Sachtler Soom Tripod System – IQ Exclusive Review

Sachtler Soom Tripod System – IQ Exclusive Review

Posted on April 18, 2010 in Cinematography, General Production | 1 Comment

By John Hess

I’ve been eying the Sachtler Soom Tripod since it first debuted a few years ago and thanks to B&H Photo I was given the opportunity to hop on and give the tripod a whirl. Or should I say, give these tripods a try.

Four-In-One Tripod

The uniqueness of the Sachtler Soom is really it’s “Modbility” – At the heart of the system are the Tripod legs.

These are similiar to many of the the other mid-level Sachtler tripods out there and it’s 22-56 inch height will be sufficient for about 85% of all video applications. At its lowest, the tripod is just the right height for a sit down interview. At full extended, the tripod is right at eye level for standing talent.

Drop in the center post and the Soom becomes a “Hi-Pod” capable of reaching upwards of 90 inches or so (the official number is 88.6″ by the Sachtler official website, but you add a few inches with the tripod head).

During a try-out at a middle school recital, with the feet on the gym floor, the the camera was shooting within a foot and a half or so off the basketball hoop rim.

Need something lower? The mid level spreader easily pops out and doubles as a baby tripod getting you down to about 8.5 inches. Any lower and you might as well put the camera on the ground.

But it doesn’t end there, the center post itself acts as a monopod with a height range of 32 to 64 inches.

A small foot tab on the bottom of the monopod pops out and allows for an anchor for smooth and solid panning. Shooting video on a monopod is a new experience to me but it feels pretty intuitive. The monopod even allows for some interesting booming and tracking maneuvers and is perfect for getting those quick shots where you need to be able to get in and out quickly.

In terms of stability the Sacthler Soom is as solid as you could ask for in a mobile tripod. Even extended up to 8 feet, the action feels smooth.

Just make sure you engage the center post brake for added stability (this was something I discovered just recently and it does make a difference, just be sure to disengage it collapsing the tripod or it will pop the tube out of it’s seat).

Fluid Head Options

This particular tripod came with the Sacthler FSB6 head which is capable of handling tripods weighing up to 13.6 pounds. The Soom system can accommodate most any Sacthler tripod head that fits a 75mm bowl.

I was able to pop on a FS8 I had without any problem however the plastic connector that holds the bowl in place is a bit on the flimsy side given that the head will be mounted and remounted on a regular basis.

Using the FSB6, I tested both a PD-150 as well as a decked out EX-1 with a Redrock Micro system on real assignments without any problems. Even with the center post fully extended, the panning was smooth (not being able to reach to pull focus proved the greater problem at that height). The center post did have a little sway when fully extended, but not enough to be visually noticeable in the camera. And when lowering the center post, Sachtler engineers added an air cushion limits the descent speed so you’re not having a heart attack watching your camera crash to earth.

Sachtler German Engineering

The Soom System does come with quite a few nice features that may be new to those reading who aren’t familiar with pro-level tripods. First, and most useful, is the bowl leveling system.

Bowl leveling allows you plant the legs in almost any way and level the tripod head quickly with a quick turn of a knob. The bowl level is also present on the center post tube.

Another handy feature is the quick snap locking mechanism for adjusting the legs. I own two other Sachtler legs and both of them are screw knob type locking mechanism so I can say for sure that the quick snap is definitely an improvement. With the snap locking mechanism, not only is the locking motion quicker, you also get a visual reference that lets you know when a leg is locked. Many times I thought I locked a tripod leg using the turn knob only to watch it slip because it wasn’t fully locked. With a snap lock mechanism, you’ll know for sure your legs are locked.

What’s always drawn me to the Sachtler are their distinct bright red rubber feet. They grip flat surfaces very well and can easily be removed in favor of spikes which are great for shooting on grass (just remember to put the feet back on before planting the tripod back on a shiny gym floor)

On the mid level spreader there’s a knob that allows you to switch between a high and low setting. This works well when using the spreader as a baby tripod but also gives you a couple options for shooting with the full tripod. If you need a little more height, turn the knob to high and the spreader will lock in the high mode. Throw it on low and you get a wider spread and a rock steady point to shoot from:

For transport, Sachtler includes a snap on handle and one of the legs has a retractable bungee that keeps the legs together during transport. The tripod when in its full state (with the center post installed) is a bit on the bulky side at 12lbs but that’s to be expected especially for a tripod that can reach almost 8 feet. For long distance transport, Sachtler includes a heavy duty Petrol tripod bag that even has it’s own rolling wheels.

Conclusion

I’ve always been a fan of Sachtler tripods. I’ve used other brands like Bogen Monfrotto, Libec, and Miller but I keep coming back to Sachtler. Owning two systems myself I can say this Sachtler Soom System is the Cadillac of tripods. It offers plenty of flexibility and for some one like me who prefers shooting from low angles, it offers something new to my tripod capability. The flexibility does come at a price though – the base model which includes the legs, monopod post, and mid level spreader (baby tripod) will set you back around two thousand and that’s before you add a tripod head. With a good tripod head, expect to spend between $2500 and $3000 for the system. That’s a lot of money especially to someone just starting out. Why spend as much on a tripod as you would on a prosumer camera? Well comparing this to a $95 consumer tripod is not just compairing night to day, it’s like comparing night to the scorching 1400 hour day on the surface of Mercury. From the solid legs, to the fluid smooth motion of the head, there’s a definite difference in quality with the pro models.

As an investment, the Sachtler Soom is a camera tool that will outlast any camera you put on it… And the camera after that. With it’s versatilty, you will do just about anything you’ll ask of it.

In a Nutshell

Pros:

  • Ingenious engineering allows for a huge variety of shooting heights
  • Easy to setup and dissasemble
  • Solidly built
  • Lots of nice engineering touches

Cons:

  • On the pricey side
  • Flimsy coupler screw
  • Available only in Aluminum

Purchase

You can purchase the items featured in this review from our trusted sponsor B&H Video. We don’t recommend B&H because they our are sponsor, they are our sponsor because they are the only store we would ever recommend.

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