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New Swarovski Tripod head (1 Viewer)

Doug

Well-known member
I have been trying out the new Swarovski birding site (nice article on composition from our very own Nigel Blake, incidentally but the site is still slow and buggy)

They have announced a new tripod head - the FH101

It looks like a match to the RC128 Manfrotto head - but not as sturdy as the 501.

Has anyone seen it in the flesh? No news on price on the site - just that it will be available in October.
 
Doug,another interesting launch by Swarovski will be their Digital camera attachement due out in Jan 2004,I dread to think how much it will cost,but I am sure will be on many lists of digi scopers with the Swaro scopes.

John
 
I have seen the advance release of info on the attachment and it looks very good to me - I bet the price is closer to £200 than £100 knowing Swarovski!
 
I found this thread via Google looking for info on the FH101 as a head to support a spotting scope.

Has anyone actually used this head for digiscoping? If so, I'd be very linterested in learning their impressions, especially how it compares to something like the Bogen 3130.

doug
www.boltassociates.com
 
Douglas Bolt said:
I found this thread via Google looking for info on the FH101 as a head to support a spotting scope.

Has anyone actually used this head for digiscoping? If so, I'd be very linterested in learning their impressions, especially how it compares to something like the Bogen 3130.

doug
www.boltassociates.com

Doug:

I've been hoping for months that somebody would comment on this head. Eagle Optics told me in November that they would have it in stock in January, but they still don't offer it. I have been able to learn absolutely nothing about how it compares to other heads. I assume Swarovski will offer it mounted on a Bogen/Manfrotto tripod that has been spiffed up a bit with a different finish. But in any case, I would really like to know what people think of it.
 
Jonathan B. said:
Doug:

I've been hoping for months that somebody would comment on this head. Eagle Optics told me in November that they would have it in stock in January, but they still don't offer it. I have been able to learn absolutely nothing about how it compares to other heads. I assume Swarovski will offer it mounted on a Bogen/Manfrotto tripod that has been spiffed up a bit with a different finish. But in any case, I would really like to know what people think of it.

I tried this head at the British Bird Fair last August and found it rather awkward to use. But is might be the sort of equipment you get used to. I think South West Optics are selling it for £148 (!).

I also would like to hear from anyone who has used it for birding.

Sean
 
I have a Swarovski scope and, wanting a new tripod head, thought i'd spend a bit extra and get the FH101 head to go with it.

Having got home, fitted it and used it briefly in the garden i realised what a truly awful bit of kit this is. It might be acceptable at £50 but this cost £140.

So, having made a statement like that i suppose i'd better try and explain.

I'm sure Swarovski state that both axis can be locked by one action. This is quite obviously not the case, both need to be locked separately. When you've sighted the scope and attempt to lock the pan it moves the scope slightly to the left which at high magnification moves the bird/object of interest out of view. No matter how firmly you hold the scope still, this still happens. Completely unacceptable!
When you lock the tilt using a different mechanism it can't be done smoothly and is extremely jerky. Once done there then seems to be too much flex in the head itself which then provides more tilt when its not required. Not really acceptable!
The plastic grip comes off the panning handle. Oh dear!

I wanted a 'fluid head' and was lead to believe this was one but it apparently isn't. If the above mentioned problems were sorted it would still be no smoother and work no better than the cheap Slik head that i have at the moment.

I returned it to the shop, who were as good as their word, and swapped it for a Manfrotto 700RC fluid head which at £65 is less than half the price of the FH101. Perfect!

OK, so this is only my opinion and i dare say somebody will have the FH101 and think it's great. Maybe i got a dodgy one. I would say to anyone considering purchasing one of these to make sure you've got the option of returning it.

Apparently, you dont always get what you pay for.
 
Hi Graeme,I notice this is your first post,so welcome to Birdforum from the Moderators and Staff.
Interesting story about the tripod head,must be a poor piece of kit if the 700 RC outstrips it! (I've had the 700RC for a year or so and have never really liked it,but there again many on the Forum disagree with me!)
Look forward to hearing more from you.
 
Hi, welcome to birdforum.
I tried out this head at the Minsmere 'birdfair' earlier this year and I was equally bemused by it. Someone told me that Swarovski designed this in-house with their own people instead of doing what they have in the past in using Manfrotto gear. I think the results speak for themself. I believe Swarovski are using Velbon from now on for the tripods.
Swarovski do seem to be taking great liberties with their pricing, as I read that they are just about to have a price hike across their entire range. This comes within a year of the last price rise. They could have a white elephant to keep well fed, see first post ;)

Cheers,
Wine Man
 
Wine Man said:
Swarovski do seem to be taking great liberties with their pricing, as I read that they are just about to have a price hike across their entire range. This comes within a year of the last price rise. They could have a white elephant to keep well fed, see first post ;)
Cheers,
Wine Man

Yes, 1st July price increase. The 8.5x42 EL now has a list price of £1083 and the ATS 80 HD scope is £1349 put with a variable eyepiece (£314), does seem like a large increase.
 
I would definitely stay away from that head. I saw a demo at Eagle Optics a few months ago - it appeared to be flimsy and the price was something else. I don't think the EO people were impressed either. I would love to get their case for my ATS 8-0 but it too is way over priced IMO. Next time I'm definitely looking at other brands first.
 
Thanks for the welcomes, they're appreciated.

Its good to see that i'm not alone in thinking that this is an outrageously expensive duff bit of kit. It would, however, be interesting to hear from anyone who rates it although i think i might be in for a bit of a wait. I asked at the shop, LCE, whether they had sold any of these things and the reply was a rather telling 'Er, no'.

Say no more.
 
I've just bought the FH101 head. Out of the box, I am not impressed (but perhaps haven't given it a fair trial) and looked here to see what I was missing. Should have looked here first of course. I bought it mainly because I wanted easy compatability with the Swaro balance arm which is needed when the Coolpix 4500 is attached to my ATS80.
I'm wondering whether Warehouse Express will take it back, because it isn't actually faulty, just a poor design.

If they will exchange it, what is the best lighweight head to go for for digiscoping? I have heavy Manfrotto and Gitzo heads, I was trying to travel lighter.
 
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O.K. I've used the head every day for the past week, fitted to a Gitzo carbon mountaneer, so here is an update.
Although the head appears very flimsy, it seems to work reasonably well.
My main complaint is that you can't lock the vertical plane one-handed with a twist of the hand-grip, as I'm used to doing with my Gitzo heads. However, most other heads don't lock in this way either. I find the Swaro head locks well in the vertical tilt plane with no discernable shift of the scope, and no slip even with a heavy load (Coolpix 4500). The horizontal plane (pan) lock does cause a shift of the scope when applied, but I rarely lock in this plane, just keep the friction quite high. The resistance to movement adjusters work well in both planes.
The quick-release made me nervous due to its delicate looks, but I can't make it release when it shouldn't. That said, I wouldn't like to see my new scope and digi-camera fly off so I carry it very carefully when fully assembled.
Advantages of the Swaro head;
Light weight, small and neat
Easy Swaro compatability as it takes scope foot and Swaro extension plate without need for adjuster
seems to work o.k. with or without digi-camera and Swaro hinge-bracket.

Disadvantages;
Outrageous price
Nearly all plastic and looks like it could break easily, but perhaps the "unbreakable" material is better than it looks.
It does not appear to be a fluid head (although I can't take it to bits to check, unlike my Gitzo heads)

I think this head only makes sense if you have a Swaro scope with digicope extension plate and a very lightweight tripod. Even then the price is too high.
 
An expensive piece of plastic junk.

I wish I had seen this thread before I bought my FH101. I've owned my FH101 for two months. Today, I raised the tripod up and accidentally hit the top of my (padded) roof of my car trunk door. Fortunately, the head was not holding my scope - just a mounting ring for a telephoto lens. It promptly fell on the ground (so much for secure!). Then I noticed that the quick release had broken. In trying to fix it, I snapped the lever release off. :C It is incredibly cheap plastic.

DO NOT BUY THIS HEAD. It simply is not adequate for field use.

A
 
Ashok Khosla said:
I wish I had seen this thread before I bought my FH101. I've owned my FH101 for two months. Today, I raised the tripod up and accidentally hit the top of my (padded) roof of my car trunk door. Fortunately, the head was not holding my scope - just a mounting ring for a telephoto lens. It promptly fell on the ground (so much for secure!). Then I noticed that the quick release had broken. In trying to fix it, I snapped the lever release off. :C It is incredibly cheap plastic.

DO NOT BUY THIS HEAD. It simply is not adequate for field use.

A

I have to say that my experience with the B-M 701rc2 is the oposite of the 101. The701rc2 is my first fluid head so I might be impresionable. Being able to smoothly follow a flock of Aleutian Cackling geese or find your target and simply take your hand off the handle is a joy. It is also lighter than the 128 and has two verticle axis pivots instead of just one. I am using a Pentax 65mm scope so the weight and angular momentum is small, but I need to apply little or no friction. Some may shy away due to lack of a quick rlease lock but I may add a safety to compensate. At least its made of metal!
 
I know this is an old thread but I thought I would add my findings.

Firstly I have experience with and owned
Man MN128RC Head
Man 701RC2
Swaro FH 101
I have used all heads on the carbon fiber Manfrotto 443

Similarly I have used each head with the Zeiss Diascope 85 and I have used each head setup for digiscoping with different cameras attached at various stages via the SRB Mk1 swing out bracket.

I was offered the Swaro FH 101 at a much reduced price of about £85 and although I had read some poor remarks about it I thought I would see for myself as I liked the ability to be able to lock the pan and tilt separate from the tension setting when is use.

I can see why some question the quality of the item on first inspection as it is plastic and does feel...well cheap in comparison to the metal bodies of the previous heads and the fact that it is so light (less than 600g) most likely does not give the impression of quality.

I have now owned this head for about a year and can honestly say it is superb in most ways.
It is silky smooth in operation even when the friction of the head is extreme with no judder or sudden fast jerking as I had with the 701. I
have no issue with the scope drooping with my camera and bracket attached even when it is at an angle where gravity often takes over it's movement.

My plus points
1) Very light indeed FH 101 540g 701RC2 800g MN128RC 1KG
2) Pan & Tilt Locking. This is ace and for me it works very well. For me as a digiscoper and birder I only lock the head with pan and tilt when not in use ie when walking around with it on shoulder or transporting it from A to B with car etc so the issue of slight movement when locking the panning is not an issue as I rarely lock it when in use. Swarovski says this locking of the pan and tilt is done with one movement, I have to disagree as it is not natural or comfortable to do this so I find two movements one for each being used (no big issue for me)
3) Pan and tilt friction. This is done once with a few minor adjustments needed to fine tune the head. Once this has been set to your liking it is done and I have not had to re-adjust since. This is a great feature as with the other heads the friction control also doubles up with the locking of the head so that each time the head was used after being carried I found that I had to find the best setting for friction which to be honest got me frustrated. The head is silky smooth in all directions with no judder at all. The three 701 heads I tried all suffered with an initial learching forward if the friction pressure was set a little tight, this tightness being the necessary friction to stop the scope drooping. (my biggest gripe I had with this head the MN 701)

My Minus Points
1) Rotation Of Scope. I can no longer use the anti rotation plate (MN 200US) I purchased for use with the Manfrotto heads which is a bugger as this stopped my problem altogether so I do have to be careful of the scope coming loose over time. The quick release plate the use is not compatible although I presume the Swaro scope will just slip in without need for plate?
2) Safety locking feature . This is a strange one as the setup they have used is not fully thought out as I often have to reset one out of the two methods they incorporated to stop the accidental release of the the scope. I have not had the scope pop off as yet though. The 128 head scores highly on this feature as it is impossible for it to come of in any situation.
3) Pan & Tilt Handle. This is too short for me and is set at the wrong angle as it leaves little room for your hand in between the camera and handle. This is most likely only an issue for straight scope users who do not own a Swaro scope ( there scope is offset slightly)

As you can see the minus points are very minor in my use of this head and do not detract from the use. It really is the head I have been looking for and now I am satisfied I have found the best "overall" head within my needs as a birder and digiscoper.

The ability to lock the pan and tilt separately from the friction of the setup is one massive feature that, for me, far outweighs any other niggles.

I would recommend this head above the other two to anybody looking for a head to digiscope with but you will have to get over the plastic cheap feel first to part with the money for this high cost item. I have, and I no longer care that it is cheap looking and made from plastic.

If I was to be totally honest the safety feature to stop the scope coming off is a slight concern as I do have to keep an eye on it The issue of the scope rotating is one I thought I had got rid of with use of the Manfrotto anti rotation plate but now I again have to periodically re tighten the screw in the base.

In order of preference of these heads It would be
1) FH 101 (by a mile)
2) 128
3) 701
 
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