[VLOG interlocking report] Try the combination of Manfrotto's Nitro Tech 608 and iFootage's TC6

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▲ A combination of Manfrotto nitrotech 608 and iFootage TC6. This time, I wanted to test it as a video tripod that can be used in various fields.

Report ◉ Yasushi Kishimoto

Looking for a new video tripod

The nitrotech 608, which was announced by Manfrotto at the end of last year, has a leveling base on the pan head that can counterbalance at 0-8 kg and the center pole of iFootage, an unfamiliar manufacturer. I thought that if I combined a tripod called TC6 that can be removed, it would surely be a new tripod for video, so I borrowed it from the manufacturer and the agency and tried it in order to compile it as a report on VIDEO SAON.web.

A pan head called nitrotech

Manfrotto's Nitro Tech was released about three years ago, and the one tested this time is the 608, which is the second generation. At the time of the first release, I heard that the actual movement is different from Vinten and Sachtler because it has a completely different structure and counterbalance can be taken, and it has a reputation for not being able to make delicate movements. Certainly, if something like a hydraulic cylinder is pushed, there is a difference in torque between when it is not pushed and when it is pushed, and there is a prejudice of the author that it may not be possible to move smoothly, so I have the opportunity to touch it until this time. It remained empty. However, this head has another advantage, it is made with a flat base under the head. Since the 75mm bowl is removable, it is designed to be attached to both ordinary video tripods and photo tripods. Vinten's Blue etc. have a structure that can not be attached to the tripod of the center pole because the bowl cannot be removed. This is a big turning point.

After hearing the rumor that Nitrotech is the second generation and the movement is improved, I thought that it would be the strongest if I combined it with the carbon leg of the center pole of iFootage that I happened to find on the net, so I decided to do this test. rice field.

Do you know iFootage

iFootage is a Chinese manufacturer that sells sliders and camera balancers, but it is a relatively new manufacturer that has also entered the monopod and recently tripods. I tried this time with a carbon tripod called GAZELLE UPRISE TC6, which is larger than Manfrotto's 190 series and smaller than the carbon attached to the GITZO bowl. Will it compete with GITZO's center pole, Mountaineer GT2532. The price difference is large, with the price of iFootage's TC6 being in the 40,000 yen range compared to the 80,000 yen range of GITZO's GT2532.

▲ TC6 of iFootage of center pole on three steps of carbon.

▲ TC6 can be set to a low angle by immediately removing the center pole.

Why centerpole

As a video tripod, a leg that is as strong as possible against twisting and can exert 100% of the movement of the pan head is good, but in actual sites, it is not uncommon to shoot while changing the height frequently. When shooting a stage or music, I think it's natural to shoot without moving the tripod position that was initially decided, but when shooting things while moving from place to place, the shooting method is completely different. If anything, the tripod needs the same movement as a still camera. In my case, I sometimes have to shoot a lot of art works in a short time, so when using the GH5, I use a combination of a center pole with a free pan head and a video head MVH500 set on it. .. This is good with a high degree of freedom, but sometimes I want to put a slightly larger camera, FS5, etc., but of course I can not counterbalance, so I can only FIX or pan. You can't tilt. It's hard to think about carrying a slightly larger head for tilting, but when you think about carrying Vinten, everyone wants to have a little more fun with a bigger camera. .. So I was wondering if the combination of iFootage's TC6 and Manfrotto's Nitrotech 608 would be the best at the moment.

I tried using Nitro Tech 608

A set of 645FAST carbon tripod MVTTWINFC + MVH608AH was sent with the pan head of Nitrotech 608. The 645FAST carbon is a new product released before this summer, and it is a tripod that can unlock and lock the upper and lower legs with one height adjustment, which can also be expected to save labor in the field. Even if it says one place, it has three legs, so it is necessary to operate three places, but until now it was six places, so the labor is halved. The bowl mounting part has also been devised so that the mounting part can be changed between 75 mm and 100 mm. GITZO can also handle the bowl holder as it is sold separately, but the same thing can be done and the versatility is expanded.

▲ The new Manfrotto FAST series. The upper and lower two-stage lock can be operated in one place.

Well, Nitro Tech. I checked the tilt movement with GH5 and FS5. As for the movement, it is more accurate to see how much it actually moves than to write it, so please watch the VLOG video. There are 30 minutes, so if you are interested, please take a closer look.

The general impression is that the movement is not bad and it is easy to adjust the counter balance according to the camera. Both tilt and pan move smoothly unless torque is applied. Especially in bread, the center part moves very lightly, and as it goes downward and upward, the true character of Nitrotech is demonstrated, and depending on how it is pushed in, the repulsive force is applied and it stops. So if you don't apply torque, it will move too lightly around the center and heavier at the ends, but strangely, if you apply a little torque, you will get a smooth operation feeling as a whole. This feeling is difficult to convey in words, so please watch the video. I think that the content of the shooting and the cameraman's commitment are the extent to which delicacy at the start and stop points like Vinten and Sachtler is necessary, but Nitrotech has come to a point quite close to that movement. Isn't it?

▲ Nitrotech's quick release that stops firmly when the camera is pushed in from above.

▲ The heart of Nitrotech. You can see the cylinder.

The only weakness is the large head. Due to the large protrusions on the left and right, it can only be inserted into a tripod case with a certain thickness. As you can see from the lightened housing, the weight is not so heavy, but the size is regrettable. Expect the future if it is at least as large as Vinten's head.

iFootage TC6

I'm going to test only the legs, but it was sent with a small pan head called KOMODO K5, so I put the GH5 on it and touched it a little to make a video. The legs of TC6 are very beautifully finished. It seems that the coloring is black and red and the case is not conscious of Manfrotto's design, but the main body has a function that can not be said to be imitated. The height-adjustable lock on the tripod works nicely, reminiscent of the buckle of ski boots, and stops firmly. In addition, the expansion and contraction work obediently, and the manufacturing accuracy is high. The center pole has a groove so that it does not rotate. The bottom of the two thumbscrews just above the tripod is the upper and lower locks, and the upper one is the level adjustment lock, but if you do not tighten this screw firmly, you can play and it will move slightly when panning. If you don't get used to tightening, you can't get a sense of how much you should tighten. At first, I tightened it a little too tightly, and when I put the camera on it and tried to adjust the height, it didn't move without both hands. However, this seems to be a bad way to hold my screw, and I found that if I hold it so that it wraps around the whole, it seems that the force to rotate along the axis of rotation is transmitted and it moves smoothly. This area is also introduced in the video. Adjusting the level is the same, and it is necessary to tighten it firmly, but when the camera is on it, it is still necessary to hold the camera and pan head with your left hand and then turn the adjustment screw to get a sense of tightening firmly. The level bowl itself moves smoothly. The bowl of a normal video tripod is dry and metal is rubbed against it, and there is no lubricating oil such as grease, but if this type of bowl is fixed inside, there is grease inside, so It is easy to make fine adjustments with slimy.

▲ A compact and lightweight pan head for video with a counterbalance of 2.5 kg. iFootage's KOMODO K5

The small KOMODO K5 gives the impression that it is quite small, but the counterbalance is set to 2.5 kg, which is heavier than the Manfrotto MVH500, so even handhelds and digital cameras are supposed to be full size. .. So with the GH5, I felt that it was pushed back a little at both ends, but the movement was smooth and the camera was small but seemed to move well if the camera had a good counterbalance. Since it is lightweight as a pan head to be attached to the centerpole, I think that this size is originally preferable, but this time the purpose is to put Nitrotech on it. I removed each part and tried to combine them.

I tried to combine iFootage TC6 and Nitrotech 608

It's undeniable that I'm a little confused, but I thought that this weight made it possible to complete a mobile set. However, when I put the FS5 on Nitro Tech, the top and bottom of the center pole are quite strong. This is not a tripod problem, but a problem with my physical strength, but I don't put the FS5 on it and move it up and down frequently, so I made a video of the GH5 on it and checking the movement by moving it up and down and tilting.

This combination wasn't bad. I just put the HC550 that I borrowed from JVC and tested, but it can handle from low angle to high angle even outdoors. The GH5 seems a little too big, but at the same time, considering the case of using a full-size machine, it is easy to adjust the counter balance, so it may be good for people who use various cameras properly. Of course, it may be best if you can always prepare several pan heads that match the camera, but if you can't physically bring it with you on an expedition, Nitrotech, which is both large and small, may be the best.

iFootage is a 60mm bowl for TC6, assuming a small pan head, but Nitrotech is 75mm. Since it is flat, it will be attached, but one thing to note is that the TC6 bowl does not have a pan head stopper. There is a push screw on the upper side of the Manfrotto movie bowl that can fix the attached pan head so that it does not rotate, but the TC6 does not have it, only the friction of the rubber stuck around the center screw It is supposed to stop at. Therefore, even in this test operation, the joints sometimes loosened due to the sudden panning, so I would like you to install a detent in the future. That's about the negative point when using it in combination. If you actually use this combination yourself, you may consider adhesive as a detent.

I think that I could try it with this combination and propose one direction for the video tripod to go after this.