Major clearance sale starts tomorrow: Miller Tripods closes after 72 years: Inventor of the fluid head shuts down
[18:31 Mon,31.August 2026 � by Thomas Richter] ���
The long-established Australian tripod manufacturer Miller Camera Support Equipment, known as Miller Tripods, will cease business operations on September 30, 2026. This means not only the disappearance from the market of one of the historically most significant manufacturers of professional camera tripods and fluid heads, but also the inventor of the fluid head, which has since become indispensable for smooth camera tilts and pans.
In an open letter, the owners Mark and Diane Clementson, whose family has run Miller for 55 years, cite their retirement as the reason for the decision—according to reports, a buyer for the company was sought, but none was found. The last regular day of business is scheduled for September 25. During the transition phase, Miller intends to continue customer service and fulfill existing obligations, but the letter leaves open what the closure will mean long-term for warranties and spare parts.
Miller and the Invention of the Fluid Head
The special significance of Miller goes back considerably further than the founding of the company in 1954: In the mid-1940s, Robert Eric "Bob" Miller was working with a Fox-Movietone newsreel team in Sydney and was looking for a way to move film cameras more smoothly during pans and tilts. Together with his father, Eric Miller, he then developed a tripod head in which interlocking cylinders were dampened in a viscous lubricant, with a separate system for both horizontal and vertical movement: the fluid head was born. The corresponding Australian patent was filed in 1946, and a US patent was granted in 1949.
Until then, professional film cameras were often tilted and panned using elaborate, gear-driven heads as well as mechanical friction and gyro systems. However, these were heavy and expensive, smooth pans were difficult, and combined diagonal movements were only possible to a limited extent. The new fluid damping, by contrast, enabled smooth, controlled pan and tilt movements—a principle that forms the basis of practically all modern professional video tripod heads. Miller later developed the principle further into adjustable fluid drag systems.
From Film Tripod to ENG Standard
Starting in the late 1950s, Miller exported its tripod heads to the USA, Europe, and Asia, among other places, and soon began manufacturing complete tripods as well—the early models still featured massive wooden legs. With the rise of portable video cameras in the 1970s, the focus shifted increasingly to ENG and EFP applications. As a result, Miller tripods became a familiar sight for decades, particularly in the news, broadcast, and documentary sectors.
Miller is best known in the broadcast and ENG/EFP sectors with series such as Solo, Compass/CompassX (CX), Arrow/ArrowX, HDC, and the newer AIR fluid heads, in addition to dollies, spreaders, monopods, and pedestal systems. Unlike numerous long-established brands in the industry, Miller remained an independent Australian family business until the very end.
Online Clearance Sale
As a farewell, Miller has announced a major clearance sale starting September 1, 2026, via its online stores for the USA, Europe, and other regions, which is intended to offer attractive deals (though potential buyers should be aware of the issue of lacking future support, unless this is taken over by another company). The European store will go live tomorrow.
