Being in the market for a new 300mm f2.8 lens I decided that I needed a new head to support the extra weight. However, the new lens meant that there wasn't enough money in the piggy bank to buy a proper gimbal head and a ballhead.
I've been using it for a couple of weeks with my 100-400 / 40D comination, an 80mm scope and the 40D with a 10-22 wide-angle lens. I've also had a go with a borrowed 500mm f4, just to check it out with a proper large lens. My first impression was that something this light (450g) couldn't support the sort of equipment that Acratech claimed. I soon found out I was wrong.
The head rotates on two axes - panning and tilting. The friction can be set on the tilt axis and, with the optics well balanced on the Arca/Swiss - style plate, it is quite easy to move the lens in all directions and have it stay in place when you remove it.
The plate clamp can be released and rotated. This allows you to mount the camera with a smaller lens.
Its biggest failing when compared to a gimbal is what happens when the friction is left totally free. With a gimbal the lens just drops down to the lower position. With the LLH the lens droops (well, it's a bit more violent than that - more of a 'donk').
However, it has performed very well for all the different uses I have put it to.
There is a link to a video demonstrating the head on the
Acratech Website.
Unfortunately I couldn't find a UK distributor, so I had to order from Acratech directly. Total price (including one lens plate, one camera plate, shipping and taxes) was 306.
