Heads leaking
By NewsPhotog
Rated 2 out of 5
Date: 2022-12-30
Our shop bought 6 of these a few years back. They are well counterbalanced and have smooth pan/tilt flow. These originally were our favorite tripod heads aside from the old Sachtlers we have.
The issue is that after 3 years, 4 out of the 6 we bought have developed leaks. This led to oily messes in cars, ruined shirts from being toted on shoulders, and ultimately a loss in the smooth functioning of the head. Costs to repair them are upwards of $600 each.
At this price point, there shouldn't be issues this early on with so many of them. I'm dreading and waiting for the day mine decides to spring a leak. It's a shame because initially these were great fluid heads for ENG.
Buyer beware of the short average life span, and consider another brand instead.
Best in the price range for the right camera
By Rob
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2017-03-17
I have been on a search for a new for a Panasonic AG-UX180 I purchased. I have a few cheaper heads in my existing arsenal and while those can still work, I wanted to try stepping things up a bit. I was initially checking out an Sachlter FSB-8 but I was leary of the price. I liked that Sachtler's payload range but it was more head than I needed. My local camera/video supplier turned me on to Secced Video Heads and I tried out theirSC-DV10/75RP. The Secced's are almost a complete knockoff of the Sachtler heads, but unkike most knockoff's the construction was pretty good. I had a chance to compare the two heads side by side. The Secced head offered a much wider payload range but it's counter balance, while much better than my cheaper heads (Manfrotto 504HD & 502 HD, Benro S7) it was no match for the Vinten Vision Blue and their 'Perfect Balance' system. For some reason the Secced didn't have a light on their bubble level which is annoying for me as I am frequently in environments where I need a light on my bubble level. The downside to the Vinten bubble light, is that it uses a european battery which I don't think is going to be that easy to find in North America. Also, the battery cover seems a little flimsy and suspect to me, time will tell. It does not seem like a big deal now, but if it gets lost in the future, I can see a replacement being absurdly priced. Both the Secced and Vinten only came with a NON-telescopic pan pan bar arm. Both companies offer telescopic versions, with the Vinten Telescopic Pan Bar coming in at a whopping $270!! The nice touch about the Vinten was that the Rosette on the Pan bar which allows you to set the angle of the pan bar, is made out of metal. Another well thought out bonus is that that the rosette on the Vinten is finer than my other Video heads, thereby allowing you to make finer angle adjustments, nice touch. The bar itself is substantial and meaty and seems to be set at an ideal length. The bar with Secced was also non-telescopic but was much longer making it not as practical as the Vintens arm for many of my shooting situations. The Vision Blue comes with a 75mm ball just like all of my other heads but it seemed to me to have less levelling play than my other heads. I can't verify that 100% at this point, but it was just an observation. I will try to compare with more scrutiny when I have time. Movement on the Vinten is sublime. It's about as perfect as I would have hoped for. I am shooting a lot of action sports which requires constant head movement, so I am very sensitive to the 'feel' of the head. The movement on the Vision Blue just seems right, its very smooth and professional feeling. The pan and tilt drag, like the heads counter balance, are infinitely adjustable which allows you to dial in the PERFECT amount of drag. The Sachtler and Secced heads have the traditional, click marked settings, which are fine but just not as customizable as the Vinten. Overall, this is the smoothest feeling head I have ever used. The one knock on the Vinten seems to be with the mounting plate. The mounting plate is a proprietary size and will not fit Manfrotto's plates which all of my existing heads currently accommodate. Sachtler also comes with a head that can accomodate the Manfrotto Wedge mounting plate. There is the option of attaching theManfrotto577 Rapid Connect Adapter to the Vinten Plate but it is clumsy to tighten and loosen once the camera is mounted...it's not an ideal fix but it is an option if you absolutely need to use a Manfrotto mounting plate. For my purposes, I am just going to use the Vinten mounting plate and see how that goes. I just hope I don't run into a situation where I decide to use a different head and forget to bring a Manfrotto mounting plate. The other downside to the Vinten mounting plate, is that buying extras is very expensive unless you are fortunate to find aftermarket branded versions which I hear do exist. I think charging $112.50 for a mounting plate is egregious and borders on gouging. The Vision mounting plates are also not that readily available and will be special order for me if I buy locally in Canada. I once forgot to bring a mounting plate to an event and had enough time to go to my local camera store and was able to find a Manfrotto mounting plate. The only thing that made me think twice about buying the Vinten initially was the limited payload range that the Vision Blue supports (4.6-11 lbs). This head is not ideal for lighter camera payloads. I will be doing most of my work with the AG-UX180 and for that Camera and other Camera's in that payload range, I can't imagine finding a better head. This process taught me a valuable gear lesson. I sometimes buy gear based on what I might need in the future, and while that mindset is sometimes helpful....it has generally disappointed me as I am rarely in the situation I thought I was going to be in. For me, I chose the piece of gear that best suits the needs of my current situation. I could have bought the Secced which would have been 'better, than my current heads and offered more usability in terms of payload options, it was not the best option for my most used set up. I can't imagine there being a better option for camera's in the 5-11 lbs payload range at any price. The Vision Blue is an excellent fluid video head and an amazing value. Pro's - Perfect Balance system - infinitely variable drag settings - pan and tilt feel - Pan bar rosette for more settings - bubble level light Con's - Proprietary mounting plate, does not fit Manfrotto plates - limited payload range, but perfect for the range it covers - NON-telescoping pan bar - extras and replacement parts egregiously expensive - bubble level light battery cover flimsy
