makes up for it.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

The 501HDV head is nice. Smooth tilts quick-release plate is a nice design.
ITs a great tripod for the price, but you really get for what you paid.
I used the tripod with de Sony NEX VG-20, is very light and easy to carry any wear.

The case that comes with the system is top-notch and looks awesome. I really like the look of the whole system, actually, and love the red accents.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

The 501 HDV head is amazing! Smooth, easy to use, quick to adjust, exactly what i was looking for. The tripod however wasn't as versatile as i had hoped. It can not get as low shots as i was looking for even after you remove the leg braces. And i have been able to be quicker with other types of tripods. All in all, i would say a good package.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I have another similar rig with the lighter 701 head. Spend the extra money, its worth it. This one has adjustable friction while the 701 requires you to use the locking levers to get a little extra drag if you need it.

The Varizoom VZ-D50 dolly is so much better than the Manfrotto dolly I own at half the price. It a great fit to this tripod system.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I'm a pro videographer and use this tripod with my recently purchased Canon XA10. The head on this is a must. The legs are fine and sturdy. Perhaps a little light. You are really buying this kit for the head. I have used many tripods in my day and would settle for nothing less than what this provides. Smooth tilt and pan adjustments. Overall a great kit for MY needs (and a great price to boot)

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

Great for DSLR and Canon XF305 application. Very cost effective tripod kit. 1-stage tripod though but it's alright.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I use this tripod almost exclusively for HDSLR video work, and so far, I have very few issues with it. First, the good:

It is easily adjusted via the bowl head. This was my #1 priority when looking for a tripod because I do a lot of run and gun shooting (i.e. weddings, live events, fast setups and tear downs), so I really didn't want to mess with adjusting legs to get a balance. This tripod is very easy to get balanced, and it locks down pretty tight to keep things secure.

I also like how fluid the head is, especially for the price. I haven't had any issues with the fluid head, except for a very slight jump when I start to pan. It sticks ever so slightly, but if I just back it off a bit and then start my move, you'd never know in the final shot. It's a very minor thing, but I thought it may be worth mentioning.

The bag is very well made, but I find it slightly frustrating to use, because if the tripod isn't in just the right position and collapsed properly, it can take a while to get it to fit so that the bag can close and zip up. It has a variety of handles (top, side, and a shoulder strap) which makes picking it up quickly fairly easy. I don't have to look for the handle.

Now, the not so good:

Although the leveling head is easy to adjust and lock down, when I have my Igus 39" slider mounted on top with the Manfrotto quick-release plate in the center of the slider, the bowl seems to have a little trouble keeping centered. I have tightened the bowl as hard as I dare, and when my Canon 60D with Samyang 35mm 1.4 is on it, I have encountered very slight slippage in the leveling to either side. Adding another tripod or light stand eliminates this problem, as does simply not moving the camera all the way to the end of the slider.

The leg adjustment clamps were pretty tight when the tripod arrived, making it difficult to open or close the locks for the legs. However, this was easily adjusted with the included allen wrench. Not a problem any more. :)

The only other thing I didn't like about this tripod was that it didn't have an adjustable center post. In a perfect world, I could have a 75" tripod with a bowl head and a center post, but for around $300, the fact that this tripod doesn't have a post isn't even close to a deal-breaker. It just would have been a nice feature so that I didn't have to deal with unlocking and locking three legs to adjust the height.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with this tripod. It is a Manfrotto, which means the plate fits with all of my other Manfrotto gear, and I get the confidence of not having to jury rig or worry about other gear. The cons are minimal, especially when you consider the quality you get, along with the low price tag. I would buy it again, and would recommend it to others in a similar situation. Of course, you can get higher quality for more money, but as a budget filmmaker and videographer, this tripod met me where I was, and I'll be happy to deal with its limitations.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I purchased this tripod to use it with my new glidetrack dolly kit. The head is spectacular and has no limitations. Nice smooth pans and tilts, great control over the movement, well worth the money. The sticks however, are sturdy yet hard to adjust. Also had a lot of trouble trying to remove the head from the tripod body. Had to google it to make sure I wasn't breaking anything.

Comments about Manfrotto 501HDV, 547BK Video Tripod System Kit:

I ordered this tripod combo because of my past use of this model. I have rented this kit before from rental houses and has been a great combo for the HDV camcorders and DSLRs that I have used.

The tripod has a single lock mechanism which makes it easy on run and go shooting. No need to fiddle with 2 lock mechanisms. It is also a very light tripod, yet another good reason for on the go shooting.

The Manfrotto 501 head is a very smooth head. I have shot several live events with this tripod and it is a good feeling to know that your head wont jerk the camera when panning with a talent on stage as your camera is hot on screen to the audience. It is not a particularly large head but it can handle very well. The headed is rated to handle up to 13lbs, but I wouldn't recommend hitting that limit. I have used this head once for a teleprompter setup, but the telepromptter and camera combo was slightly too much for the head. If you are thinking about a good teleprompter head, look into the Manfrotto 504 head.

The bag that also comes with this kit is very well made. Very sturdy and can handle alot of stress when traveling between locations. If you are thinking about traveling by plan though, I would recommend one of the sturdy hard plastic cases to slide this bag and tripod combo into.

I gave this combo a four star rating for 2 things I wish it had. I was looking for a hook where I could have hung some weight to add more stability to tripod on multi cam shoots where I am on a riser. That would have been a nice touch. And the bag though very sturdy, has this zipper cover that a times can get snagged while trying to zip up the bag. Just means you have to zip it up slowly, not exactly ideal when you are in a hurry.

Other than that, it is again a great combo for anyone shooting with an HDV camcorder and using it for mainly solo run and go gigs, such as the wedding photographer, the solo interview (no teleprompter) and the documentary shooter.