THEWINNERS
The Sachtler Flowtech 75 takes top honours as winner of the Editor’s Choice award. It is a dream tripod purchase for serious filmmakers, who will appreciate its wide carbon-fibre tubes, which are designed to avoid twisting, but are still comfortable to carry on the shoulder. The tripod legs are held together magnetically, which means you can pull them out and splay themwide. Then there is a single locking lever on each leg at the top, near the head. You just undo these big levers, quickly raise the tripod to the height you want and fasten the locks up again. Operation is fast and easy, the tripod is super stable and is light for its size, making it a worthy addition to anyone’s kit. EDITOR’S CHOICE: SACHTLER 4585 FLOWTECH 75
“Italian brand Manfrotto alsowins with the Gimbal 460 Kit, which is ideal for larger cameras”
the parameters of the gimbal, but there’s also the free Manfrotto app, which can be used to change all the settings and remote operation. Sliders have remained very popular thanks to the beautifully controlled movement they provide. Many sliders offer hugely complicatedmotors and
And they are great for getting high-angle shots, too, with the Manfrotto going up to a maximum height of 203cm/79.9in. The Italian brand also wins the Stabiliser/Gimbal award with the Manfrotto Gimbal 460 Kit, a three- axis motorised gimbal stabiliser that has a 4.6kg/10lbmaximumpayload, making it ideal for larger cameras. The kit comes with a focus motor, underslung handle, quick- release plate, mini tripod and shutter-release cables. Everything you need to turn it from a basic, single-handed gimbal ideal for fast use, into a two-handed unit with a follow focus for more precise work. All in a light, custom-fitted carrying case with all the tools you need. The quick-release systemuses twomounting plates. There’s a built-in platform and removable top-plate, both with an Arca-Swiss fitting. The top-plate can be used to switch your camera between the gimbal and tripods with an Arca- Swiss head. This means you don’t have to rebalance the gimbal when mounting the camera back on. There is also a small touchscreen on the handle of the gimbal with obvious icons, allowing you to set the most-usedmodes such as pan, tilt, pan and tilt, or lockedmode. Swiping the screen opens other menus. There is also a large knob on the left of the unit to adjust pan or tilt movements, and rear joystick if you prefer to use that. A button on the front instantly resets the gimbal to its normal position. It’s easy to get up and running quickly. The touchscreen allows you to enter different modes directly, such as time-lapse or selfie mode, and also lets you set up nearly all
programmable movements that can create all sorts of cool effects, but for many, a simple and compact, fuss-free slider is all that’s needed. And the winner in this category definitely falls into that camp: the Libec ALX S4. It’s a light and compact slider that weighs just 1.4kg/3.1lb, yet takes a payload of up to 15kg/33lb. The rail length is 400mm/15.5in, so it’s not hugely long, but is just enough to give a simple slider shot when you need it. Similarly, rigging up a cinema camera can seem complicated with somany parts available. Dutch grip specialist Vocas has taken all the hard work out of sourcing parts by unveiling several kits for the Sony PXW-FX9. The Run and Gun Kit has the basics most people would need and it’s a winner in our awards. This kit uses some of the most popular Vocas accessories, featuring a 15mm compact base plate with a rubber shoulder pad and standard 15mm rails, and a V-Lock adapter plate. It’s precisely machined and fits perfectly to the camera. The kit bolts right on to the FX9’s all-metal chassis, giving a solid foundation where everything locks together as it should and doesn’t move.
ABOVE The Manfrotto Gimbal 460 can take a hefty payload and is easy to use
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