Tripod Heads???

[ken1953]

Hello all, I've found the tripod legs I want, the "Slik Pro 700DX Tripod with 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head (Quick Release)". I've chosen this because of the price and the "HEIGHT"!!! Being 6'4" tall, I need something to match me!

My confusion is with the various heads, which I have listed below. I've read about grip heads, pan/tilt heads, ball heads...now I need to know the differences...

The above setup is only $129.00 at B&H, but should I consider getting another type of head. I have been using an inexpensive Vivitar VPT-360 tripod. I guess you might say it was a One-Way Pan/tilt (I think!!!!).

Which one do you think would be most useful for me. I do mostly landscapes, the grandkids and some kids sports. I don't "hike" with it so weight will be little problem. Any advise greatly appreciated!!

Tripod Heads

Tripod Heads

Ball Heads

Pan & Tilt Heads

Geared Heads

Panoramic Heads (QTVR)

Thanx, Ken

[mjs1973]

I'll take a stab at this, but be warned, these are my simplified definitions/guesses

A ball head, is basically a round ball, mounted in a socket. You loosen one knob, and you can move your camera, right, left, up down, and all around. Posisiton the camera where you want it, tighten down that one knob, and you're set. Very fast, and very easy.

A 3 way pan/tilt head, has 3 seperate knobs that you can adjusts. One for left to right, one for up and down, and one for tilting the camera. A little more time consuming than a ball head.

A geared head, well I don't really know. I'm guessing it kinda like a 3 way pan/tilt head, only the movement is done by gears. Turn a knob, and a gear drives the head to move a certain way. I took a quick peek at one on the B&H site, and it looked like it had 3 knobs to adjust it.

The panoramic head is designed for taking a series of photos, to be stitched together into a panoramic shot. I'm not positive, but it might have something to do with the tripod socket on most cameras, not being centered and it throws off the angles and alignment when taking a series of shots to make a panoramic picture.

[another view]

I'd stick with the one that comes with the tripod, and see what you like or don't like about it. Bogen's 3025 is inexpensive and very sturdy. It's basically a 3-way pan head but uses knobs instead of big levers, so it's very compact. Michael has it pretty well covered, but I'll add a little to it:

A ball head, is basically a round ball, mounted in a socket. You loosen one knob, and you can move your camera, right, left, up down, and all around. Posisiton the camera where you want it, tighten down that one knob, and you're set. Very fast, and very easy.

The socket is either tightened around the ball or there's something inside that pushes against it to lock it in place. I use the Arca Swiss, and can't imagine wanting anything else (been 5 years now...). Not cheap, and the quick release plates for the camera and lenses are expensive too - but you won't buy it again. The pan movement (left to right) locks independently from the ball, and the ball can have some friction on it so it won't flop over. Takes a little bit to get used to it. Check out Really Right Stuff for more info on the system.

A 3 way pan/tilt head, has 3 seperate knobs that you can adjusts. One for left to right, one for up and down, and one for tilting the camera. A little more time consuming than a ball head.

A little slower, but maybe better for something like architecture where speed isn't really important. You can move one of the three adjustments without moving the others - difficult to do on a ball head.

A geared head, well I don't really know. I'm guessing it kinda like a 3 way pan/tilt head, only the movement is done by gears. Turn a knob, and a gear drives the head to move a certain way. I took a quick peek at one on the B&H site, and it looked like it had 3 knobs to adjust it.

I think these are mainly for video...

The panoramic head is designed for taking a series of photos, to be stitched together into a panoramic shot. I'm not positive, but it might have something to do with the tripod socket on most cameras, not being centered and it throws off the angles and alignment when taking a series of shots to make a panoramic picture.

Right - not a general purpose tripod head. It is designed to keep the nodal point on the lens (optical center) right on top of the pivot, so there won't be any distortion in the final image (theoretically, never used one myself...).

[ken1953]

Thanx Michael and AV..I've read lots of good reviews on that Slik recently and the price is ok for me right now, and since I recently busted my Vivitar, I've been looking for something to replace it with. Although inexpensive, it was a good tripod, easy to use and fairly sturdy. If I can figure out how to fix the head, I'll keep the legs as a back up since they are still good, but the head doesn't appear to be easily interchangeable with anything that I've found. I appreciate your advise and I'll check out the links!!!
Ken

[paulnj]

The simple answer.... My FIRST tripod was a SLIK 700DX ! I had a gitzo 410/ arca ballhead and sold it due to over kill and my style. Sure ballheads are nice, but that slik has been to Florida twice, Az, Texas 3 times and in every tripod killing element known to man!! It still works great after years of abuse ;)

The only problem I have had with it was that the head is so beefy that my f100 with battery grip wouldn't mount in horizontal format with the 170-500 sigma(loose the grip) and have trouble with my 1D/100-400 too.

I solve that problem with the 1D by turning the tripod foot on the lens to a vertical position and if I want horizintal I adjust the tripod

That tripod is IMHO more stable than the 3221 legs all my tripod toting friends own The 3221 legs are quite stable too!

[ken1953]

Paul, I'm glad to hear that. Everything I've read about this tripod has been positive. I ordered it from B&H yesterday morning. It's tentatively scheduled to be here Wednesday, but I'm hoping that it's on the road and will be here Monday. I was at Best Buy on Thursday and they had a "Sunpak" that was 75" tall. It was pretty sturdy, but the head was plastic and since I had just busted my plastic Vivitar head...I decided against it. As for size...right now all I have is the Coolpix 8400 and the Kodak DX4330, so...It should be able to handle those, ya think...hahahaha...So now I sit here on pins and needles again...waiting for a new toy!!! hehe
Ken

[paulnj]

OH... I have the short column too. I removed the original long one as soon as I got the tripod

[ken1953]

OH... I have the short column too. I removed the original long one as soon as I got the tripod

Curious...why did you change??? I like the idea of having a few extra inches...of course, I have a light setup...maybe that's it...hehe...
Ken

[paulnj]

Even with the short column I can extend it above my eye level and I am just shy of 6' , so the short one lets me get closer to the ground is why ;)

I can't find the long one right now(just looked), but I remember it being well over the 12 inches or so the short one is! Your tripod can't go any lower than the length of the center column ;)

[yogestee]

Tripod heads are like golfer's putters,,,once you have a head that you really like hang on to it even if you change your tripod..I have got a 20 year old Manfrotto head which has seen about 6 sets of legs..At the moment in is on an English built Benbo tripod which I've had for many years..I'm sure it is recycled from WW11 British tanks..It is solid as the Great Wall of China, a tad heavy and has seen 35mm,,120 and 5X4 cameras..

Jurgen
Australia

[yogestee]

Benbo tripods,,I have a similar one with a Manfrotto head..

http://cgi.ebay.com/Benbo-Trekker-Tr...ayphotohosting

Jurgen
Australia