There are 3 simple requirements when choosing a tripod and head, they are the Price, Loading, and weight. However, of the 3 prerequisites, you could only pick 2. You want a compact size with good loading, expect to pay to hefty. You want a good loading with ample spare change left in your pocket, expect to do some weight lifting.
I don't know if this wisdom still holds up today. After all, there are a lot of new brands coming from China, such as the Aputure lights, the Blazar Anamorphic lens, Zeapon electric slider. Frankly, they are all very good and extremely budget friendly.
The gears I'm currently using are the RRS tripod paired with the Manfrotto video head, a velbon tripod coupled with the Linholf Leveling Pan/Tilt. A special mention goes to the Linholf head, it is insanely strong and incredibly reliable, and it goes very well having a slider on top.
Yes, I'm using the equipments made for still shot photography for video making, and they are working just fine. However, adjusting the height of a conventional photo tripod is .....OK, if you are doing still. But not too "flexible" if you're making a video that requires you to go up and down, and up again. You'd spend half the time rotating each leg , adjusting its height for each of the legs, but never quite accurately levelled.
I'm willing to overlook this "pain in the neck". After all, they are in their own rights, top of the line stuff, and I'm not using them as intended. But the fact that I'm not getting younger anytime soon, I'm beginning to really, truly, undisputedly dislike "adjusting height of a tripod". I had to squat down, loosen the legs, guess the length for each leg, then repeat a couple more times before getting the right height. It's time consuming, and I wanted to take my time getting up, especially after a long squat.
Be gentle to your back, no matter your age.
And here comes the Flowtech, made by the world famous Sachtler video tripod and fluid head. The quickest, the most convenient way to adjust your tripod's height, and you could do so while standing tall. Just how cool is that ? If I were a professional, this would be it, the holy grail of tripod, the One ring to rule all rings. Sadly I'm not a professional. The entry level setup would run you about the same as a Sony FX30, a threshold I'm not emotionally prepared to dish out.
Luckily we have the Smallrig, Sirui, YC Onion, all having similar features as the Flowtech, but half the damage. This price tag, I could live with. So now I'm surfing the YouTube, checking out the reviews, and doing a mental comparison between the 3 brands.
