Satchler Head Question

[Mark B.]

What's the difference between the Sachtler Video 18 ii and iii series of heads? Was there any revolutionary technological improvement, or is it just an extra "i" on the label? Is the 18 adequate for a lightweight Red setup?

[Hans von Sonntag]

It depends what you find adequate. If you are looking for a lightweight solution for remote locations you will be happy. If you are looking for a strong camera support the Video 18 is too light as all 100mm based fluid heads are.

I used the Video 18 with CF sticks for the above described application and found it a viable solution in this regard. Going to use it again. Good quality as all other Sachtler tripods.

[Mark B.]

I'm going to be carrying the camera gear into remote locations, most of it on my shoulders though I may have an assistant to help move some of the gear.

I was curious about the differences between the II and III versions of the Sachtler heads because I'm trying to keep things cheap and buy a used head. The older II model is primarily the type being sold used, and I've been wondering what I'd be missing if I bought one of those older II models instead of the newer III model.

[Sam Roberts]

It depends what you find adequate. If you are looking for a lightweight solution for remote locations you will be happy. If you are looking for a strong camera support the Video 18 is too light as all 100mm based fluid heads are

Hans. Do you mean if you are using RED or Cine lenses? For those using Nikon or Canon (not the big telephotos) primes and zooms the video 18 works very well, especially if you are using screw in filters (no matte box) and are recording on the cards.

[Michael Hastings]

satchler is a common misspelling of sachtler and I got a good deal on one on ebay by searching for the misspelling since not many people saw it or bid on it.

[Martin Weiss]

It also helps looking worldwide. If you have friends in places like France, Germany, UK, you can also search those localized eBays. I managed thus to get a pretty good deal on a Sachtler 20 III.

While on eBay, use brackets when searching, they act as "or"s. Look for example for (sachtler, satchler, cartoni, vinten) and worldwide.

Good luck!

[Mark B.]

It also helps looking worldwide. If you have friends in places like France, Germany, UK, you can also search those localized eBays. I managed thus to get a pretty good deal on a Sachtler 20 III.

While on eBay, use brackets when searching, they act as "or"s. Look for example for (sachtler, satchler, cartoni, vinten) and worldwide.

Good luck!

The US dollar is a bit low right now, so I'll probably just limit myself to looking for gear in the U.S. and Canada. Even Canadian exchange rates are a bit high nowadays.

[Hans von Sonntag]

Hans. Do you mean if you are using RED or Cine lenses? For those using Nikon or Canon (not the big telephotos) primes and zooms the video 18 works very well, especially if you are using screw in filters (no matte box) and are recording on the cards.

I meant it as I said: It depends what you find adequate. If you strip down the RED to nothing but a lens and a LCD plus batteries you'll be fine with a 100mm system. If you use the Red as most people are (at least I am), body, battery, EVF, mattebox, FF etc... a 100mm system will be too light, not only when using a huge cine-zoom.

I used the Sachtler Video18 in my lightest configuration, battery, LCD, S16 Canon 8-64, Arri MB19. Even in this Configuration the Red is heavier than a Sony F 900R. I took the Video 18 for its weight but not for its capabilities. Surely a compromise.

Hans

[Mark B.]

Is the 100mm head really that critical? The Miller Arrow55 and Sachtler Video20 are capable of 50lbs+, but utilize a 100mm head. Does it impact their performance significantly?

BTW, why the huge price difference between the Arrow55 and the Video20? Is one really that much better than the other? I'm finding the used Video20's are almost as expensive (or sometimes more expensive) than a new Arrow55. Any opinions on the Arrow?

[Cam Crowley]

My Sachtler Video 20II handles the RED very nicely even with a fairly heavy set up. However, a longer bridgeplate (I got the ET 1030 12" attached to the ET 19mm Base) is a must to keep things balanced. Without it you will seriously be straining the tilt loads on the head.

My 2 cents

Cam

[Hans von Sonntag]

Is the 100mm head really that critical? The Miller Arrow55 and Sachtler Video20 are capable of 50lbs+, but utilize a 100mm head. Does it impact their performance significantly?
?

Personally I don't have any experience with Miller heads as they are very rare here in Germany.

The payload is depending very much on the tilt angle. Meaning that the more you tilt the head the less payload it can carry. All manufacturers have diagramms for their heads that show clearly where the limits are.

A head thats able to carry 25 kilos (a fully loaded Red with cine-zoom will be just under 25 Kilo) will fail when tilted to a certain extend.

If you want to use the head in all angles and your camera is say 15 kilos you may need a head with a payload of 30 kg.

Regarding ballrings sizes. Yes, I find the 100mm CF stick made by Sachtler pretty strong, nevertheless the 150mm sized tripods are even more sturdy. Obviously there is a reason why Sachtler for instance uses 150mm for their Video 25 system which actually is a very good compromise between payload (also relative paylaod when tilted) and weight. I don't know of any competitor who accomplishes this nearly as good.

There are many other things that make people love their tripod system: O'Connor is very well machined with no compromise and has a rustic appearance but is heavy. Sachtler has a much more "modern" approach, for many film people too much "Video" etc... Specs. like maximum tilt angle are as important to some as the weight/payload ratio for others and then there is the price - the normative power of the factual.

There is one last point: The bigger the head the more room for the fluid system. Big heads tend to be much mor buttery than smaller heads.

Hans

[Hans von Sonntag]

My Sachtler Video 20II handles the RED very nicely even with a fairly heavy set up. However, a longer bridgeplate (I got the ET 1030 12" attached to the ET 19mm Base) is a must to keep things balanced. Without it you will seriously be straining the tilt loads on the head.

My 2 cents

Cam

Yes - this is the beauty of the Arri bridgeplate system.

Hans