Hermann
Well-known member
I've been using aluminium Gitzos with Manfrotto 128 LP heads for many years. However, after a shoulder injury a couple of years ago I'm increasingly feeling the weigh, especially on long hikes. I therefore got a Gitzo carbon tripod a couple of days ago, a GT2341, to cut down on the weight.
The problem is the head. I'm using angled Nikon scopes, mainly the EDIII and the ED82, both of which are back heavy. So far I've been balancing the scope on the 128 LP using an ancient Gitzo quick release system that is both very stable and indestructible. It's also unfortunately quite heavy - it weighs about 200 gr. So the whole setup (128 LP with a shortened handle+quick release) is about 950gr. I'll carry on using this head with my ED82 on my old aluminium Gitzos, but I really need something lighter for longer hikes with the GT2541 and the Nikon EDIII.
Now, I've tried a lot of different heads over the years. Most of them didn't really work. Too many problems with vibrations, insufficient dampening and so on. Some were fine at first, but deteriorated within a few months to the extent they were unusable, so I always went back to the 128 LP.
What I'm looking for is a head that
- weighs no more than 650 gr including a secure quick release system
- is reasonably vibration free, ideally as good as the 128LP
- allows balancing back heavy scopes
- is solid and trouble-free in long term use
The only head that comes to mind is the Gitzo 2180, however, opinions on the Gitzo seem to be divided here. It also got a bad review at the Twentse site.
Has anyone got any ideas? I even thought about using a ball head for such trips (like the Arca Swiss), but I much prefer video heads.
Hermann
The problem is the head. I'm using angled Nikon scopes, mainly the EDIII and the ED82, both of which are back heavy. So far I've been balancing the scope on the 128 LP using an ancient Gitzo quick release system that is both very stable and indestructible. It's also unfortunately quite heavy - it weighs about 200 gr. So the whole setup (128 LP with a shortened handle+quick release) is about 950gr. I'll carry on using this head with my ED82 on my old aluminium Gitzos, but I really need something lighter for longer hikes with the GT2541 and the Nikon EDIII.
Now, I've tried a lot of different heads over the years. Most of them didn't really work. Too many problems with vibrations, insufficient dampening and so on. Some were fine at first, but deteriorated within a few months to the extent they were unusable, so I always went back to the 128 LP.
What I'm looking for is a head that
- weighs no more than 650 gr including a secure quick release system
- is reasonably vibration free, ideally as good as the 128LP
- allows balancing back heavy scopes
- is solid and trouble-free in long term use
The only head that comes to mind is the Gitzo 2180, however, opinions on the Gitzo seem to be divided here. It also got a bad review at the Twentse site.
Has anyone got any ideas? I even thought about using a ball head for such trips (like the Arca Swiss), but I much prefer video heads.
Hermann