Sachtler refreshes fluid head lineup with new Ace Mark II version

Sachtler has refreshed its fluid video head lineup with the new Ace M Mk II and Ace XL Mk II fluid video tripod heads (buy here). The Ace XL Mk II is available on its own or in a range of kits that also include tripod legs. The Ace M Mk II is only available in kits.

The Ace M Mk II has a load capacity of 4kg (8.8lb), while the Ace XL Mk II has a load capacity of 8kg (17.6lb). Both heads include Sachtler’s smooth drag system and multi-step counterbalance. And they should handle just about anything you can throw at them.

Sachtler Ace M/XL Mk II

Not much seems to have changed on paper with the new Ace Mk II heads over their Mk I predecessors – which were already extremely good. The Ace lineup is their lightweight range, they’re very different beasts to Sachtler’s heavy-duty Cine Series heads.

But despite being smaller and lighter, they’re extremely tough and durable. I mean, we drowned one in the Dead Sea once, and it came out completely unscathed. In fact, we were so impressed that we gave one away to a lucky individual.

They fit onto video tripods with a 75mm bowl. The Ace XL Mk II can be purchased separately, so you can just pop it onto tripod legs you already own. The Ace M Mk II, on the other hand, only comes in kits that also include a set of legs.

The Ace XL Mk II offers 9 steps of counterbalance (one more than the original Ace XL – buy here) and 3 steps of pan/tilt drag adjustment. The tripod plate has 4.1″ of sliding range, to let you more easily balance your camera rig on top, with a -75° to +90° tilt movement range.

The Ace M Mk II has a smaller 5-step counterbalance adjustment (same as the original Ace M – buy here) and the same three steps of pan/tilt drag adjustment. It has the same 4.1″ sliding range on the tripod plate for balancing and the same -75° to +90° tilt range as the XL.

Sachtler Ace M/XL Mk II Specs

	Ace M Mk II	Ace XL Mk II
Bowl size	75mm	75mm
Payload	0-4kg	0-8kg
Counterbalance Steps	9+0	5+0
Pan and Tilt drag	3 Steps	3 Steps
Tilt Range	+90° to -75°	+90° to -75°
Sliding Plate Range	4.1″	4.1″

Price and Availability

The Sachtler XL Mk II fluid head is available in a variety of options, along with a few extra accessories. Some have already started to ship, while others should start appearing in the coming weeks. The Sachtler Mk II doesn’t appear to be available quite yet, but we’ll update this post when we see it.

• Sachter Ace XL Mk II head only – $655
• Sachtler Flowtech 75 GS Carbon Fiber Tripod & Ace XL Mark II Fluid Head – $2,299
• Sachtler Flowtech 75 MS Carbon Fiber Tripod & Ace XL Mark II Fluid Head $2,299
• Sachtler Carrying Bag for Ace Mark II Tripod System $152
• Sachtler 8678 Carry Strap for Ace Mk II Systems and 75/2 Mk II Tripods $47.50