Lightweight Tripod Heads: Comparing Gitzo 2180 to Velbon FHD-51Q (1 Viewer)

PYRTLE said:

Hi Alfred 33, this is a much lighter and imo not anywhere as good as the FHD 51Q which I first posted on BF a few weeks ago and have had some favourite PM feedback on. The 368 is prone to leakage if heavily used.

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Hello Pyrtle,

thanks for answering me. As I have seen in your prior postings you also know the Manfrotto MA 701RC2 head. Which one of the heads would be the better one for my purposes: the Manfrotto MA 701RC2 or the Velbon FHD 61Q? The latter doesn´t have a spring. Does this be a problem with your spective or cam? For me slow smooth pans and tilts with as less rebound (drifting back at the end of a cam-movement) as possible are important.

Thanks Alfred

Any updates?

aomcm said:

I promised to follow up my original post with a report on the durability of the Velbon FHD-51Q. I am sorry to report that the head does not seem to be holding up the rigors of everyday birding demands.

I still very much like using the head. I have used it for several weeks with my Swaro 65 so it is not under a very heavy load (for a birder). I have not subjected it to anything other than normal birding use pulling it in and out of the back of my car. Recently, it has developed a wobble in the vertical (tilt) plane even when locked as tight as possible. I have tried tightening all the various screws on the head to no effect. It actually seems that some component of the head has become bent. I will probably send it back to Velbon for repair and switch back to the Gitzo.

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Hi aomcm, how has it been going with your Velbon repair? Are you happy again with the FHD-51Q, or have you gone back to the Gitzo 2180 for good?

Swissboy said:

Hi aomcm, how has it been going with your Velbon repair? Are you happy again with the FHD-51Q, or have you gone back to the Gitzo 2180 for good?

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Hi Swissboy,

I am not sure if the original poster will respond at some point. But he is actually my brother. He informed me that he now uses the Bogen/Manfrotto 701RC2. I do not know any other details, but just wanted to let you know.

Best,
Jim

J. Moore said:

Hi Swissboy,

I am not sure if the original poster will respond at some point. But he is actually my brother. He informed me that he now uses the Bogen/Manfrotto 701RC2. I do not know any other details, but just wanted to let you know.

Best,
Jim

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Thanks Jim, great to have an answer, even if it is an indirect one. Interesting fact that you have a brother with the same hobby. It's the same here, though my brother may not have contributed to BF so far. But I tend to send him posts he might be interested in.

aomcm said:

I promised to follow up my original post with a report on the durability of the Velbon FHD-51Q. I am sorry to report that the head does not seem to be holding up the rigors of everyday birding demands.

I still very much like using the head. I have used it for several weeks with my Swaro 65 so it is not under a very heavy load (for a birder). I have not subjected it to anything other than normal birding use pulling it in and out of the back of my car. Recently, it has developed a wobble in the vertical (tilt) plane even when locked as tight as possible. I have tried tightening all the various screws on the head to no effect. It actually seems that some component of the head has become bent. I will probably send it back to Velbon for repair and switch back to the Gitzo.

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I've got the same velbon head and have been using it for 7 months now under Nikon ED82. Regrettably, I've just noticed exactly the same problem with wobble in the vertical plane. My scope is quite heavy and sometimes I carry it over my shoulder, although most of the times with legs retracted and almost vertically so that the handle rests on my shoulder.
This could be the cause of the problem, I think. Anyway, I am disappointed with durability and probably will get something else, Manfrotto 128LP maybe...

Has anyone got experience with 128LP and Velbon FHD-51Q? Is manfrotto really better and more durable?

Regards

Maciek

Has anyone got experience with 128LP and Velbon FHD-51Q? Is manfrotto really better and more durable?

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Not used the Velbon FHD-51Q but the Manfrotto 128LP is built like a tank. You could fight off bears with it and then use it to digiscope

It's heavy too. About twice the weight of the lighter Manfrotto heads (and so twice the Velbon FHD-51Q weight).

The Velbon FHD-51Q is 1.3lbs and can handle a 5.5lb load.

Then again 128LP the 2.3lbs and can deal with a 8.9lb load. Are you sure you don't mean something like the 700RC2 (5.5lb load, 1.1lb weight) or 701RC2 (9lb load, 1.85lbs weight)?

That said the 128LP will have no problems with your 82mm scope. Just wonder how top heavy the tripod will be with an extra 1lb on the top.

Kevin, thanks a lot for your reply. I've just got an email form velbon distributor in the UK. They say that my Velbon head is still under warranty period, so I can send it for a repair. Despite this, I will get myself something else anyway, probably 128LP because it's reasonably priced and stable (from what I have read on this Forum).

Kevin Purcell said:

Then again 128LP the 2.3lbs and can deal with a 8.9lb load. Are you sure you don't mean something like the 700RC2 (5.5lb load, 1.1lb weight) or 701RC2 (9lb load, 1.85lbs weight)?


That said the 128LP will have no problems with your 82mm scope. Just wonder how top heavy the tripod will be with an extra 1lb on the top.

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I tried briefly 700 & 701 heads while buing my scope and didn't like their QR plates and locking system. I know there is a newer incarnation of 701rc2 called HDV, a bit lighter and more expensive. I don't mind extra weight of 128LP though.

My setup is already top heavy, because of fairly light carbon legs I use (velbon 630). Will an extra weight on the top decrease stability?

Maciej

Maciej,

The extra weight will not decrease stability in the sense of rigidity and vibration, but it can make the system feel like it will tip over more easily. I have in the past used the 128 LP and liked it quite a bit with a lighter scope, but with a heavier scope it began to rock a bit when the pan lock was loose for fluid panning. When the lock was tightened down, it was very rigid. The 701 HDV I have tried but not owned. It is worth checking out since it utilizes the Manfrotto long dovetail QR plate, the same as used in the 501 series and the Gitzo 2380 (the head I currently use with a Nikon ED 82 A). This plate is much better than the small ones used in the 701rc and allows for plenty of front-back balancing. Also, even longer aftermarket QR plates are available that fit this standard. The ideal head does not yet exist, but if you don't like the Velbon, then the 701 HDV, 501 HDV and Gitzo 2380 in order of increasing weight and stability are the ones I can recommend. And, although this has been posted here before and you might already have done so, do go and check out Jan Meijerink's tripod and head tests on www.tvwg.nl for photographic records of stability differences between different models. In Dutch, but if you give it a few minutes you'll understand enough.

Kimmo

Hi Kimmo,
thanks for advice.
It is not that I don't like the Velbon head, I was satisfied with its performance, it's light, has long and adjustable QR plate and secure locking mechanism...
I checked Jan Meijerink's website couple of times and read (sort of) the tests, that's why the 128LP drew my attention. Now, I googled 701 HDV and, as far as I can tell from photos, it has the same (or very similar) QR locking mechanism which is good. Can you confirm this, Kimmo? If 701 HDV is as durable and steady as 128 LP I may go for it. Surely, Gitzo 2380 and Manfrotto 501 are even better, but also more pricey and heavier.

Kimmo, just out of interest, what happened to your velbon head you had been using some time ago? And what tripod do you use?

Thanks

Maciej

Don't forget that

http://translate.google.com

does translate Dutch (and a lot of other languages) into English with varying amounts of fidelity. You get a lot more out of the site with it's help!

Unfortunatly the site is not well set up to help google do the translation

Try this

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&u=http://www.tvwg.nl/testrapporten/

click on tripods.

Thanks for that Kevin!
I opened your link last night and could get to the translated articles but today it opens with 9 lines saying 'This page was automatically translated from Dutch'. When I follow this it opens FAQ of 'GoogleTranslate'. So, for some reason it does not work as good as yesterday, at least on my PC.

I translated interesting bits and the 128LP compares favorably with 'best in test' (and more expensive) heads.

After Kimmo's suggestions I am also thinking of 701HDV, a little bit lighter but costs ca. £30 more.

Maciej

Macs: the usual problems wait for the translation to complete ... and make sure adblocking and other security measures your browser uses all google to open frames.

Works fine for me in all the browsers I use (on multiple platforms).

TVWG do like the 128LP.

Maciej,

I still have the Velbon, and use it occasionally too. It rocks a bit, but not when tightened down, and the action is to my liking and stability is excellent for such a lightweight head. I removed the cork from the QR-plate so there is metal-to-metal interface between the plate and the scope for less vibration.

The other head I have and which is in use currently is the Gitzo 2380. It is much heavier and a bit more stable, and basically does not rock at all. I have a good sample with smooth action around both axes, but some units I have tried are too stiff to my liking. The locking knobs are very good in use, but the friction adjustment is not so easy to adjust properly. Also, the handle is a bit too straight and I have bent mine some (If you try this, be very careful, I take no responsibility for broken handles).

My tripod is an over 20 years old Manfrotto 028, which I have modified with some anti-vibration tweaks on the upper leg segments. I have also removed the crank from the center column to speed up adjustment (necessary when one suddenly notices a raptor high overhead) and to save a bit of weight. At some point I will likely get a carbon-fibre tripod to have something lighter and more compact, but since I am set on maximum rigidity, the available options are not that light and certainly are not cheap. And, since I have been thinking of doing my own tripod tests with a method somewhat similar to Jan Meijerink's, I have thought of getting the carbon tripod only after the tests are completed. Only, I have not gotten around to actually doing them and probably will not for the near future.

Kimmo

Hello,

After more reading of the Dutch tests (really absorbing!) I finally ordered 128 LP. Have been once in the field with the new setup and my impressions are very positive. I couldn't see much stability improvement over the FHD-51Q, but I found the panning action smoother and easier and also when moderately locked, the head stays put (in vertical plane).
Before I sent the Velbon for repair, I had done quick comparison of the two. The weight difference is significant, but not dramatic: 610g vs. 843g although noticable when attached to the tripod. Like Kevin says it is solid enough to fight off bears
I focused my scope on to top of a tree at 75x mag and induced some shake by knocking tripod's leg and also the panning handle (not at the same time). I noticed that the stability is rather similar, but on the 128LP there is more shake when panning lock is tightened, when the lock is loose it dampens the vibrations significantly better; no such difference on the velbon.

The rubber covering the plate wasn't glued tightly and came loose already! I don't care because I meant to strip it anyway like I did with the cork on the velbon plate (looks much nicer to me ) I am planning to follow Kimmo's suggestion and try the trick with some lead strips.

I am now thinking about further stability improvements and getting myself a Berlebach wooden tripod 3