My new favorite tripod head- Benro GD36PT

[sk66]

The current count for tripod heads on hand is 17; unless I missed a couple. And that doesn't include the ones that have gone to new homes over the years. The point being, I've owned/used a lot of different tripod heads over the years; to include some pretty unusual ones.

Well, for the last couple of weeks I've been using this new Benro GD36PT which is pretty unique as well. It is an inverted ballhead with 2 way geared head on top, and a top panning clamp.



1. is the quick throw ballhead release... it's 1/2 turn.
2. is the ballhead friction. They call it the drag setting, but it also affects the locking force... it can be set too low.
3. is the first axis tilt; +/- 8˚
4. is the pan lock/friction. it's also quick throw and indexable.
5. is the second axis tilt; +/- 15˚
6. is the arca swiss clamp tension

They call the first axis pitch and the second axis roll, but that really depends on which way the camera is pointed.

I'm really liking this head. The negatives are that it's heavier than necessary if you have no need of a geared head (i.e. you work fast/loose and rely on cropping a lot). And the third axis is not geared; which can be a bit problematic in some situations (i.e. overhead perspective). But it's not a heavy head, it weighs less than a Manfrotto 410 jr, Sirui KS-G3, and most other geared heads. And for most situations, the lack of a geared panning axis isn't a problem. Really, the only thing I don't like about this head is the color...

 

[Kaolin]

I have one of these and I really like it. Used on a Benro tripod it makes a for a fairly light combination but framing is really precise and quick. Agreed I don't like the colour.

 

[Micro-four-thirds]

Hi, many thanks for posting, firstly I’m going to go against the grain and say I really like the metallic blue colour lol, there’s always one I know.
Can I just ask, how do you find the resistance on the ball head itself? As I’ve got more into landscape photography over other areas using solely a ball head has been a little temperamental trying to get the framing exact etc and a google search the other week brought this exact head up however I’m curious if the ball head causes any slight movement whilst your adjusting the other axis.
Many thanks

 

[Graham W]

I'm a sucker for a finely engineered anything, I quite like the colour but not on a tripod head...any colour other than black is against nature!

 

[Nod]

Other than a couple of fisheye shots where the legs crept into the frame, I've never had a problem with any colours of support equipment!

 

[sk66]

I’m curious if the ball head causes any slight movement whilst your adjusting the other axis.

No, because you lock the ball down first before fine tuning with the other movements. A bit of compositional shift is pretty common with ballheads, especially if you over tighten them. I haven't noticed it with this head, but I haven't checked either.