Thanks for the help. I took a look at the Sachtler heads at B&H, very pricey. I tend to use the locks if I'm zoomed in a long way but I find it difficult to release them without disturbing the camera.

My feet tend to not be busy though - I figured a foot pedal and some sort of cable release might do the trick.

Perhaps what I really need is a better technique.

If you ae using a decent head, such as a Miller 25 or 50, you can release or apply the lock without creating that shake yo refer to. I've been shooting with big cameras for well over 20 years so I have some experience...

Peter

I think that's part of the problem, I'm using small cameras - mini DV. Being small and light = little inertia.

Any tips on technique would be greatly appreciated.

Hang a weight from a barbell down from the center post in between the legs. You can even use a sock filled with something dense like steel bearings. If you don't think that looks very professional use a dress sock and hang an "I use Vegas" sign from it.
Also, the farther you extend the center post the more shake it will exhibit.

John

A Sachtler head is the closest solution to your problem in my opinion. Along with this suggestion about hanging something heavy under the cam.
The Sachtler locks are "friction locks", kind of "progressive" so you can go smoothly and not disturb the cam.
Expensive, but you'll keep it for the rest of your life. Just choose the right size (if you plan to use a heavier cam some day in the future). And you don't have to buy the biggest one. We've been working with the small ones (75mm?) with Sony cams (400/600/BVVs/D30/etc) and as long as you got good legs, everything's great.

"Looking Professional" isn't high on my list of priorities - don't know about the sock though! I'm sufficiently - er - vertically challenged to not have to extend the center post unless I'm going for something weird.

The "weight between the legs" idea sounds helpful. I'll try that!

:o)

My legs are a little shaky - those on my tripod less so.....

I'm currently using low-end Bogens (3160's) which are a massive improvement over the Slik I used before. I think I might be getting into an area where the laws of diminishing returns kicks in.

The hard part of all this video stuff is figuring out where to invest - the only thing I've decided at this point is I don't want to invest it in video cameras.

They say you can't waste money buying tools though - so I'm gonna have to just grab a camera and head to the store - perhaps there's enough improvement to be had in a Sachtler to be worth it.