Hey guys, just wanted some advice on a tripod for my new camcorder. Really dont want to spend more than 200. Been doing some of my own research and the name bogen and manfrotto keep popping up. Im pretty new at this so some advice would be appreciated. Thanks

I have a set of 3 Bogen 3046 legs and 3047 heads for a transportable production unit. I am quite happy with the setup; the 3047 head has a twist grip to tighten or loosen, very handy for one hand operation of tilt and pan, leaving the other hand free for simultaneous zooming. It is not a true fluid head, but has smooth operation.

Two catches: There are two models of 3047 heads; get the newer, shorter, round handles. The older model has slightly longer, smaller diameter, fluted handles.

The other catch is that I found it difficult to get smooth, slow, steady pans; the handle is too short. A very "hi-tech" fix is to get a 12 inch or 14 inch length of 1 1/2 inch ABS drain (sewer) pipe, make a series of lenthwise saw cuts (slots) about 3 inches deep, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch apart, on one end of the pipe. Slip a hose clamp over the end of the pipe, slip the slotted end of the pipe over the tilt handle of the tripod head and tighten the hose clamp.

Happy Hunting.

I bought this http://cgi.*********/Video-Tripod-Head-System-C-New_W0QQitemZ130218018947QQihZ003QQcategoryZ3319QQcmdZViewIt emQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262 last year for my 4lbs TRV310 to take my son's action on the football field. It worked rather well. The HF100 disappears on top of it but if you don't move around it is very decent for panning & tilting. With the long handle, I didn't need to employ the sewer pipe for smooth panning.