Head To Support 300/ 2.8?

Anyone know of a good head thats not crazy expensive like an arca

that will support my ef 300 2.8 with 1.4x extender and a mark II on

the end. i'm looking for one also that has a pan lock. the 300 will

be my heaviest load so.

What's your "crazy expensive" threshold for a head? (Does the size, weight, field of view, and expense of your rig affect your answer?) Is it safe to presume you're looking for a ballhead? These things tend to be able to take a beating, so have you considered buying used?

 

I've tried the Kirk BH-3 with a 300/2.8 and found it usable with despite the manufacturer's suggestion for smaller lenses. However, there's no question that my Arca-Swiss B1 is more stable, and I?ve seen those sell second-hand for little more than the new Kirk compact head (<$300).

IMHO if you've got the scratch to afford the equipment you mentioned, it is simply foolish to skimp on the support system. Buy the best tripod and head you can get. It will be well worth it.

Agreed. Buying a large super-tele and then skimping on the support is like getting a 1Ds

II and then buying the cheapest Vivitar zoom lens you can find for it.

I have the Bogen/Manfrotto 486RC2, which supports my 300mm f/2.8 with extenders nicely. It is priced right, too. The larger issue, in my view, is having a sturdy enough tripod that doesn't weigh a ton. Mine is the equivalent of the current Bogen/Manfrotto 3011, and it is barely adequate for that lens/camera combination. Here's a link to the Bogen site: http://www.bogenimaging.us/