Head for Docter 40x80 ED (1 Viewer)

Hello, I´m searching for a light head for a Docter 40x80 ED (5kg).
I don´t know what´s the best option:
-Manfrotto 501.
-Manfrotto MH 055 M8-Q5.
-Berlebach 2D-Perfect: I´m interested about its smoothness panning performance.
http://www.berlebach.de/?bereich=details&id=90&sprache=english
-Other.

Alberto,

First of all, congratulations on purchasing such a superb instrument.

I don't think a little extra weight of the tripod head would make a lot of difference to the carrying comfort but it could be important for the stability.

The Manfrotto MH 055 M8-Q5 is not ideal as you don't need its lateral tilt function and its thin support for the top plate looks rather vibration prone.

Piergiovanni Salimberi of Binomania has used the Docter on a Manfrotto 501 but its 6 kg capacity is a bit marginal. Perhaps he will chime in here.

If you could find a Manfrotto 516 that might be ideal. Orniwelt used to offer it for big binos but it may have been discontinued. See this thread: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=228340

Let us know how you get on and give us your impressions of the Docter.

John

Hi John, I think the best is take my Docter to a store in my city and test all available options there.

However, I´m curious about Berlebach 2D-Perfect and its smoothness panning performance. This head isn´t here in a store to can test it.

I´ll let you know the head and tripod I choose and my impressions of the Docter.

Alberto

Alberto,

I'm not familiar with the Berlebach 2D, but I don't think it has a counterbalance spring, a feature which could be important to you. On a video head the centre of gravity of the heavy Docter is going to be well above the pivot axis, so any tilt might cause the bin to crash into the vertical position.

I have a Berlebach 552 which is a lightweight and superbly made (and expensive) video head. Although it has a counterbalance spring and is rated at 6 kg capacity, I doubt that it would be up to the job of handling the Docter Aspectem.

John

The best head for smooth panning is going to be a "video" head. Important to have the tripod perfectly level as well. For a perfect field setup I like the Manfrotto 755XB tripod that levels the base plate in a couple seconds using the center column. This makes it easy to move to a new location without spending a lot of time getting the tripod head level again each time.