MINI TESTS
SIRUI BCT-3203 VIDEO TRIPOD KIT £1770/$1790 mtfservices.com
SPECIFICATIONS Head fitting: 100mmbowl Counterbalance: 13 steps Drag control: 7 levels plus zero Tilt angle: +90°/-90° Leg sections: 3 carbon fibre Height range: 445-1600mm/17.5-63in Maximumpayload: 18kg/39.7lb Spreader type: Mid and ground level Folded height: 750mm/29.5in Weight: 9kg/19.8lb
land. The legs have spiked feet for grip, but there are rubber covers to protect more delicate floors. It’s a traditional-style tripod with a twin-tube leg design that’s aimed at enabling fast set up. To get it ready, you undo the clamps at the top and pull up the tripod to the desired height, then clamp themup again. However, with the tripod and head coming in at 9kg/19.8lb, it’s a bit of a heavy weight to lift, especially if you have the camera still on top. It’s best to set the tripod up first, then fit the camera. There are two spirit levels, one on the base and one on the head, to help you get it level by reaching under the head and adjusting the angle with a large adjustment knob. The head itself has a far wider range of adjustment than the smaller 75mm head we looked at recently. The drag can be dialled in with seven steps and it can be left free-moving for fast whip pans. The motion is smooth and controlled, as you’d expect from a top-quality piece of kit. For perfect counterbalance, there is a long and wide camera plate with a choice of mounting holes, and the counterbalance adjustment is
Sirui continues its march towards being one of the major tripod brands with the launch of its burly BCT-3203 carbon fibre tripod, complete with BCH30 head. It’s the flagship product that’s designed to be the most stable tripod in the series, ideal for the largest cinema cameras with big lenses, matte boxes, monitors and all the rest of the broadcast kit youmight need bolted on. Compared to the BCT-2203 and BCH-20 head we looked at last issue, which uses a 75mmbowl fitting, the BCT-3203 and BCH-30 is a 100mm fitment and is a step ahead in terms of size, weight, stability and adjustability. It’s also significantly more expensive, coming in at £1770/ $1790. That’s not a small chunk of change, but it does buy a fully featured, broadcast-ready tripod system that could easily cost four or five times as much fromone of the big-name manufacturers. It offers a lot of value for the money. Like its smaller brother, it comes in a decent carrying case, with two adjustable pan handles for broadcast- style working, though you can remove one. The kit comes with a mid-level spreader that’s good for uneven terrain and a ground-level spreader for flat
ABOVE Sirui’s latest tripod is ideal for large cinema cameras
in 13 steps. It’s not a fast, drop-in style plate, though. If you want that functionality, it’s best to buy an accessory mounting plate that stays mounted to the tripod, and the camera clips on top of that. That’s certainly the best thing for large cameras with all the accessories attached, which is what this tripod is designed for. The tripod is easy to use and adjust, with top-quality carbon fibre legs that lock quickly. It’s designed for a working professional to use with a heavy payload, and delivers. There is a large range of adjustment in terms of camera weights and also the maximum andminimumheights of the tripod itself. And the pan and tilt actions are smooth and well-controlled. If you have a large camera set-up and need a solid, large tripod for studio or location use, the Sirui should be on your shopping list. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 A traditional twin-tube leg tripod that’s built to last and competitively priced. Pros: Solid and stable for big rigs. Cons: Too big for smaller camera set-ups.
“It’s a traditional-style tripodwith a twin-tube leg design that’s aimed at enabling fast set up”
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