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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

*light* pan/tilt head? (1 Viewer)

adampaul

I believe in God, only I spell it N.A.T.U.R.E. - F
Hi Folks,

I'm looking to get a pan/tilt head for my tripod (a Gitzo 1227). I have a Kirk BH-3 and Really Right Stuff BH25 ballheads that I love for camera work, but after recently getting my first scope, I think I'd prefer a pan/tilt head for the outings when I bring the scope, as I find it harder to position the scope and keep it level horizontally using a ballhead.

As I'm usually also lugging around a SLR & 300mm lens, weight is very important to me! I'd prefer something (well) under 1 pound if possible. Also, I need something that either already has an Arca-Swiss QR mount, or that has a standard screw stud so I can attach one.

I don't want to throw tons of money at a head, having already done that for the above tripod & ballheads ;), but up to around US$100 would be OK.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
_Adam
 
Hi Adam,

I bought a Gitzo 2180 Fluid head recently to replace both Velbon PH 368 Fluid head ( not fluid at all in cold weather ) and a Velbon Ballhead ( ugly to use with a scope ) and I'm very happy with it.

It weighs just over a pound, is very small but very well built. It can take loads up to 4 kgs and the nicest thing is, it has something called counterweight balance. This means that you can loosen the pan/tilt screws when operating your scope and the scope remains in the set position as you let go. It's a wonderful experience never to have to tighten screws to prevent the scope from tilting forwards or backwards.
The pan handle allows very smooth panning and tilting, even in cold weather, the quick release plate can be tightened with a separate screw so it will never come off unexpectedly.

You can also easily remove the pan handle and use the head as a ball head for camera's, thanks to this counterweight balance.

I've used Manfrotto and Velbon heads for my Zeiss 65 scope, but never found a better head than this Gitzo.

Only thing on the negative side is its price, around 170 US Dollar, so I am not sure if I can recommend it on your budget.

Greetings, Ronald
 
Adam,
The Brunton Th-Micro Head is a nice small fluid head aso the 3130 bogen/manfrotto is a nice small fluid head. The Bogen/Manfrotto 501 is a little heavier but is a very nice head.
Greg
 
Adam,
I would have thought that the Kirk BH3 would be ideal for use with your scope. It will almost certainly be more stable than any pan/tilt head of equivalent weight and will also be quicker, as once you have set up the friction adjustment, you don't have to fiddle with any knobs.
I use a 32mm FLM ball head with friction adjustment (good but not as good or expensive as the Kirk) and am quicker on the bird than most using pan/tilt heads. I suggest you lock out the panorama adjustment so that you have constant friction in all planes. OK, the scope can tilt to one side but this is not a great problem. When carrying the scope and tripod assembly I drop the spindle into the "vertical format" cutout with the scope at right angles to the centre column so that nothing can flop around. You can also use the cutout in conjunction with the panorama function for the rare occasions when you need more than 30° of tilt.
The Dutch birding site, "Twentse Vogelwerkgroep" did some excellent tests on tripods and heads and an Arca Swiss ball head came out top of the pile. The Manfrotto 128 pan/tilt heads did fairly well, should you find that you can't get on with the Kirk and there is a beatifully made, light and smooth functioning pan/tilt head from Novoflex, the "D IN O", which however costs around 200 dollars and may not be stable enough for digiscoping.

John
 
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.
 
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
 
Ron, thank you for your response. I think that is definitely the tripod head for me. And our Canadian dollar is still close to par with the US one so I will go hunting for a place to buy that.
Kris Andrews.
Williams Lake, B.C.
 
Ron, thank you for your response. I think that is definitely the tripod head for me. And our Canadian dollar is still close to par with the US one so I will go hunting for a place to buy that.
Kris Andrews.
Williams Lake, B.C.

Greetings Nogwon2003,

B+H is a great place to start your shopping. While there, you may want to check out the Manfrotto 393 Long Lens Bracket. Here's the link:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/554099-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto_393_HEAVY_TELE_LENS_SUPPORT.html

And here's a review of the product from another site (be sure to scroll down to mid page; it's the second item discussed):

http://www.digiscoped.com/manfrotto701RC2.html

This head is also known as the Bogen 3421. As such B+H offers a second listing for the product, but with a more comprehensive spec profile and detailed user reviews, here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._3421_3421_Heavy_Tele_Lens.html#goto_itemInfo


Cheers,

Robert / Seattle
 
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