A Good All Round Head!

[warimages]

Hi All,

 

I require some help please. I have recently been spoilt by my good lady and my

sis who chiped together and got me a new Manfrotto tipod. I was wondering if

anyone could provide me some assitance as to what head I should get for it. I

need a head the will allow me to do some action shots as well as landscape

shots too. Any suggestions? I have about ?60 as my budget?

 

Many Thanks

 

Alistair

[ronald_moravec1]

I would like a fast car that handles well,does not burn much gas, costs little, hauls the family on vacation, and I can use to pick up a load of dirt for landscaping on the weekends when I am not racing it.

 

Tripod and their heads are sort of like this.

 

Sports is done with a fluid movement head like motion pictures, but this is not much good for anything else. Precise positions can`t be done better than with a geared head, heavy and awkward. Ball heads are great for fast positioning.

 

So now you need to say what camera, the longest focal length lens, and how heavy it is or speed and what tripod you have. There is no point in a heavy geared head on a lightweight pod. Then you have to commit to the most important requirement, sports, landscapes, portraits. Then you get a good recommendation. Otherwise all you get I have a xxx and my favorite is xxx. The $ to spend is also important.

[Matthew Currie]

My initial thought is that if your budget is around $60 (not sure about the currency, since it came out as a question mark), you will not likely find a ball head that is good enough to be satisfactory all around. So although a really good ball head might be the ticket for all-around usefulness, especially for following action, you're probably better off looking at three way heads. I prefer a 3-way head for landscapes and the like anyway, because it's easier to set a really straight horizon, and I'm kind of fussy about horizons. The Bogen/Manfrotto 804RC2 is closest to your budget in the Manfrotto line, and would be a good match for something like 3001 legs. But as stated above, you'll need to get clear on your priorities to get really useful answers.

[alex_lofquist]

Go to http://www.bogenimaging.us to find heads in your price range.

 

For what it is worth, I have had several 3-way heads and many ball heads. I shoot both wildlife and scenics. In the long run I find the ball head most useful for me: It is fastest to set up; it takes up less storage space; it is less likely to become jarred or entangled on the tripod; one knob locks everything, so you don't have to think about which to grab to make an adjustment; it is compatable with the Wimberley Sidekick to hold long lenses; they seem to be more rigid than the 3-way heads that I had. The only bad ballhead that I had was the Gitzo "offset" ballhead which could not hold rigidly a "big glass" lens.

[warimages]

Ok I have about 60 British Poumds to spend. I have a manfrotto 055 pro. The Max focla length I have is sigma 300mm f2.8 Camera is a Nikon D200.

[gnashings]

Sorry to jump in on the thread, but I am kind of in the same boat. I have been reading really conflicting reports about the Amvona heads, which are really inexpensive... question is, are they inexpensive, or are the _cheap_?

[craig_gillette]

I think that the best bang for the buck/least capable head I would consider for the 300/2.8 would be the Bogen 3047/808rc4 types. However, while that would do OK for landscapes with other cameras and be sturdy enough for the big Sigma, it really cries our for a good ballhead. And for that, especially considering Arca Swiss compatibility, you are going to be over $200 US and generally closer or over $300 US. (The 3030/804 series might handle it but I'm not completely positie about that.)

 

In a ballhead, I wouldn't consider anything less than the bogen 488 series (pan base for other uses as well), but it might be a bit saggy in that combination.

 

I have generally negative impressions about the Amvonas - they may be a knock-off in some lines or the new ones may be sourced like the Giottos ballheads - which have a less than enviable series of discussions as well.

 

That's a big $2000 lens, I'd want it on a tripod/head in whch I had complete confidence. I doubt the Bogens would break but I'd be a little unsure without trying if they were up to it either.

[Matthew Currie]

The 804RC2 head I suggested above is definitely too small for that big lens. It isn't likely to break, but I think it would be hard to handle and hard to keep from jiggling.

[warimages]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. I will take them on bored.

All the best

Many thanks

Alistair