Kit Reviews, Articles and Projects

Miller Compass 20 Solo Review

A great many reviews online are practically useless because so many people fail to quantify why something is good or bad. It annoys me as an engineer that irrespective of whether the reader is in my line of business or a chef, he or she may want to know why they should or should not buy this because everyone's opinion is subjective.

I read an online article a while ago which reviewed a tripod, the result, that it was poor. It was incoherently supported by drivel, giving none of the plus points of the tripod. A tad biased unfairly and driven by a lack of understanding.

I am soon flying to the Isles of Scilly, 28 miles off Cornwall to meet several clients, shoot a project and to research some new ideas. My small airline luggage allowance includes a Miller Tripod. Loaned to me by the European rep who engaged me on many levels I was compelled to investigate this mystery brand introduced through H Prestons in Malvern.

Miller? Who are they?

Miller, an Australian brand were given the patent for the first fluid head tripod in 1946. It was only a few short years later that they began selling this idea commercially. A small family owned establishment in Sydney houses a work force of around 50 which in comparison with other well known brands churns out relatively small numbers of tripods. Miller have had their shaky times but have bought out some really innovative products over the years and not only credited with inventing the fluid head, are synonymous with broadcast. In many major TV studios all over the world most people will find at least one or more Miller's.

I have owned, used or hired a lot of tripods. It's a core component of any cameraman, professional or amateur and it's rare that I take to something so well that I buy an almost unknown (to me) brand on the spot. The compass 20 head on solo 3 stage carbon fibre sticks is an expensive model for most amateurs and a cheap model for most professionals. It is based on a lightweight carbon fibre tubular tripod which on top of the legs has three extendable sections hence 3 stage. Each section is a close weave of carbon fibre matting and resins in tubular form which make it exceptionally strong for its weight. Each section is extended by rotating a knurled ring which is a pleasure to grip in cold or wet environments gloved or bare fingered and with a quarter turn locks off solid enough to lean on. The metal parts are all coated with a tough powder coat and touching parts seem to have been anodized with a surface finish which prevents corrosion but is little more precise than a painted finish for mating moving surfaces with a tollerance to work too. Construction is Alluminium magnesium alloy.

Standing Tall

The legs are solid and robust with a great feel to them and are relatively small when collapsed. The upper sections are connected to a lightweight aluminium/magnesium alloy 75mm skeletal bowl which is artwork in its self and each leg connects to this by a ratchet pivot. By pulling up the safety lock the legs can be pulled out to several angles the most impressive of which is nearly horizontal.

This leaves the head only inches from the ground and exceptionally stable. Extended fully, the legs reach my ceiling and I need a chair to operate it. The legs are more prone to torsional twisting which causes wind up. Wind up occurs when the legs rotate using the spring of the material during a pan. On completing the pan the reduced pressure allows the legs to unwind and rebounds the head in the opposite direction. I found none of this unless I zoomed in a substantial amount and was quite happy with the results. Testing this together with kick back from the fluid drag is accomplished by marking the tripod feet location, attaching a laser pointer to a stand and a scale to the tripod head and bowl allows me to see how much roughly the head returns after a pan. I also attach th elaser pointer to the bowl and place the tripod 2m from a wall with a ruler fixed. Rotating th ehead ninety degrees should see no movement in the bows or legs in a perfect tripod. Poor tripods show a deflection of up to 1cm! This tripod was very good only showing some spring in the legs. and it was only marginally worse than some major manufacturers sticks with spreaders. Good considering its weight and lack of support. Next leg chatter. I unlike most people test the legs for wind chatter. Filming wildlife uses a lot of telephoto which makes your camera more susceptible to movement. Flimsy legs have a habit of vibrating in the wind which causes a term I coined wind chatter. On HD particularly the vibration if left undamped travels up each leg and vibrates the head which with trend habit of going down the CMOS route causes the well known jelly effect also synonomous with kicking the legs. These legs are very good for this. On two sets of legs fully extended it was superior to some tripods at 30% more cost! If filming wildlife I would advise looking for a 100mm bowl or larger and strutted two stage legs with spreader for better stability. If you want a compromise as all things are this is very good considering.

Feet of Technology

The feet comprise of two different sets rolled into one. A set of spiked feet protrude from each leg with a threaded section allowing a rubber foot to retract over the spike. It is fashioned in such as way that the rubber foot is held captive and can not be lost and is a joy to use the only issues are ensure no sand gets in on to the thread else it makes a less than smooth action and ensure on using the rubber feet they are well screwed out hard. Not ensuring this can turn the little rubber foot into a wheel which allows your tripod to roll on pans.

Head for heights

The compass 20 head is a new release by Miller after a 2 year gap developing its existing technology. Four levels of counterbalance provide most operators with all that is needed to balance EX1 through to PMW350. The balance is in stages but works a treat and combined with sliding tray effectively retains the camera wherever you decide to leave it. Also are 5 stages of fluid drag selected by a knob which for each axis engages the gearing system which works flawlessly. Silky, smooth and fluid describe the pans I got with this which, while keeping my hand on the pan handle allowed reaching a smooth stop exactly where left, feathering at the end. There was no backlash in the joint at all (described as the free play before hitting resistance when reversing direction. The head has two disc brakes which clamp the head firmly for those lock off shots and the result is good but for long lens work there is a springy action in the head which in windy conditions is not 100% to my liking although I would usually use a much bigger heavier tripod for long lens work. Finally a rubberised push button illuminates a small bubble level clearly in white which makes levelling easy. I would prefer this to be red or green to preserve my night vision when filming at dusk but it is more than adequate for its purpose. All parts of the Tripod were defettled and had no sharp edges. Nothing required adjusting andall worked as it should. The camera mount is a euro type cuick release plate which works well and unleke a few mainstream tripod manufacturers extends forward and back a good few inches providing a stable, solid mount. Two screws are used to fit to your camera if desired and a rubber pad improves friction. The drag adjustment is a mild dissapointment needing care to ensure the selected number is exactly on the mark. It needs this to help it engage and a small positive detente ball would have fixed this nicely.

Pack Horse

Finally the bag provided was very comfortable to wear on my shoulders or in my hand. Lightweight and well padded its cordura and thick foam protected the tripod well with a bad inside for accessories.

Testing, Testing 123

On flying to Scilly, the aircrew commented on a smaller bag than I usually take. Its weight also substantially lighter. The triangular form, much like a block of Toblerone stacked better and was not as bulky as the various circular models from other manufacturers. Carrying it was good too, not as heavy as many models, comfortable and nicely padded, although weighted nicely enough to feel solid. Quick set up was easy but a bit more fiddly than a traditional tripod. The catches will not always pull out once engaged unless the legs are pushed in a bit due to their ratchet function. Push in the legs, pull out the ratchet then legs then slowly push in the legs till you hear the click of the lock at the position you want. If you now pull the legs out they should stay solidly and firmly in position. Using on sand I found there was not enough surface area on the feet to stop it sinking under any weight or pressure A spreader or spreading feet would be good. It does stop though with the rubber feet but I was worried about getting sand in the threads. As mentioned, the leg locks are simple and easy. The longer the legs the more movement I got but thats to be expected. Long legs with the leg angle set out as wide as possible is also not a good idea as it increases the springyness in the vertical dimension but for such a versatile product it does a bit of everything very well. Im still impressed for the weight how solid the tripod is on single or double sections at the first two leg angles. Wind was not really a problem unless I used long telephoto.

Conclusion

A well made, cost effective, robust tripod worth considering for anyone looking for small, lightweight but strong camera mounts with varied flexibility. Its strengths are low down shots close to the ground with its legs far spread. Its weaknesses are springyness in the head and only really a problem for lock down shots in windy conditions at long zooms. Miller also produce a set of alloy or carbon fibre strutted legs in 2 or 3 stages with the option of two sets of feet and a floor spreader or intermediate spreader. I have tested these and will report back soon! These marks are out of 5 and subjective depending upon the cost you purchase it for.

Weight 4.5

Build quality 5

Head movement 5

Locked off stability 3.5

Price 4

Company approachability 5