Head for Nikon ED78 (1 Viewer)

[MacGee]

I had been using my ED78 on an old Slik head, but it finally died. I then switched to using a spare Velbon PHD-31Q head as a stopgap, but it's obviously not sturdy enough for the purpose, so I need a new head.

As soon as I started looking, my head started to swim. There all kinds of heads by a myriad of makers at all sorts of prices. I just go round and round getting more confused. Do I want a pan head or fluid head or ball head? I have no idea. I've only used pan heads. I desperately need help.

My tripod is a Slik Pro 713 CFII (combined weight with the ED78 is about 3kg or 6.6lbs) and I want a head not much heavier than 500g (18oz) - lighter if possible. I'm looking in the £50-£75 area, though would go up to £100 or above if there was a real gain to be had. I don't like the look of heads with three handles. Even the one handle I have at the moment sometimes gets in the way. I wonder if a ball head might suit me, but have never used one.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated.

Michael

 

[John Russell]

Michael,

There are positives and negatives involved with mounting a scope on a ball head. Video heads of equivalent stability are usually heavier than ball heads but the latter are less convenient because it is usually not possible to eliminate lateral tilt. There are a few models from FLM on which the lateral tilt can be locked out, but I don't know if they are distributed in the UK and they may be somewhat outside your budget.
I nevertheless use a Gitzo 1277 and it works very well for me.
If you do decide to go this route, make sure the ball head has a panorama function and friction adjustment or at least a locking device which increases friction progressively (as on the 1277). It should also allow vertical tilt of at least +/-30° without having to use the "vertical format" cutout.
All in all though you wouldn't go wrong using the recognized standard, the Manfrotto 128 video head.

John

 

[Alexis Powell]

I'd go with a video head ("fluid" panning head). The Manfrotto 128 series are excellent and will last forever. The Manfrotto 700RC2 weighs half as much but is less adjustable--still, it's a good choice when low weight is a high priority.

--AP

 

[MacGee]

Thanks, John; that's useful information about the lateral tilt. I did look at the Manfrotto (it gets recommended a lot) but at 1kg, it's heavier than I want. I saw the Manfrotto 460 MG and wondered about it.

I looked for the Gitzo 1277, but it doesn't seem to be generally available in this country. I also looked at some Giottos heads, the Slik SBH-280E BK (didn't like the look of the knob) and the Velbon QHD-71Q. The FLM heads are available in the UK. They are a little pricey, but I'll keep them in mind.

Michael

Michael,

There are positives and negatives involved with mounting a scope on a ball head. Video heads of equivalent stability are usually heavier than ball heads but the latter are less convenient because it is usually not possible to eliminate lateral tilt. There are a few models from FLM on which the lateral tilt can be locked out, but I don't know if they are distributed in the UK and they may be somewhat outside your budget.
I nevertheless use a Gitzo 1277 and it works very well for me.
If you do decide to go this route, make sure the ball head has a panorama function and friction adjustment or at least a locking device which increases friction progressively (as on the 1277). It should also allow vertical tilt of at least +/-30° without having to use the "vertical format" cutout.
All in all though you wouldn't go wrong using the recognized standard, the Manfrotto 128 video head.

John

 

[RJM]

...My tripod is a Slik Pro 713 CFII (combined weight with the ED78 is about 3kg or 6.6lbs) and I want a head not much heavier than 500g (18oz) - lighter if possible. I'm looking in the £50-£75 area, though would go up to £100 or above if there was a real gain to be had. I don't like the look of heads with three handles. Even the one handle I have at the moment sometimes gets in the way. I wonder if a ball head might suit me, but have never used one.

Any and all advice is welcome and appreciated.

Michael

I think other than the Gitzo G2180 you will not find a fluid video head that comes close your weight limit and still be adequate for your scope. But suspect it well exceeds your budget too.

My Benro Travel Angle came with their BH-1 ball head that is suprisingly quite capable for being so small and light. It works well with my Kowa 883 even when loaded with digiscoping kit. Key is to be sure you get a long enough slide plate so you can balance properly.

Rick

 

[The Kerreran]

I think other than the Gitzo G2180 you will not find a fluid video head that comes close your weight limit and still be adequate for your scope. But suspect it well exceeds your budget too.

I was just going to mention the G2180! I've recently bought one [for £120 - so a bit above your bracket, but I think worth it] and I have to say I am utterly impressed with it.
Comparable in size and weight to the Manfrotto 700RC2 [which I also have - great head, sturdy and light; the lack of a counterbalance is its only flaw] but with a very effective counterbalance - it takes the famously front-heavy ED82 with no problem. Pan and tilt can be operated separately or together, and the handle can be removed [it comes with a little cap to cover the attachment, even] if you don't want to use it.

[[I've just re-read that, and think I ought to say I'm not an employee of Gitzo or linked to them in any way - though if they'd like to send me some free stuff I wouldn't say no! ]]

 

[MacGee]

Thanks for all these helpful contributions. The Manfrotto is available here for £63 and I think it would be okay. It only has pan and tilt, but that's all I use. It's also only a few grams above my weight limit. I just wonder if the counterbalance feature of the Gitzo G2180 is something I need for the ED78. It sounds excellent, so maybe it's worth the extra 100g and £60. I found it for £120 (+£5.99 P&P) at Mifsuds, The Kerreran; was that where you got yours? Seems like a bargain.

Michael

 

[RJM]

A counterspring makes a long lens like a fieldscope easier to balance. Many times a long slide plate can add and extra degree of freedom if the head lacks a counterspring.

If you cannot achieve proper balance then inevitably you use too much drag friction on the tilt axis making the scope "sticky" and creating backlash making it difficult to do fine adjustments to the view as you increase magnification. For visual use one can usually tolerate a little backlash but if you digiscope it will drive you mad.

If balance is really out of wack then you will be forced to constantly lock/unlock the tilt axis slowing you down and eventually wearing out the head too.

Rick

 

[The Kerreran]

Yup, Mifsuds is the place I got mine.

I didn't realise just how much of a difference counterbalancing made until I had it and was able to effectively leave the tilt lock off, even when viewing downslope. Having said all this, I don't know if the ED78 is as front-heavy as the ED82? I do know I didn't suffer that much using the 700RC2 - it always panned smoothly, the main issue was remembering to put a bit more lock on when taking hands off the scope!

 

[RJM]

If you can accept its extra weight and larger footprint over the Gitzo G2180, the Manfrotto 701HDV should be cheaper and probably the best all around choice now for a 80mm class scope.

Rick

 

[MacGee]

I did look at the Manfrotto 701HDV, Rick, but it is definitely too heavy.

I was about ready to settle for the Gitzo G2180 and put an end to the torturous decision process (I've got about 9000 tabs open on here) when I saw some very negative reviews here, which threw me into a tizzy. Some people think this thing is wonderful, some that it's awful. Is this to do with different ways of using it or with having higher or lower standards or what?

Michael

 

[RJM]

I have disputed the test results in another thread. All those results correlate to the coupling method, size of the base plate and mass of the head, with the Gitzo having the smallest plate and lightest mass, using tests not modeled on real world usage.

I have been using the G2180 for digiscoping up to 6000mm focal length maybe 2yrs now. My proof is in my vibration free shots. It works very well if you also get the long plate to tweak balance. With proper balance you can move the scope with just your finger without excessive drag or locking down the head. You don't even need the panhandle. Few heads other than gimbals can do this. Leica even rebranded it for their scopes.

 

[SteveClifton]

If cheap and light is more important than cost this might be worth consideration:

http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~man~Giottos~productID~8583~categoryid~180.html

Sorry to confuse you further.

Steve

link to thread here on BF:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=149077

 

[MacGee]

I was going round and round between the Manfrotto 700RC2, the Gitzo G2180 and the Giottos VH6011-658D (I decided to leave ball-heads out of consideration) but I really needed to replace my present head, so I set myself a deadline. Forcing myself to choose, I chose the Manfrotto. It's the lightest and simplest and should be smoother and sturdier than what I'm using. Also, I found one that was slightly second-hand and saved over £24 on the best new price.

I'll let you know how it works out. Now I'm worrying about the length of the handle.

Michael

 

[njlarsen]

I was going round and round between the Manfrotto 700RC2, the Gitzo G2180 and the Giottos VH6011-658D (I decided to leave ball-heads out of consideration) but I really needed to replace my present head, so I set myself a deadline. Forcing myself to choose, I chose the Manfrotto. It's the lightest and simplest and should be smoother and sturdier than what I'm using. Also, I found one that was slightly second-hand and saved over £24 on the best new price.

I'll let you know how it works out. Now I'm worrying about the length of the handle.

Michael

I removed the plastic stopper, sawed off some of the handle and put the plastic stopper back on, and you wouldn't notice, except that the handle no longer is bent.

Niels

 

[MacGee]

The Manfrotto head has arrived and looks okay, but I need an adapter to use with my tripod. Am I better to buy the full Manfrotto adapter (£15) or would a smaller, cheaper adapter (£5) do? See the alternatives here.

Michael

 

[Alexis Powell]

I think the adapter you referenced is probably the opposite of what you need. The 700RC2 should have a 3/8 inch thread, so I'm guessing you need to increase your tripod's thread from 1/4 to 3/8, and for this you need only a simple bushing, available from most camera stores. Here's what it looks like:

http://reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/itemdesc.asp?ic=bushing

Don't get the Manfrotto small adapter listed on the page you referenced--it is more expensive and it may not allow for the largest and most direct (metal to metal) possible contact between the bottom of the tripod head and the mounting plate on your tripod's center column.

--AP

 

[MacGee]

I think the adapter you referenced is probably the opposite of what you need. The 700RC2 should have a 3/8 inch thread, so I'm guessing you need to increase your tripod's thread from 1/4 to 3/8, and for this you need only a simple bushing, available from most camera stores. Here's what it looks like:

http://reallyrightstuff.com/rrs/itemdesc.asp?ic=bushing

Don't get the Manfrotto small adapter listed on the page you referenced--it is more expensive and it may not allow for the largest and most direct (metal to metal) possible contact between the bottom of the tripod head and the mounting plate on your tripod's center column.

Thanks, Alexis. That's very useful advice.

I've had a bit of a glitch. The local camera shop had none in stock, so I ordered online, but that was put on back-order. I've lost patience at last and am going to cancel it tomorrow. In the meantime, the local shop has got them in again, so I've ordered one from them and can collect it after Tuesday. I could conceivably still end up with two.

Michael

 

[goldenarrow]

Rapid Connect Plate needed?

Been reading this thread and had to ask a dumb question:

On the Manfrotto 700RC2, does one absolutely need the rapid connect plate to use it to attach the head to the scope or heavy lens? If I forget the plate or lose the little RC2 thingie, am I out of luck and cannot use the head at all??? Cannot find enough info on the actual use of this head to answer my own question. Thanks for any help.

:eat:

 

[Kevin Purcell]

You must use the Manfrotto plate (it's the same plate as the RC just rotated 90 degrees) that's the only way to mount the scope/camera.

You can buy spares or multiple plates if you have multiple scopes/cameras. It's a good idea to keep a spare around if you play with other kit.

The head will come with a plate with a 1/4 fitting (pretty standard for cameras) but you can also get 3/8" plates too (handy for scopes that have a 3/8" mounting so you can leave out the 3/8 to 1/4" adaptor). They're not too expensive at $13 or so in the USA.