Sachtler Speed Level Clamp
I have used Sachtler tripods for more than 20 years. In my honest opinion for news and documentary work you cannot beat them. At NAB earlier this year i stumbled across the Sachtler Speed Level Clamp. It was my favourite product from NAB this year. This may sound strange given how many products are at NAB but in the real world this product was something that I could see myself using on a daily basis. While it didn’t receive much fan fair when I first saw it on the show floor my immediate reaction was “Why hasn’t someone done this before?”. As a news and documentary shooter I can be adjusting my tripod legs and tripod head at least 50-100 times a day depending on the job. This all takes valuable time. If you for example adjusted your tripod head 50 times a day and it took you an average of 10 seconds to do it each time, that is 8 minutes a day your spending adjusting your tripod head. Event, news and documentary shooters know that speed is key when doing your job. Being able to adjust your tripod quickly and efficiently can sometimes mean the difference between getting a shot and missing it. I know from personal experience that I have missed shots because I was still trying to level off a tripod head. To solve these problems Sachtler released the Speed Level Clamp. Now while there was nothing wrong with their old system, the SpeedLevel Clamp gives you the ability to level your tripod head very quickly and gives you the added piece of mind that it won’t slip. The Sachtler SpeedLevel Clamp is designed with squeeze handles that let you accurately and easily level your fluid head, Instead of the traditional method of twisting and untwisting, the SpeedLevel Clamp loosens the head position when you squeeze the handles and sets the head in place the moment you release the squeeze.
The SpeedLevel Clamp is compatible with all Sachtler 100mm heads and supports a maximum weight of 55 lb. (Third-party heads may not be compatible because a Sachtler 10mm thread is required. The Speed Level Clamp retails for $144.00 and can supper weights of up to 55lb. Currently it is only available for use with Sachtler 100mm heads but It will be interesting to see if they make different versions for other tripod heads in their range.