u/hollywood_cmb

TLDR: I found a cheap alternative foot for Sachtler tripods if you need to replace yours and don't want to spend the $158 price tag to replace them.

Hey everyone,

I'm a big fan of the Sachtler Ace tripod/head combo. I think it's one of the best affordable tripods on the market, and if you shop used you can get a hell of a deal on one. I currently own two: The Ace L Freddie Wong Edition and the Ace XL with Carbon Fiber legs. I decided to buy a used Ace M to have as a backup or alternative to give to one of my filmmaking buddies who's still using a Manfrotto 501 and heavy cumbersome legs, and I got it for about $280 on eBay after tax and shipping. Only one thing, it's the floor spreader version and I've never been a big fan of floor spreaders. So that leads me to the reason for sharing this post.

For those of you familiar with Sachtler tripods and heads, we all know they aren't cheap. Even replacement parts are expensive. The round red feet used for the 75mm Sachtler tripods are $158, and that's the CHEAPEST I can find them for. Seriously, $50+ per foot. My Ace L has the screw-on feet with the spikes inside, but my XL has the round red feet that I like. I want to convert the M that will be delivered soon to a mid-spreader version with feet. But I don't want to spend $150 since it would have been better to find another XL with carbon fiber legs for around $500 that already had the feet and middle spreader.

So I found these Sirui SV-F feet when I was scouring B&H and a set of 3 of them is only $27. I studied them closely, as well as the tripod they're meant for, and the feet designed look as close to the Sachtler as anything I've ever seen on the market. Well, I'm here to tell you that the Sirui SV-F feet fit my Ace XL tripod like a glove. They maybe don't hold quite as tight as the original feet because the rubber has a tad bit more give to it, but it's nothing that effects function. The concave roller seems to be the same size and shape as the original Sachtler feet, which means the feet sit perfectly in the groove and can be rotated on the axis point without buckling to the side or coming loose. They're a little bulkier than the red ones, and you might need to rest them in a different position when storing the tripod in the bag, but for $27 you absolutely cannot go wrong. They can be attached to the legs in either direction depending on your preference.

I think these feet would be good to have if you're planning to use your tripod in a place where the feet might get damaged, melted from the hot sun, or receive a lot of extra wear. I'd much rather wear out a set of $27 feet than the $158 originals. Or if some of your feet have been lost or broken, these are some very budget friendly replacements.

Hey everyone, this post is to provide some information about an Android Stereo I installed last week in my mom’s new 2024 Outlander Sport S. For those of you that know, the S-trim version of the Outlander Sport isn’t the same as the higher level trims like the SE, LE, and Limited. One area that’s surprisingly lacking for a 2024 car is the 7” radio does NOT have CarPlay / Android Auto. The included 7” radio seems to be the same one included on many 2013-2019 lower trim models, so so it’s old technology. This really bummed me and my mom because she has gotten used to the SJoybring W022 I had installed in her last vehicle, which was inexpensive and had CarPlay/AA. Luckily, the 2024 Sport S has such a simple radio and isn’t integrated into other systems, that it’s possible to replace it.

I found this unit on Amazon for $167 that says it was a direct fit. This is my first post on this Reddit, so I’m not going to include a link here in the OP since I don’t want people to think I’m just here to sell a radio. Anyway, according to the listing this unit would retain the factory backup camera and steering wheel controls, and that’s important to us. We decided to give it a shot even though there were no reviews. I have an Android stereo in my 2015 Jeep Compass, and I’ve had good luck with that unit and it also had a lot of factory integration while being plug and play.

The install was pretty much plug and play. There are no wiring harnesses or install materials to buy because they are all included. I took out the old radio and had to remove the mounting brackets and use them in the install. The OEM brackets bolt to the brackets included with the new radio. I only used the basic wiring harness without the CanBus box, but even so I was able to get the factory backup camera working instantly and the steering wheel buttons programmed. I had to change a few settings on my mom’s Galaxy S25 related to USB permissions, but after that Android Auto connected easily and quickly. the stereo comes with an adapter so the factory USB port works to connect the phone to the stereo, which was an added perk that I’m very happy about.

We have had it about a week and so far it’s been a good unit. It looks pretty seamless, like it came that way. Not quite as “simple” as the SJoybring when it comes to menus and settings, but I am familiar enough with Android stereos to know my way around. We took it on a few drives to the nearest city and didn’t have any problems with Android Auto disconnecting. Haven’t had any issues with lagging or freezing up either. Only time will tell if it works good long term, but my initial reaction is that I think this is a cost effective option for anyone who has a 2013-2024 Sport S or ES without CarPlay. At $167 all in, it’s about $130 cheaper than it would have been to buy another SJoybring W022, plus all the install materials listed on Crutchfield and do a custom install. For the price and ease of install, I don’t think there’s a better option out there.

One thing to note: I’m not sure if using the more complex wiring harness and CanBus box would have resulted in more features. In my 2015 Jeep Compass, the CanBus box gives me dynamic backup camera lines that move as I turn the steering wheel, it gives me a pop-up icon that indicates which door is ajar, and it also displays the vehicles speed on the Home Screen. My thought process was that since all the boxes we NEEDED were checked with the simpler harness, it wasn’t necessary. If I find out differently in the future I’ll try to remember to update this post.

If you want to find the stereo just search for “2024 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport Stereo”, and the product should show up in the first few results. The one we bought is normally priced at $167, has 4Gb ram and 32g rom, and it mentions being compatible with 2013-2025 Sport. However, I found several other products on Amazon and eBay that are physically identical though some list the specs differently. In my experience, 4GB ram is usually what you want to get if you have a choice.

I hope this info is helpful to the community and if anything else important comes up I will be sure to update. Happy to answer any questions that I’m able to answer.

Hey everyone, I just finished this demo video for the Radius Alto 280 Add-on kit and the Deity ASM2 Pro Shockmount.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHDL\_wceGPU

I had bought the shock mount back when I got my Deity Boom pole, but I just got the Radius blimp for it. I’m so happy to not have to move my mic anymore into my old Rode blimp. I think this is a good option for people like myself who might already have the Deity shock mount, or maybe can’t afford to buy the full Alto blimp kit all at once. I’m a one-man-band filmmaker, so I know what it’s like to not always have money to make costly upgrades all at once.

Alternatively, if you have the Rode Blimp (or the DigitalFoto / Micolive knockoff) this will show you how to upgrade that blimp using Radius parts. These parts can be used later if/when you make the switch to the Radius ecosystem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLbg61vuuRc

Note: I am not affiliated with Radius, Deity, Rode or any other company. This is just information about sound gear for other filmmakers and sound people. I was not compensated in any way and purchased these products with my own money.

I collect Antsy Labs Fidget Cubes, so sometimes I sell ones I’ve collected. I sold two very rare ones to a guy who met me here on Reddit. It was a $400 sale, and I gave him free shipping. I’ve never ever had a problem with USPS both shipping and receiving, and Ground Advantage is my go-to. I always reuse boxes and packing materials, haven’t ever bought anything other than tape and label/invoice protectors. Usually buy the labels right from the app or website.

So I shipped his package, and took pics of the packed items and box like I always do before I ship it. It’s going from rural Kansas to Las Vegas. The morning of delivery, it’s marked refused but he didn’t refuse it. Later I found out his apartment complex has been marking all packages return to sender because of theft problems, and they refuse to install parcel lockers for their residents. The recipient goes to the local post office, but is kicked out by staff when no one would help him rectify the situation. Eventually it starts its return trip to me and makes it back to KC. Then a day or two later it says it’s out for delivery in Kentucky (not Kansas). I call, I file a missing mail request, the works.

Basically whoever marked it return to sender put the sticker over the return address. Now like I said, the shipping label is inside a protector so a simple box cutter would have allowed them access to the paper label. But that’s not what happens, what happened is they were trying to return it to the Chewy.com warehouse in Jeffersontown, KY. I had reused a chewy box for the shipment.

My contact at USPS customer care was a lady named Marci. Eventually she calls me and says they found the package. Against policy, they put it in a new box with a new label and sent it home to my address. I just received it this morning and am working with the recipient to find an alternate way he can receive it.

But for me USPS went above and beyond. I’ll always give USPS the benefit of the doubt and use them for whatever I can. The problem wasn’t USPS, it was the apartment complex management.

This short video is just installation footage I shot for a longer review / test video that will be coming soon.

I’ve had the Deity ASM2 Pro shock mount and 8.5’ boom pole for many months now. But I was having to move my S-mic3 shotgun mic from the ASM2pro to a Rode Blimp anytime I wanted to add more wind protection than slip-on furry windscreen. I hate moving my mic between mounts. It takes a bunch of extra time, not to mention I think it adds wear and tear on the shock mount itself.

I received a Radius Alto 280 blimp add-on kit in the mail a few weekends ago. This is THE PERFECT addition to the ASM2 pro. It’s a magnetic blimp that attaches to your existing shock mount in about 5 seconds. The video above shows the install process, basically you just have to add a bracket to your existing Asm2 pro. Radius designed the ASM2 Pro for Deity, and from what I can tell it’s the exact same as their Rad-2 / Rad-3 shock mounts.

If anyone has been on the fence about buying an Alto Blimp kit, rest assured that it’s a smart purchase. The time you save alone is worth the price, but also it’s so much lighter weight than the Rode Blimp. Not to mention the Deity comes with smaller boom pole mount, with the Rode, that’s an additional accessory you have to purchase separately (which I did). As anyone knows if you boom occasionally: ounces become pounds at the end of a fully extended pole after even a few hours.

But, for those of you saying “I can’t afford to drop $400+ on a blimp right now, I can get a Rode Blimp on the used market for cheap” check this out: Simon at Radius provided me with an .STL file for 3D printing. I had a friend print two of them up for me. They are brackets that allow you to use Radius hoops (and mic mounts) on your Rode Blimp. So if you have the oldest version of the Rode Blimp with the bungee cord shock mounts, you might consider upgrading to the Radius hoops and mic mounts, which is a very small investment to make and will breathe new life into your old Rode Blimp setup. Even if you have the newer version with the lyre Rycote mounts, the Radius hoops would be a smart upgrade. I ordered a pair of firm hoops and mic mounts, and I’ll be making a special video showing everyone how to do the upgrade using the 3D printed brackets. Simon told me if you don’t have access to a 3D printer, they will do it for you if you contact them directly.

I hope this will be useful for other videographers who occasionally have to film a meeting, conference, or other situation where there's more than 4 people that need to be mic'ed up. In my experience, providing mics for more than 4 people becomes problematic both from a cost perspective and also from a technical perspective. Usually these kinds of meetings don't pay a lot, and even worse, some of the people who attend such meetings really hate interacting with technology. Shotgun mics are terrible for this sort of thing, but these are a very simple and effective solution.

I found these Astatic 901vp boundary mics while searching online, they were on sale for $50/ea at B&H. They have an adjustable polar (pickup) pattern which really comes in handy. Watch my review video for more info. I actually used the mic for the whole video, I hate it when people make videos and don't actually USE the piece of equipment in the darn video. I'd suggest taking advantage of the current sale price. Normal MSRP is $140/ea.

https://youtu.be/3y6fnstRBOY?si=x5Q1iuqhEKZvPCir

DISCLAIMER: I am a private videographer, I bought and used these mics on my own. I was not compensated in any way to use these microphones or create this review of them. I'm simply posting this as a PSA for other videographers who might need a similar solution.