The head lacks a counter-balance and proper fluid drag tension/control for the tilt axis, as it only has a lock knob. Which makes it only suitable for locked up shots. The carbon fiber legs are interesting though as long as you’re using a proper fluid head like the ones from Sachtler.
I got the Neewer TP75. It's a 74" Pro fluid head tripod and it's fantastic. It's only around $160, but it's as smooth and as well made as tripods several times that price that I've tried.
If you're doing film for hobby, get your hands on whatever you can afford and have fun (and ignore the rest of this comment). If you are doing film as your job or you intend to make it your job, there is no such thing as 'good beginers tripod'. Presume you got your rig sorted. You're running a nice camera and lens. Your next buy is possibly some sort of extra power solution like a battery plate, an additional monitor, wireless transmitter and, if you're a one-man-bad, a microphone/radio mic reciver with a sound recorder. A sweet setup with a price well in the 4 digits zone. I guess you don't leave your rig on the very edge of the table, do you? Setting it on a cheap tripod is like leaving it on the very edge of the table, but you had to pay for it. Getting into film is expensive as it is and you have to cut corners at the start. But you do not want to cut it on your tripod. You will always have other, more urgent expenses or more exciting buys than a new tripod. It is possibly the last thing you'll be wanting to change, so get it right from the start. You're getting a literal foundation to which your tousands of dollars worth money making machine will be attached every single time you use it for work. You cannot afford to loose your rig becouse that foundation failed. You cannot afford a cheap tripod.
Yea, I agree that there are some cheap and nasty tripods out there. In my opinion this is not a cheap tripod, and is both robust and heavy duty, I absolutely would not put this tripod in that category. I have a landscape/studio tripod that cost 4 times is much and is of a similar build quality.
the tripods above this level are literally $1,800+ ,…..ppl dont have another option and they shouldn’t wait to save up $1,800 for a tripod until they’re making enough money to upgrade without worry
Nice review! I just purchased this tripod. Incredible value for the price. My hero tripod is Ikan E-Image with GH15 100mm fluid head that was $2,200. It’s great for the studio but terribly inconvenient to transport. I will be taking Smallrig with me everywhere. It’s 90% there compared to my Ikan, plus Smallrig has some of the extra features that make it a great travel tripod. I don’t see a need to spend more for so little difference in functionality or convenience.
Hi. I don't mean to throw hate at all, but I think putting some footage using the actual gear that is being reviewed, should be a must in this sort of videos. I suggest doing so in the future. Apart from that, thank you for your work.
Great video! Thanks. Important question: are there micro jitters when easing out from, and easing into a static position? How smooth is it in those scenarios?
I have the First Version and its the best investment I've made, I don't really travel far for shoots so the weight isn't a massive problem but this version looks great! My main thought is it could use a nicer fluid head but both models have the same version
Yah, the Hess is better and it’s a noticeable upgrade overall. It’s kinda a pro tripod vs consumer tripod. I like the cheaper one too, it’s great value.
@@markwiemels yeah the new fluid head looks nicer bud id rather save on it, stay with the sticks and upgrade to a sachtler head and eventually if i need nicer sticks
Such a pity that there's no friction for the tilt. You're using the locking knob unproperly to act as a friction . Also not a big fan of the middle spreader. But for 400 bucks it's still worth it
That actually works pretty well. It seems pretty wide at the base, so it does seem designed to dampen the tilt like a higher end model would. You do then use it to lock, so you can’t leave it adjusted and lock/unlock, but it still works really well at dampening, and if your camera is balanced, you can walk round and it holds position, and doesn’t really need to be locked.
I've used tripods from a wide variety of prices and brands. This has some nice bells and whistles, yet durability is what I question. For example with $500 Manfrotto tripods I've had legs completely fall apart on me right before a shoot, and I've had others where the stepless part gets gooey and almost useless after using it on a hot day. Perhaps this one will be the exception and affordable tripods will finally become durable, yet for now I'm going to stick with Sachtler.
The head is a legitimate concern. I wasn’t sure how I could really know without putting the time and the miles on it, which I am now, which I mentioned in the video. It would also be nice to know how to service the head and refresh the grease if needed, or if that’s even possible.
The Plastic used, in some locations on the tripod, feels heavy duty and does not appear to be the type of brittle plastic that would break easily. It feels like it will give a little and rebound, similar to the composite materials used in cars. I have a $1000 carbon fibre tripod, for landscape and studio work, and it has some plastic components as well.
Manfrotto video heads are all terrible. They are incapable of making decent heads. Even This tripod is closer to a Vinten Blue than anything. The original Blue is a fairly old model now (I have several) but it has similar removable feet/spikes and a clever mid level spreader system that allows the spreader to be set at two heights making the legs closer together and the whole tripod even taller. If you like having variable drag you’ll love having variable counter balance too! And knowing that Vinten build them like tanks. But they aren’t cheap and the plates are not compatible even though they look the same. This small rig tripod does look like a serious contender though.
It’s really unfortunate they didn’t use a standard foot with the rubber attachment instead so it would be compatible with all the standard ENG accessories. This kinda makes it only halfway there. Also for a tripod at this level, I actually really disagree with your comments about this head. This seems like a very basic head, similarly to a basic Manfrotto 500 without any real counter balance. While a good entry level for SmallRig, it’s not something you’d want to put 22lbs on. I just wish the legs were available without the head as it’s the head that’s the part that seems to really hold it back.
This one will be 2 to 3 times the price. I was told the tripod would be available for sale now, but it looks to me like they are just “launching” the tripod and you won’t be able to buy it for a few weeks, so I don’t know final pricing yet.
The single level isn't that unique, Sachtler has this design however their's is on the top of the legs. The feet setup between flat feet and spikes are pretty common on video tripods. Sadly also the center brace is very limiting unfortunately being that you cannot reduce the lowest height of the tripod by at least a third for low shots.
I was gonna comment the same. This tripod seems to be a copy of the sachtler flowtech tripods I’ve been lucky enough to work with. They have all of the exact same features and are slightly better since a lot of the quirks this one has are not present in the flowtechs. But considering the flowtechs are really $2000+ I would hope they didn’t deal with the little quirks. I’m surprised at how much of the flowtech features smallrig managed to get into their version for this price without compromising too much on quality (from what I can tell based on the video). Seems like a solid option of you’re looking for an upgrade but not quite at the places in your career where you can afford the more expensive sachtlers. That being said, if you’re running full cinema cameras with v-mounts, monitors, or follow focuses and regularly working on Productions with 4-5 digit budgets or more, you should get the more expensive tripods to have better security of your really expensive setups, better guarantee of the longevity of the tripod, and because you do not want to be worrying about the little quirks when trying to save every second on set. From my experience those little seconds add up over time and become very valuable and expensive the larger the budgets get
I wanted to make sure I stated , wonderful review. Very in depth and a solid tripod for the right customer. Don’t mean for it to sound like I’m trying to devalue anything said in the video or of the effort put into making it.
Get the Tripod HERE - (Amazon) geni.us/ClD5C (B&H) - geni.us/l0JySY
The head lacks a counter-balance and proper fluid drag tension/control for the tilt axis, as it only has a lock knob. Which makes it only suitable for locked up shots.
The carbon fiber legs are interesting though as long as you’re using a proper fluid head like the ones from Sachtler.
I got the Neewer TP75. It's a 74" Pro fluid head tripod and it's fantastic. It's only around $160, but it's as smooth and as well made as tripods several times that price that I've tried.
Sounds good.
If you're doing film for hobby, get your hands on whatever you can afford and have fun (and ignore the rest of this comment). If you are doing film as your job or you intend to make it your job, there is no such thing as 'good beginers tripod'.
Presume you got your rig sorted. You're running a nice camera and lens. Your next buy is possibly some sort of extra power solution like a battery plate, an additional monitor, wireless transmitter and, if you're a one-man-bad, a microphone/radio mic reciver with a sound recorder. A sweet setup with a price well in the 4 digits zone. I guess you don't leave your rig on the very edge of the table, do you? Setting it on a cheap tripod is like leaving it on the very edge of the table, but you had to pay for it. Getting into film is expensive as it is and you have to cut corners at the start. But you do not want to cut it on your tripod. You will always have other, more urgent expenses or more exciting buys than a new tripod. It is possibly the last thing you'll be wanting to change, so get it right from the start. You're getting a literal foundation to which your tousands of dollars worth money making machine will be attached every single time you use it for work. You cannot afford to loose your rig becouse that foundation failed. You cannot afford a cheap tripod.
Yea, I agree that there are some cheap and nasty tripods out there. In my opinion this is not a cheap tripod, and is both robust and heavy duty, I absolutely would not put this tripod in that category. I have a landscape/studio tripod that cost 4 times is much and is of a similar build quality.
the tripods above this level are literally $1,800+ ,…..ppl dont have another option and they shouldn’t wait to save up $1,800 for a tripod until they’re making enough money to upgrade without worry
Nice review! I just purchased this tripod. Incredible value for the price. My hero tripod is Ikan E-Image with GH15 100mm fluid head that was $2,200. It’s great for the studio but terribly inconvenient to transport. I will be taking Smallrig with me everywhere. It’s 90% there compared to my Ikan, plus Smallrig has some of the extra features that make it a great travel tripod. I don’t see a need to spend more for so little difference in functionality or convenience.
Thanks for sharing that.
Hi. I don't mean to throw hate at all, but I think putting some footage using the actual gear that is being reviewed, should be a must in this sort of videos. I suggest doing so in the future. Apart from that, thank you for your work.
a lot of sachtler legs have the similar style of feet, although they are usually more expensive
Great video! Thanks. Important question: are there micro jitters when easing out from, and easing into a static position? How smooth is it in those scenarios?
I have found it to be very good, and smooth. I don’t know if this will change with use, or over time, but it’s very good right now.
I’m interested in the legs, the head seems not up to par with the quality of the legs. I would want to put a better head on it
You can buy the legs on their own, I only just discovered that.
@@markwiemels Nice I had the same question
I have the First Version and its the best investment I've made, I don't really travel far for shoots so the weight isn't a massive problem but this version looks great! My main thought is it could use a nicer fluid head but both models have the same version
Yah, the Hess is better and it’s a noticeable upgrade overall. It’s kinda a pro tripod vs consumer tripod. I like the cheaper one too, it’s great value.
@@markwiemels yeah the new fluid head looks nicer bud id rather save on it, stay with the sticks and upgrade to a sachtler head and eventually if i need nicer sticks
@@JWCinematography I have only just discover that can buy the legs without the head.
Such a pity that there's no friction for the tilt. You're using the locking knob unproperly to act as a friction .
Also not a big fan of the middle spreader.
But for 400 bucks it's still worth it
That actually works pretty well. It seems pretty wide at the base, so it does seem designed to dampen the tilt like a higher end model would. You do then use it to lock, so you can’t leave it adjusted and lock/unlock, but it still works really well at dampening, and if your camera is balanced, you can walk round and it holds position, and doesn’t really need to be locked.
I've used tripods from a wide variety of prices and brands. This has some nice bells and whistles, yet durability is what I question. For example with $500 Manfrotto tripods I've had legs completely fall apart on me right before a shoot, and I've had others where the stepless part gets gooey and almost useless after using it on a hot day. Perhaps this one will be the exception and affordable tripods will finally become durable, yet for now I'm going to stick with Sachtler.
The head is a legitimate concern. I wasn’t sure how I could really know without putting the time and the miles on it, which I am now, which I mentioned in the video. It would also be nice to know how to service the head and refresh the grease if needed, or if that’s even possible.
It’s a heck of a lot of tripod for the price, IF it holds up.
Not to mention all the clips and feet on the tripod are made of cheap plastic.. This tripod will not last more than 2 months of medium use
The Plastic used, in some locations on the tripod, feels heavy duty and does not appear to be the type of brittle plastic that would break easily. It feels like it will give a little and rebound, similar to the composite materials used in cars. I have a $1000 carbon fibre tripod, for landscape and studio work, and it has some plastic components as well.
Manfrotto video heads are all terrible. They are incapable of making decent heads. Even This tripod is closer to a Vinten Blue than anything. The original Blue is a fairly old model now (I have several) but it has similar removable feet/spikes and a clever mid level spreader system that allows the spreader to be set at two heights making the legs closer together and the whole tripod even taller. If you like having variable drag you’ll love having variable counter balance too! And knowing that Vinten build them like tanks. But they aren’t cheap and the plates are not compatible even though they look the same. This small rig tripod does look like a serious contender though.
Incredible video and review.
Thanks.
It’s really unfortunate they didn’t use a standard foot with the rubber attachment instead so it would be compatible with all the standard ENG accessories. This kinda makes it only halfway there.
Also for a tripod at this level, I actually really disagree with your comments about this head. This seems like a very basic head, similarly to a basic Manfrotto 500 without any real counter balance. While a good entry level for SmallRig, it’s not something you’d want to put 22lbs on. I just wish the legs were available without the head as it’s the head that’s the part that seems to really hold it back.
Thanks for sharing!
You’re most welcome.
Looks like it's not available for purchase yet. I have the previous version and I love it. I wonder what's the price on this one..
glad i saw this was about to buy but the one they had that looked similar to this looked a bit different
This one will be 2 to 3 times the price. I was told the tripod would be available for sale now, but it looks to me like they are just “launching” the tripod and you won’t be able to buy it for a few weeks, so I don’t know final pricing yet.
@@markwiemels its 400 bucks on B&H
Thanks for letting me know that they have it! That’s great.
Thanks for your reviewing but I guess it's over spec for your DSLR style camera,😁
You don't need something this heavy duty, but it will get you very smooth pan and tilt motion. I use it almost every day, with smaller cameras.
1:25 -- Are you based in Canada, Mark?
Australia.
What head is this so I can purchase separately :)
The low price really outweighs the compromises. Great review!
Agreed!
you didn't show how low it would go
I can’t find it, the link doesn’t work.
Yea, they told me it would live at the time of publishing the video, but it not yet. I have added a note to the description.
@@markwiemels thank you, would be seriously interested in this!
The single level isn't that unique, Sachtler has this design however their's is on the top of the legs. The feet setup between flat feet and spikes are pretty common on video tripods. Sadly also the center brace is very limiting unfortunately being that you cannot reduce the lowest height of the tripod by at least a third for low shots.
Yeh, these feature are probably only unique at the price point of tripods I usually use. Makes sense that these are on the better tripods.
I was gonna comment the same. This tripod seems to be a copy of the sachtler flowtech tripods I’ve been lucky enough to work with. They have all of the exact same features and are slightly better since a lot of the quirks this one has are not present in the flowtechs. But considering the flowtechs are really $2000+ I would hope they didn’t deal with the little quirks. I’m surprised at how much of the flowtech features smallrig managed to get into their version for this price without compromising too much on quality (from what I can tell based on the video). Seems like a solid option of you’re looking for an upgrade but not quite at the places in your career where you can afford the more expensive sachtlers. That being said, if you’re running full cinema cameras with v-mounts, monitors, or follow focuses and regularly working on Productions with 4-5 digit budgets or more, you should get the more expensive tripods to have better security of your really expensive setups, better guarantee of the longevity of the tripod, and because you do not want to be worrying about the little quirks when trying to save every second on set. From my experience those little seconds add up over time and become very valuable and expensive the larger the budgets get
I wanted to make sure I stated , wonderful review. Very in depth and a solid tripod for the right customer. Don’t mean for it to sound like I’m trying to devalue anything said in the video or of the effort put into making it.
@@jeffbagwell5 I think you have really nailed both this tripod, and who it's for.