GEAR
MINI TESTS
SPECIFICATIONS Head fitting: Flat Leg locks: Flip lock Counterbalance: Fixed
MANFROTTO HYBRID 500 VIDEO TRIPOD KIT £360/$254 manfrotto.co.uk
Drag control: Fixed Tilt angle: +90°/-70° Leg sections: 3 aluminium Height range: 50-173cm/19.7-68.1in Maximumpayload: 5kg/11lb Spreader type: None Folded height: 72cm/8.3in Weight: 4.2kg/9.2lb
If you use a mirrorless camera or DSLR, you need a video tripod that’s ideal for your hybrid system. A standard photo tripod doesn’t have a fast-levelling system even if you fit a fluid-damped head with a pan handle. And many of the video tripods are designed for camcorders, so can be too cumbersome or over-engineered. Manfrotto’s new Hybrid 500 tripod kit is for cameras up to 5kg/11lb in weight, using the firm’s popular 500 Fluid Video Head with a set of aluminium, three-section tripod legs based on the 190X photo model, but fitted with a levelling column for quick set-up. Just undo the rubberised locking knob under the centre column, move the head until the built-in spirit level shows it’s horizontal, then tighten it up. It’s so much faster than having to mess around adjusting individual legs. Unlike Manfrotto’s more expensive heads, unfortunately this spirit level doesn’t come with LED illumination. The whole kit weighs just 3.2kg/ 7.1lb, packs down to 72cm/28.3in and goes up to a decent maximum height of 173cm/68.1in, or as low as 50cm/19.7in. The legs are Manfrotto’s D-section aluminium tubes to stop twisting, and are adjusted using lever locks that can be quickly unlocked with one hand for fast operation. But it can be easy to pinch your skin if you’re not careful, so you need to watch what you are doing until you get used to it. At the top of the legs is a catch that allows them to be splayed out wide to get the head low or for uneven ground. lowered quickly, without resetting the level, to get the height right. One of the legs has a rubber cover at the top for grip, too. In use, the tripod is easy and fast to set up, and very solid. It’s best to not extend the centre column too much, though, as this can affect stability. The head fits to the top plate with three grub screws for security. It can be replaced with a stills head, to make the kit even more flexible. The 500 Fluid Video Head has fluid cartridges on both the pan and tilt axis By using a locking knob, the centre column can be raised or
IMAGES The tripod is solid, and very quick and easy to set up
to make shots really smooth without bounce-back. The tilt resistance is adjustable by a large dial on the side of the head, and the pan with an adjuster screw. These aren’t as precise as the high-end Manfrotto versions with fine adjusters, but still work well. Likewise, there is no adjustable counterbalance – it’s pre-set at 2.4kg/ 5.3lb. We had no problems balancing with a Panasonic S1R with a lens and Small HDmonitor, Sony A9 with 70- 200mm f/2.8 lens, and Sony A7RIII with a 24-70 f/2.8. The cameras fit to one of Manfrotto’s long, sliding QR plates, which quickly clicks in from above and offers plenty of adjustment to get the balance right. The tripod comes with Manfrotto’s Easy Link connector, and there’s an additional connector on the head, too, so you can mount a monitor or other accessories. For users of mirrorless cameras, the Manfrotto 500 kit is light and doesn’t compromise on anything important AD. PROMOVIEMAKER RATING: 8/10 This is great value kit for users of smaller cameras Pros: Easy to adjust and light to carry around Cons: No adjustable counterbalance “It’s somuch faster than having tomess around adjusting individual legs”
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AUTUMN 2019 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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