Manfrotto MVH502A Fluid Head - Long-Term Review with Video

MVH502A with built-in 75mm ball head

Manfrotto's MVH502A and its flat-bottom cousin, the MVH502AH, are amongst Manfrotto's latest fluid tripod head designs. The model is no longer new, having been released earlier this year (2013), but I thought that it would be best to review them only after experiencing their reliability in the field over the past 7 months.

While it is true that Manfrotto's prosumer fluid heads are generally very much on par with their professional broadcast cousins - given their relative affordability to Sachtlers and Vintens - the MVH502A/AH are not a part of this high point of professional quality.

To begin with, it is amongst the first of their Pro series of tripod heads to bear the dubious distinction of a "MADE IN CHINA" label - hidden under the body where nobody will find it unless they're looking for it:

Now, contrary to what is popular to espouse when you are a blogger on his or her high horse, I have no problem with Chinese quality, when said quality is at a proper level (as for the labor situation, you can take that to a political or human-rights blog).
Contrary to popular belief that all Chinese-made anything is garbage, such is not the case - the quality is up to the brand that designs the product and the price point they demand from the Chinese manufacturer. Case in point, Fotga's 15mm rail systems are a perfect example of quality from China, just as most of the off-brands are a perfect example of the opposite.

But I digress. The fact of the matter is that Manfrotto designed and approved a substandard product to be manufactured by their subcontractors in China. This is an excellent summation of the few glaring issues that prevent this otherwise good design from being just that - good.

In the interest of fairness, the design does have the following high points:

• Adjusting the tilt lock is very easy and quick. A very careful hand may be able to open it from a closed position when shooting and get away with it - if your lens has IS. This can save a take.
• The control arm has virtually no give in it. The grip is also a nice piece, though it slides a bit.
• Yes, it holds the weight of the 5D Mark II, and just about any other DSLR you throw at it. Even a 5D with an Anton Bauer battery pack will be supported, as will a JVC GY-HD110 - also with an Anton-Bauer battery pack.
• For all of the faults, both of my MVH502A's have survived harsh field treatment (even though one tripod did not) without developing any issues (no added slop, no stripped threads, etc.) - no more than when they were brand-new, anyway.
• Very few other brands exist that produce an equivalent product at an equivalent price, short of used Manfrottos.

With that said, here are the negatives (not all of them - read on):

• Adjusting the panning lock is the opposite - in terms of ease - to that of the tilt lock. Getting your fingers between the tripod head in front and under the unit is an ergonomic frustration. Don't expect to do so in the middle of a candid take - IS or otherwise.
• The following problem only affects users with external batteries or shoulder supports that hang from the back of their 15mm rail systems: You won't be able to see the level indicator.
• And the big one: Every single one of these MVH502's have about 0.5mm of unobstructed play at the ball when the pan head's resistance is at a minimum. This applies to both the 75mm A model, and the AH. This is unacceptable. Not even my simple (and by comparison, tiny) 701HDV ever had the slightest of play.

 
My very first MVH502A (quickly substituted with another) was also plagued by uneven drag in the panning function - panning in one direction was dampened far more than if the head were spun in the other, depending on the amount of resistance dialed into the head. Even heads operating properly seem to contain minute, uneven drag depending on the direction of one's panning; possibly due to some friction with the drag adjustment mechanism itself.

Nevertheless, the 0.5mm of play in the ball head remained unacceptable. I contacted Manfrotto about this problem, at which point, they sent me a second MVH502A. If nothing else, this was a very courteous gesture to which I greatly appreciate - but the replacement was no better.

Since then, I found multiple flat-head MVH502AH's in local stores, all of which with the same issue - so I had to conclude that this flaw affects all MVH502's.

Luckily, I generally dial in a generous amount of resistance in my work, so this problem has yet to be a field issue for me. Nevertheless, this will not always be the case for all shoots.


The other significant complaint I have is with the tripod plate on these units. The deep, black satin finish characteristic of Manfrotto's earlier tripod plates has been replaced with an interpretation of this same finish by their Chinese manufacturer; a beadblasted, flat black finish.

This finish is reproduced in grey on the top of the tripod head, and the combination of the plate and head results in the most friction-prone plate insertions I've ever had to work with. At times, I've had to struggle for 30 seconds just to get my 5D out - and the location of the release button doesn't help.

Now that the finish and high spots have worn smooth after hundreds of cycles, I've had fewer problems with it, but it still does not come close to the smoothness of earlier Manfrottos.

I also had one case where the release button return spring jammed in its housing, which required disassembly of the top half of the unit with allen keys - with the camera still mounted on top - just to get the camera off of it. Luckily, this happened early on and only once, and I've put both heads through much abuse since with no further issues.

Admittedly, my MVH502A's have worked for me in conditions ranging from quiet art galleries to dusty construction sites - though the perfectionist in me is far from satisfied. Whether the flaws of the MVH502 are of equal concern to your purchase of one is completely your call - the above is simply a guide as to what you should expect.

-Kurt
"Man with the 5D"

No monetary compensation was provided for the mention of any of the above products. One MVH502A head was provided to me as a courtesy by Manfrotto, following my complaints.

Choosing follow focus gear rings

Canon 5D Mark II w/Fotga DP500 II follow focus and generic 60-70mm fixed diameter ring

The cinemazation of DSLR cameras have created a need to add 0.8 pitch follow focus gears to standard photography lenses. Many such gears exist on the market; however, not all are created equal - a fact that is not immediately apparent until you've already experimented with a few.

The prevalent types of follow focus gears available to the prosumer cinematrographer today come in three different variants:

• Left: Plastic, adjustable diameter gear ring with friction lock and lever
• Center: Rubberized, adjustable diameter gear ring with tooth lock
• Right: Fixed outside-diameter ring w/10mm variable inner gear ring diameter (various sizes available), made by Cinematics and others

I've used all three in the field - following are my thoughts on each:

Semi-hard plastic, adjustable gear ring with lever

The adjustable plastic gear ring is my least favorite in that the toothed reverse of the plastic isn't that grippy. I've yet to have it slip, but it does not inspire confidence. Likewise, the lever locking mechanism of the lever is cheap, damages the gear teeth, and the lever gets in the way of follow focus units unless oriented to the opposite side of the rig.

On the other hand, the plastic gear teeth engage well with follow focus units, and it is especially handy when using an older, manual telephoto prime for focus control.

 

Rubberized adjustable gear ring

The rubberized gear rings can are soft enough to grip a lens - and grip well - but this also causes the teeth to flex while meshing. The toothed receiver also works well to keep the ring tight.

Unfortunately, coupled with small-diameter lenses and a follow focus mounted in certain places, these rings will jump teeth - and visibly so on screen. Nevertheless, they are effective on larger-diameter lens barrels.

Cinematics 80-90mm at left, generic 60-70mm at left

These fixed-diameter rings are my personal favorites, having the ability to reach a follow focus unit with ease, regardless of lens barrel diameter. This style of gear ring is presently available as a generic (only one at present, it seems) and by Cinematics with slight differences between each. Both companies produce inner diameters ranging from 60-70mm up to 108-116mm. In my experience, the generics have enough adjustment to fit barrels down to 57mm comfortably; possibly smaller.

The generic's plastic-knob bolt is durable, despite its cheap appearance.

Cinematics' units have a smoother finish than the generics and have an allen head bolt with a proper steel nut, but otherwise show no superiority over the generics in operation or durability. Unlike the generics, they are available in red and blue (I've also seen purple) as well, which is fine if you're a hipster who must color-coordinate your camera rig to your fixed-gear bicycle and Macbook. Personally, I see no point to it - why call more attention to an L-series lens by putting red gear rings on it?

Additionally, a pair of these rings can provide both focus control and a precise zoom control for lenses with fixed zoom rings - such as Canon's L-series. Given the lack of perfect video-quality fluidity in even the L-series lenses - not to mention the fact that most photography lenses are varifocal - controlling zoom through a second gear ring and follow focus unit can be a stress-free method of ensuring a perfect take on the first try.

-Kurt "Man with the 5D"

No monetary compensation was provided for the mention of the any of the products mentioned or shown in this article.

Filters Continued: Polarizers and ND's for video

Today's post comes in video form:

For those curious, most of these tutorial videos are shot with the Canon EOS-M in addition to my 5D Mark II.

I generally run the EOS-M with the Compact Macro EF 50mm that I featured on the 9th:
Compact Macros & DSLR filmmaking

Enjoy.

-Kurt "Man with the 5D"

Compact-Macros for DSLR filmmaking

Of the various Canon EF lenses I've experimented with for video use, the only one that has consistently impressed me (surprise) as an unusually good value - as a used lens on eBay - is the Compact-Macro 50mm f/2.5:

No, Canon did not pay me to say this (sadly).

Granted, we're still referring to a lens that has aperture limitations for cine use, as - like all Canon EF lenses - the iris is controlled electronically from the camera body and cannot be de-clicked.

Yet, the lens has a beautiful bokeh, and a price range of $150-200 on eBay.

I'd say that's a pretty reasonable expenditure for a lens that can give you images such as these - almost consistently through its range to boot:

 

These were taken as photos (and were the most convenient example images I could locate when writing this post), but they're no less representative of the results the C-M 50mm yields for cine use, with exception to overall resolution.

In short, it is quite difficult to ruin a shot with it, so long as you're not transitioning from a dark to light environment or vice-versa - which wouldn't seem to be the most common shot to use a 50mm macro for to begin with.

Granted, the need for a lens of this kind on a shoot is uncommon, but when you need a close-up lens to emphasize the slightest detail when shooting a detective thriller, you'll thank your lucky stars that you have it.

My only criticism - and it seems to be shared by most users of this lens - is that the focus ring is one of the worst in existence. It either feels like a cheap toy, or it binds like a cheap toy - but not enough to become a problem if you're not pulling focus during a shot. So be it; seems to be the case with most of Canon's lenses, save for the L-series (and even then, the L's do not come close to the feeling of precision that one gets from most mid-range lenses of 30 years past).

-Kurt - Man with the 5D

Follow focus jumping teeth? 5D Mark II won't sit straight? Try this.

First of all, let's get the legally-binding blog disclaimer over with: Nobody sent me this doo-dad free (or paid me) to review it.

Too bad.

Bleeding pocketbooks aside, one of the other endless oddities about DSLR filmmaking is that us fellows in the 5D Mark II camp have only one 1/4"-20tpi threaded boss at the bottom of the camera to work with. It doesn't even have a recess to accept the pin supplied on basic tripod plates either.

That's where CoolLCD came in and designed this handy little solution for us 5D Mark II users, called the CoolPlate:

The plate centers itself with a pair of nylon screws, which fit into a pair of recesses in the bottom of the Mark II, along with a 1/4" screw at the center. The CoolPlate is drilled for two 1/4"-20tpi mounting locations and one centering pin, which makes it ideal for most camera plates, and eliminates any shifting that may be an issue on some rigs:

What's more, the Cool Plate adds not much more than 1/4" in height to your rig, so it isn't much of a bother for the convenience:

For Mark III users, a similar product called the CoolProtector - a CoolPlate with an accessory retainer bracket - was available, but is presently out of stock. CoolLCD stated in an email to me that the "...CoolProtector is out of stock because we are designing [a] new version."

In the meantime, us Mark II owners can pick up the earlier Cool Plate for $10 off the eBay price by going through the CoolLCD site. Not a bad deal at all.

-Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"

The Top 5 DSLR Video Accessories You Need, Mr. Beer Budget Filmmaker

Lots of articles have been written online about what gear you "need" as a DSLR filmmaker, most of them quite useless, e.g.: "Buy a memory card!"

Yes, dear, we will.

Hence, I present the following list of what will truly help you as a budget DSLR filmmaker, and - most importantly - the reasoning behind these suggestions so you may make an informed decision.

FYI - the following items are related to camera accessories only. You should already have a good lighting kit.

Drumroll, please.

1. A good fluid head tripod

This seems obvious - unless you don't have one. Basic, fluid head Manfrottos are generally a good bet and easy to find on eBay or Craigslist. The Manfrotto 501HDV or 503HDV are generally more than enough for most needs; simply check the weight ratings and choose the one that best suits the rig you intend to build (in short, do not cheapen out on yourself and buy a head that will support your existing camera, but not the endless 15mm rail system you are planning to get in the future. You'll be surprised how quick the future arrives).

While I do not recommend the Manfrotto MVH502A - shown here - it is more or less a good visual example of what to expect.

You would be wise to stay away from the new, Chinese-made Manfrottos such as the 502HDV (MVH502A) - which are quite troublesome, for what they're worth (more on that in a later blog post). Ultra-cheap Ravelli/Dynatran (amongst others) "fluid" heads bundled with tripods are even worse, as they get their fluidity through greased nylon bushings under pressure. These bushings do not last long, and - as a result - neither will your tripod head. This is one place where cheaper isn't always better, and used is an advantage.


2. A lens with image stabilization (IS)

It seems as if every single DSLR photographer on the internet will swear to you that IS bad for video. What they aren't telling you is that they've never used their DSLR for video. Ever.

Though most Canon and M43 IS-equipped lenses are not primes (Canon, we want that 50mm IS-equipped prime. Now), you'll thank your lucky stars for having an IS zoom lens on hand if you find yourself in need of a shot that cannot be done with a tripod.

Why? An IS-equipped lens is its own built-in Steadicam.

Don't believe me? Here's some footage:

Not a single bit of the IS footage was stabilized in post production, and the only other thing assisting me in those shots was a handle on top of the camera. I didn't make much of an effort to hold the camera steady in either shot. Pretty neat, eh?


3. An audio adapter and a good microphone*

I don't care if you've just shot something that makes Roger Deakins' Skyfall look like a clip from America's Funniest Home Videos (and you didn't) - if you used onboard AGC audio from your DSLR as your one-and-only microphone, you might as well dub Yakety Sax to your footage as a soundtrack.

One of the cardinal rules of video making is to make sure your audio is just as good as your video, if not better. Even mediocre SD 480P can be made to look better than it is if the audio has a professional sound to it.

In short, onboard camera audio is home-video territory. Don't go there.

The BeachTek DXA-5Da.

If you've made the effort to invest in a DSLR, consider an onboard, XLR mic audio adapter part of the package. A used BeachTek DXA-SLR can be had on eBay without much fuss (the one in the photo is a BeachTek DXA-5Da, and it can be mounted directly under your camera if you don't have a rail system, as can the DXA-SLR). Both adapters have a pair of XLR outputs, and connect to the camera with a 1/8" or 1/8"-to-1/16" audio jack.

You can set one up with a pair of Rode NTG-2s (which are about the best you can get in a high-quality budget microphone) and have excellent sound that will last you a long time.

*Ok, ok - that's two things. But one doesn't work without the other.


4. A focus LEVER - not a follow focus unit

No, you don't need to go rushing out to buy a follow focus unit just because everybody else is.

First of all, most sub-$150 follow focus units are poorly made to the point that you're better off without them. Second, you'll find that a focus lever will pretty much do everything you want for less than $20 - which is a heck of a lot better than plunking down $150+ on a follow focus unit, plus the price of a rail system to support it.

Yes, this little doohickey will do just as well for the time being, and will even serve as a spare gear ring once you do save up for that follow focus unit: 

Lumiere LA L60400 - not great, but it does the job.

If you can't afford anything else because you blew whatever you had on your camera and lenses, heed this bit of advice. Get the lever and hold off on the 15mm rail jazz that only serves to make China a bit richer every day.


5. A decent external monitor or eyepiece

Pulling focus on a DSLR is more difficult than you think, especially if your monitor doesn't swing out (case in point, all Canon 5D models to-date). If so, I hope you won't have to shoot any shots from ground level.
 
At any rate, an external monitor - despite appearing to be a frivolous expense - will save you quite a bit of time and embarrassment re-taking shots that you flubbed up due to pulling focus incorrectly. Find one that runs on a common rechargeable camera battery (unless you're running an external battery adapter, in which case, see if you can find one that will run off the external feed). 

Feelworld FW678-HD 7" monitor. More than you'll need, but I chose it because I wished to power the monitor from my Anton-Bauer battery with an XLR4 power input. This turned out to be the cheapest monitor available with the feature.

If all else fails, just get the eyepiece - it's cheap, and it'll do the trick.

-Kurt K. - "Man With the 5D"

P.S.: None of the companies listed above have paid for the above mentions, nor provided their products for testing. Most unfortunate, for me.