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Manfrotto BeFree carbon sticks & Movi Set-Up

Discussion in 'Movi Technical' started by John Woody, Jun 16, 2018.

  1. John Woody

    John Woody Member

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    Love the lightweight Manfrotto BeFree tripod matched with my Movi system. Quick release. Again... go light... shoot heavy. Any other tripod recommendations?

    John Woody IMG_9500a.jpg IMG_9503a.jpg
     
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  2. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    Hi John,

    Do you mount your Movi on a tripod for uses other than Echo and Timelapse modes? If so, what other use cases do you have?

    I use a Ries tripod for large format and a Gitzo Series 3 for everything else. I’ve had both tripods for at least 10 years. They’ve stood up extremely well. If you want a tripod that is reasonably light but has some heft for stability, the Gitzo would work well with the Movi, especially for something like timelapse.

    I haven’t used a ball head in many years. These days, I mount either to a leveling base or a video head.

    I find that mounting directly to a leveling base, which gives you 15 degrees of tilt and 360 degrees of pan, is all that I need in most cases. The attraction is that it is really simple and efficient in use. A leveling base is also a lot cheaper than a high quality ball head.

    Several companies make leveling bases. This video shows how Gitzo’s works, as it happens on a Series 3 tripod. I have a newer version of the base, which is more streamlined, but it works the same. The metal on metal sound in this video, by the way, is not from the base, which is pretty silent; I think it came from the guy you then see in the background of the shot:

     
    #2 Rorick Edge, Jun 16, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2018
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  3. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    I also have a Gitzo monopod that I want to try using to elevate the Movi well over my head and to lower it close to the ground. I want to see what the difference is in the footage between using the Movi in these situations and just mounting the phone on the monopod.

    You’ve inspired me to try this over the weekend. I’m curious to see how the Movi reacts to being upside down.

    I purchased my current monopod fairly recently. These days, a lot of people recommend monopods that have three retractable mini feet. I trekked over to B&H and tried several examples of this design, which is kind of a cross between a monopod and a tripod. I just wasn’t sold, and opted for a traditional design, specifically a Gitzo GM4542 that was thankfully on sale. As with my tripods, I chose this model for what I consider to be an acceptable balance between weight, stability and ruggedness.
     
    #3 Rorick Edge, Jun 16, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2018
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  4. Frank Algermissen

    Frank Algermissen Active Member

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  5. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    Is there a use case for putting a Movi on a tripod other than Echo and Timelapse? In other instances, wouldn’t you just mount the phone directly on the tripod?

    There sure is quite a price spread between the Manfrotto BeFree Compact in the first post at US$161 (at least, that’s the model that it appears to be) and the 3 Legged Thing Albert in the post above at US$500.

    Have either of you guys used these tripods for a long timelapse? I realise that lightweight travel tripods have their positives, but stability and steadiness aren’t on the list. My gut tells me that I’d want either tripod close to the ground, legs spread out, no use of the centre column. Of course, this restricts what one can do by way of timelapse. If there was some wind, which can be a good thing (clouds, foliage, etc.), I don’t think I’d be willing to trust them at all with an $850+ phone and a $300+ Movi. You can always try to weight down the tripod, but that creates its own issues.

    Maybe I’m being too conservative and your experience tells you otherwise.
     
    #5 Rorick Edge, Jun 17, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2018
  6. John Woody

    John Woody Member

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    if there was some wind, which can be a good thing (clouds, foliage, etc.), I don’t think I’d be willing to trust them at all with an $850+ phone and a $300+ Movi. You can always try to weight down the tripod, but that creates its own issues.

    Maybe I’m being too conservative and your experience tells you otherwise.[/QUOTE]

    Hi Rorick,
    Believe me... If I was to shoot a professional Time-lapse I would be using my GH4 /GH5 or other cameras I own and I would be using my hefty tripods that I have in my arsenal. Im mostly run and gun and lightweight is paramount. Just finished shooting for three hours at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum at Dulles airport and the BeFree worked great! Plus I had enough money saved to buy my wife a nice meal! : )
    John
     
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  7. Frank Algermissen

    Frank Algermissen Active Member

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    Hey @Rorick Edge this



    was a test and took about 2 hours of timelapse (= long in my opinion) on the MOVI and the tripod you described above



    So, maybe I got you wrong but: how else would you shoot if not like this o_O And it wasn't calm so the iPhone X always offered target for the wind but the result is fine - beside the fact I was too stupid to think about the long shadows and at the end was (indirectly) in the picture :mad:
     
  8. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    Hi Frank,

    Looks like we’re on the same wavelength. As I said, “My gut tells me that I’d want either tripod close to the ground, legs spread out, no use of the centre column.”
     

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