Looking for a new Tripod Head ?

Sootchucker

Sootchucker

Messages
2,503
Name
Andrew
Edit My Images
No
HI all, I might be asking the impossible, but I'm currently looking for a new tripod head, and wonder if anyone could point me to something that might suit.

Basically I have two tripods - my main Carbon Fibre Giotto's unit and a smaller generic travel carbon fibre unit. On the Giotto's I currently have a Manfrotto 460MG 3D head and on the other a generic ball head.

My problem is I hate the 460mg which I have had for years. It's too slow to level etc and very jerky when trying to get small movements, but most of all doesn't have an Arca Swiss fitment which my L-Plates etc. all use.

So I'm looking for a better alternative that is Arca Swiss compatible but doesn't break the bank. I don't use the tripod everyday so don't want to be be spending hundreds on the thing, and it also doesn't have to support half of ton of weight, as my main equipment is M4/3 with occasional Nikon D500 use (but I no longer own any super telephotos for Nikon).

I really like the idea of a geared head where I can get basic adjustments done very quickly by using the gear release feature then fine tune using the geared knobs, but as I understand it only Manfrotto do the geared heads, are quite expensive and don't obviously have Arca Swiss compatibility. I suppose it doesn't have to be geared but am looking in the region of say £75(ish) give or take for a new head. Anyone any ideas please ?
 
Another vote for Pig Iron. I have the middle-sized one on a table tripod plus the smallest on my monopod and they're excellent value for money. You can buy them direct from Jack the Hat so no need of Amazon.
 
Unfortunately if you want a geared head with arca compatability built in (rather than sticking an arca quick release on top of the manfrotto) then the choices are limited.

The only ones I know of that satisfy both the above are the Arca d4/cube (best part of £1k and above) and a small number of Chinese clones-the only one off the top of my head is the sunwayfoto d4 clone but that's also £300+

Afraid it's a case of picking two from geared/arca compatible/cheap as you won't get all three!
 
Last edited:
When I need a tripod head that is easily adjustable in all three planes, I always tale my Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared head.

It is so easy to roughly position first, then fine tune the angles to perfection. I have fitted an adapter to mine to take Arca type plates and for me it works great.

HTH.
 
The 410 meets your geared preference but it is quite weighty and is 3 times the weight of your existing Manfrotto head. I have one on an older metal Manfrotto 055 and it very rarely leaves the house, its just too heavy to cart more than a few hundred meters from the car.

If you are wanting to do landscape and expecting to walk a fair way from your parked car, then I would opt for a ball head as suggested, and keep the weight down.

Alternatively if you must have the geared head then a 410 is probably the way to go, and initially I would just add an Arca dapater plate like the Sunwayfoto http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUNWAYFOT...hash=item4d1bbf54be:m:mf31HSdYHfTIyJiVCT5L9AQ this is what I used atteched to the Manfrotto plate on my 410
 
Sootchucker said:
Thanks all.

BTW, what do you think of this (more than I wanted to pay but just for thoughts) ?

Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared head (£155.00)

http://www.fotosense.co.uk/manfrott...=ee7917895306fe059056a6ee90de9ac8&fo_s=gplauk

Manfrotto to Arca Swiss conversion (£95.00)

https://www.lakelandphotohols.com/information/equipment
Click to expand...

The 410 is what I use and is often recommended as a reasonably priced geared head. As others have said it's heavy and isn't small. However, it's probably the best option if you're on a budget, but you'll have to put up with either having an arca plate on top of the Manfrotto plate or doing the above conversion.

If you can put up with he weight then I'd definitely recommend this approach as the benefits of a geared head are great IMO
 
Have you had a look at the uniqball.? It's not geared but is arca swiss comparable. It's a direction that a few have gone, and I'm sure will be able to give you a better review than I can..
 
Sootchucker said:
Thanks all.

BTW, what do you think of this (more than I wanted to pay but just for thoughts) ?

Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared head (£155.00)

http://www.fotosense.co.uk/manfrott...=ee7917895306fe059056a6ee90de9ac8&fo_s=gplauk

Manfrotto to Arca Swiss conversion (£95.00)

https://www.lakelandphotohols.com/information/equipment
Click to expand...


I've looked at this conversion many times and have considered it because I had tried the geared head on a workshop and found it really nice, except the weight!

Im still using a ballhead and have not changed yet, but am very tempted!!!!
 
mickledore said:
Here you are.
Geared are good but weighty and slow, meaning that for non landscape purposes they can become a bit PIA...
Click to expand...

I think this is in part a case of what you are used to, and what you are shooting

I find my 410 is probably quicker than my old 3-way non geared head (that cam with my old manfroto 190), and as fast as the ball head on my travel tripod - but that's because it goes exactly where I want and stays there, and allows me to fine tune it's position precisely.
With a ball head I find I the fine adjustment much slower (as I have to carefully ease off the friction, nudge the position, tighten the friction etc. - but then I am usually (but not always) shooting landscapes when using the tripod & 410.
 
Another (y) for the 410 geared head. Yes its a bit of a lump to carry about but its sturdy and very precise without much fuss. I also use the Sunwayfoto adapter and L bracket.
 
If you don't mind s/hand then the 410's appear reasonably frequently. I'm guessing because not everyone gets on with its weight?
 
taxboy said:
If you don't mind s/hand then the 410's appear reasonably frequently. I'm guessing because not everyone gets on with its weight?
Click to expand...
I imagine because it's very good indeed at what it does, but it's not such a good choice for a general purpose head.
 
Another vote for Pig Iron had one for about a year now and works a treat. Very flexible and sturdy.

This is the one I bought an use with my L plated.

Cheers.
 
the Pig Iron do look like good value.
are they made from a decent grade alloy or just cast monkey metal?
i'm only asking as some ball heads are massively expensive in comparison...
 
Tirpitz said:
the Pig Iron do look like good value.
are they made from a decent grade alloy or just cast monkey metal?
i'm only asking as some ball heads are massively expensive in comparison...
Click to expand...

"premium anodized alloy" whatever that is :)

No rust issues with mine and it's been wet!

Cheers.
 
posiview said:
"premium anodized alloy" whatever that is :)

No rust issues with mine and it's been wet!

Cheers.
Click to expand...

well they look amazing value & a 5 year warranty says they believe in the product. :plus1:
i did buy a mounting plate via Amazon last week but not taken it out of the packaging yet....
 
I currently have Hejnar Arca Swiss conversions on Manfrotto 054 and 055 ballheads. I also have a 410 which I have not converted so it's currently unused. I wanted to lighten my kit because I only really shoot when on holiday in recent years. If I wanted to use the 410 again on a regular basis, I would definitely go the route of the Hejnar conversion as I am very happy with the ballhead conversions.
 
Easy answer from someone who has used loads of different tripod heads over the years including pan tilt, geared and ball head. It is a balancing act between weight and usability but has to be arca Swiss compatible.

Money no object markins q3t or q10/20 ball head.

Best value sirui k20 or k30/40. Just got the sirui and I'm well impressed with it.
 
I own/use a couple of geared heads but only for product/macro type work. I also own both of the UniqBall heads, primarily because I also use them with the super telephotos. For general purpose I would just get a regular ball head. IMO, if you are framing/composing so tight that you need a geared head, then you probably are not leaving yourself enough room/flexibility.
 
sk66 said:
IMO, if you are framing/composing so tight that you need a geared head, then you probably are not leaving yourself enough room/flexibility.
Click to expand...

Or you simply prefer to get the image as good as possible in camera, rather than relying on 'fixing' the composition in PP.

It's all a question of how you prefer to work.

For me, what makes the geared head superior is that I can view the scene through the viewfinder, decide I need it a little more to the left (for example) - then simply dial in the adjustment and reassess the scene. If I then decide I preferred it before the change, I dial in the opposite change, etc, until I am satisfied with the image.
 
Faldrax said:
Or you simply prefer to get the image as good as possible in camera, rather than relying on 'fixing' the composition in PP.

It's all a question of how you prefer to work.

For me, what makes the geared head superior is that I can view the scene through the viewfinder, decide I need it a little more to the left (for example) - then simply dial in the adjustment and reassess the scene. If I then decide I preferred it before the change, I dial in the opposite change, etc, until I am satisfied with the image.
Click to expand...

Agree...this really is the benefit of a geared head - independent control of each axis. It's not about framing 'tight' but being able to make adjustments to each axis without interfering with another.

A panning clamp on a ball head can go some way to giving you this independent control, but only one one axis. And you also won't get the fine control of geared adjustments.

At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and a trade off between weight, speed of adjustment and control. Only you can decide which you prioritise.
 
Like I said, I own/use a couple of them. But IMO they are a bit of a specialty tool, much like a gimbal head. *IF* you have the time to refine each frame, your subject is static, and you don't mind the weight, *then* they are a great tool... i.e. *if* I was doing landscape/architectural photography and I wasn't going to be carrying the kit far, then I would likely choose a geared head; probably with a leveling base. But for general purpose photography with general kit, I think a good ball head with good friction/tension adjustment is a better tool; especially given the comparative costs.

I did not see where a specific subject/situation was given; only that arca swiss compatibility was needed, he hates his current 3way head, and he wants to keep costs reasonable.
BTW, I did a review of the SunwayFoto GH-Pro compared to the other geared heads available. For landscape/architecture type work I would buy/use it over a 410JR... I'm still primarily using a 405 in the studio for still work.
 
Another big fan of the 410 here. It's a big chunky beast and does sometimes get left at home in favour of my lighter tripod with ballhead fitted. When I do use the 410, I find it superb for accurate composition and I find it far easier to achieve exactly what I want.

To convert mine for Arca use, I briefly considered butchering the head to cut off the current plate retaining mechanism and permanently fixing an arca clamp but in the end I have simply attached an arca pano clamp directly to standard manfrotto plate. I was initially worried that this would cause some slop but it doesn't at all and the nice thing is that the pano clamp can be used for panos (very easy to level off a geared head compared to a ballhead) or just locked off for normal use. I'll take a pic of the set up tonight if I remember.

On a slightly separate note, my 410 was exhibiting a tiny bit of play in one axis and some one of the other axis knobs had become quite stiff. I took the whole thing apart last night to service it and I'm happy to report it was a doddle. Now operating beautifully. :)
 
I have two 410's that are used on almost every shoot with either the 055 mg or carbon tripods the precision is good I need this for my architectural work as well as my automotive photography and I want to move to the Arca plate system because the Manfrotto plate/bracket is heavy and takes time to set up.

I have looked at adding a 4 Legged Thing (4LT) L-bracket to my kit it looks very similar to the one sold under the Pig Iron brand maybe they have the same suppliers, but it's the 4LT Arca switch plate adaptor that interests me as I can mount that directly into a Manfrotto 4PL plate using the 3/8 screw and it makes for a tidy compromise retaining the locking mechanism and adding a quick release Arca to my kit.

I'll post a photo when I'm ready as the 3LT plate is in redesign though I might buy a Pig Iron L-Bracket if I know it isn't made frrom cheap metal construction.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top