Digital Video - June 2008 - (Page 20)

IN REVIEW SACHTLER 4160 SOOM TRIPOD SYSTEM used my free leg for balance, usually by panning towards it. The best counterbalance measure was to shoot with as wide an angle as possible without compromising the shot. This is what I did while covering a parade and a dance performance. These were both situations where wide-angle shots are often desirable. With the monopod, I was able to grab more shots from more angles and miss less action between shots, than if I had been using a tripod. The monopod approach also enabled me to weave through crowds faster, and more safely than with a tripod. From my perspective, the mini-tripod is the most ingenious aspect of the SOOM system. The difference in lens height when using SOOM as a standard tripod and when using the spreader as a set of baby legs is dramatic. With the baby legs and in the low mode, you’re just inches off the ground. Although I didn’t have a lot of time to experiment with this feature during my evaluation, I can see the potential for some dramatic, virtually vertical, low-angle shots. At the start of this millennium there was a limited selection of tripods for smaller cameras, and many of those lacked “beef.” Sachtler’s SOOM corrects that deficiency without adding too much weight, while also adding versatility and value: it has been described as the “Swiss Army knife” of tripods. Equally important, each SOOM component is designed with Sachtler’s trademark reliability and ruggedness. For the most part it performed as advertised. I do offer one caveat, though: assembling and disassembling the monopod and baby legs can be tricky, even with the manual. Perhaps a better-illustrated manual, DVD or video on the company’s Web site would make it easier for newbies to get up to speed and to use it correctly. DV Carl Mrozek operates Buffalo, NY-based Eagle Eye Media, which specializes in wildlife and outdoor subjects. His work regularly appears on Discovery Channel, The Weather Channel, CBS and PBS. Contact him at eagleye@localnet.com. www.dv.com from below to fit and operate properly. SOOM ‘s mid-level spreader is sturdier than most, as the upper section has a pair of rods, while the lower has one. All are permanently attached to a ring bowl that encircles the tube when in use and is also where the fluid head fastens when the spreader becomes a mini-tripod. Packaged with SOOM, the FSB 6 head features three grades of pan-andtilt adjustment, along with a 10-step counterbalance and 75mm ball. It also features Sachtler’s Snap and Go sideload mechanism for fast loading. The SOOM is also available with Sachtler’s classic Touch and Go camera plate. The FSB 6 is designed to support cameras weighing up to 13.2 pounds. When used with SOOM, the FSB 6 sits 5" higher up than it would with a typical cradle atop the tripod. It’s fastened to a ring bowl/mounting bracket atop the monopod, with just enough space beneath it to fasten and loosen the clamping bowl tie-down. The head and cradle can be elevated by loosening the clamping lever on the outside of the collar atop the tube. The tube can then be moved upwards to a maximum bowl height of 98.4". The SOOM I tested arrived ready for use, except for the FSB 6, which was packaged and shipped separately. It took a little trial and error to figure out how to use the clamping bowl (tie-down) that secures the fluid head to the ring bowl on the tripod. It is designed to fit snugly on the inside of the ring and there is only one correct way to insert it from below. Once installed to the base of the FSB 6, it was secure, yet adjustable. The procedure is identical when mounting the fluid head to the mid-level spreader when it’s drafted for use as a mini-tripod. With the tripod ready for use, I tightened a single fastening screw on the camera adapter plate beneath a Canon XH A1 camcorder and was ready to go to work. On my first few outings with the SOOM, I mainly used it outdoors and in urban settings. The rubber “toe-pads” are well suited for both applications. In fact, they provided a very stable base on both level and uneven surfaces, even 20 dv june 2008 those covered with hard frozen snow and ice. It was a bit tough to loosen the clamping bowl with gloved fingers at first, but I quickly found a sweet spot that kept the head secure and also enabled me to quickly level the head if necessary. In general, the SOOM provided exceptionally stable support, even when conditions were windy, partly because of its sturdy construction, but also due to the support added by securing its midlevel spreader to the center tube. Moreover, the dual rod-lower legs of the tripod, and also of the upper “legs” of the spreader, added more rigidity to the tripod when it was set up. This proved essential when raising the inner tube for higher-angle shots. Conversely, I was impressed with how long I was able to keep the image steady when using the camcorder supported on the monopod. This was helped partly by the stabilizing pedal, and partly by the mass of the tube and head. For tripodsmooth pans and tilts, I preferred to have my back against a wall or vehicle for extra stability. When this was not feasible, I http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - June 2008

Digital Video - June 2008 Contents DV Update My Studio Runners World Brevis Flip 35MM Lens Adapter 4160 Soom Tripod System Century Essential-5 Filter Kit Little Big Disk Quadra Instant Expert DXA-2S Adapter Technology Treasures Making What You See Sound Great Click to Play DV 101 Production Diary

Digital Video - June 2008

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