Dear Korhaun or anyone else with a Gitzo G2180 Fluid Tripod Head: I am interested in the Gitzo G2180 Fluid Tripod Head for use with my new Kowa 603 Angled Spotting Scope with the 30WA eyepiece. The one other review that I magaged to find said that there is no pan or tilt lock mechanism for this tripod and that this was a problem as it did not lock vertically in place. With your scope does the counterbalance mechanism compensate for lack of tilt locking capability. If you position the scope up or down from horizontal to view something does the scope stay where you place it or does it flop down?
The weight of the tripod head is certainly appealing and I would only use it for my scope which with cover ways about 3.2 lbs.
Thanks if you can advise further.
Hi Nogwon 2003,
The G2180 head has both a pan and tilt locking screw. They are positioned on the side of the head, a big "wheel" for tilt and a smaller knob on top of this for panning. Whenever I carry my scope ( Zeiss Diascope 65mm) on the tripod on my shoulder, I firmly tighten both the pan knob and the tilt "wheel". No movement of the scope whatsoever. When using the scope for viewing I release both pan and tilt knob up to the point where they are both turning lightly and smoothly, and using the pan handle I can with a single finger point the scope up and down, without slack. Counterbalance control on, when I let go of the pan handle the scope stays on the subject without flopping, no matter at what angle it is pointing. Even high up or down low, the scope will not flop but will stay right on the subject, hands free. That is the beauty of the counterbalance control. A small knob next to the pan handle attachment point can put the counterbalance system on ( by turning it to the right ) or off ( by pulling it out and turning it to the left ). If the counterbalance is switched off, you have to pay attention because like in a conventional head the scope can flop under extreme angles.
Best to leave the counterbalance control in permanent "on" position, as far as I can advise you. If you decide to purchase the G2180 you'll find a booklet with instructions to explain all possibilities of the head. Especially the counterbalance control part is worth reading. It is adjustable to backward-heavy scopes as well as forward-heavy scopes, and with digiscoping adapter and camera attached it can also be set perfectly horizontal and still be operated fluidly the way I described. Other heads may need the use of separate balance rails to achieve horizontal positioning, but this little Gitzo head is very versatile in itself in this respect.
The pan handle is quite long, and can be adjusted in any angle you like on the head. A simple fingertip movement is enough to smoothly scan a wide field, and finding and tracking birds in flight is dead easy.
The head is all metal, and in my experience very well made and very tough. It attaches to a Gitzo tripod by a 3/8" thread, but since I use it on Velbon CF 530 legs I put in a 1/4" screw adapter to make a good tight fit.
It's not cheap, I got it for 189 Euro's, but it was money well spent.
In fact, I'm so satisfied with the G2180 I recently bought a second one to put on a monopod. With the quick release plate attached permanently to the scope, I can switch between pods without hassle. The spare quick release plate of the second head I keep in the cupboard.
The quick release plate mechanism is btw the best I've seen. You simply click in the scope with the plate, and turn a knob on the side to firmly tighten the plate. A very efficient second locking device. In contrast, the locking levers of my former Manfrotto heads sooner or later broke off or went numb and lost their function of securing a second locking of the scope.
Best regards, Ronald