Some fantastic information in this video. I actually have the Artcise AS 70C that I use for my real estate photography gigs. I hadn't heard much of them before hand either but I'm really impressed at the quality considering the low cost.
Yeah, I like mine a lot. If it wasn't for the !&?! 65mm bowl I'd recommend it for everyone. I'd never heard of them before; then I ran across them on AliExpress of all places....
Sand and saltwater gives me the willies... and it really doesn't matter which tripod I'm using. But that's more of an emotional response. In reality, all the moving parts (leg joints, ballhead) will be raised up off the beach. So I think it will do about the same as most tripods under $500. If I were to do a lot of beach work, I'd stick the legs in plastic bags to reduce the exposure. Carbon fiber is used in boat construction, so there's nothing inherently problematic there; rubber does well in saltwater, too. But finely engineered joints, not so much.
Hi ! i would like to buy this one but i'm planning on using a 502 with a 75mm bowl on it. Will taht be ok ? You seems to do the same on your video. I have also found th RT80C wich seem to be an older version of this tripod but they claim to have a 75mm bowl, wich would be great.
Yes, I have it set up with the 502 head, but because the bowl is smaller, it both protrude upwards awkwardly (rather than sit comfortably in the bowl), and it's more difficult to tighten completely down if you've got a heavier setup on top. The Artcise/502 is what I'm using-- and I don't plan on changing in the foreseeable future because I like both the head and the sticks, but it's hard to recommend it.
Sorry, my answer won't be very helpful. I found an old Davis and Sanford tripod with F18 head in a thrift store a few years ago for $30. This style has a long stem handle that's rubberized, making it super easy to grip and adjust.
Not personally-- on paper they look like basically the same leg material, with flip latches on the AF80C (and unfortunately the same 65mm bowl) and the HS80C with a detachable leg (and much better 75mm bowl!). Gerald Bertram Photography commented below that he has the AS70C and likes it a lot. I think it depends on what you want that little extra "added bonus" to be... flip latches or detachable monopod leg. I'll have to say that the process of converting the HS80C to a monopod looks like it has a couple of steps, since it's using part of the bowl head innards for the monopod top, which may deter frequent use.
