Lets get our heads together! - What Tripod heads do you use?

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Somersetscott

Senior Member
Hi Guys,

Meaning of thread - What Tripod head(s) do you have, how do you rate them and why do you have them? :)

I bought a second hand manfrotto tripod that came with a Manfrotto 700RC2 (Pan and tilt 'video' head) - Brilliant so smooth and silent. But then I went to take a waterfall shot and realised ER, how do I get a portrait shot! (Camera turned sideways) So, I decided I'll buy another head that can offer any* position.

So bought a secondhand Manfrotto 460MG - Awesome head, will do any* position & solid as a rock!

I made a listing on Ebay for the 700RC2 scheduled to start on the Sunday and went out to take some photos of a local meadow.
Out come some deer (Three does and a stag) and I get excited and I soon realise the 460MG is insanely fiddly! :rolleyes: and wished I had the 700RC2 to pan among the deer smoothly with the minimum of disturbance.

So, when I got home I removed the listing from Ebay sharpish and will never be so flippant with photography equipment again. Well, unless I really do not use it. - Yes, I will use this story when I get told off for hoarding :cool:

So I own & use:
Manfrotto 460MG for still landscapes, portaits, still subjects etc.
Manfrotto 700RC2 for Wildlife, sports/ moving subjects etc.
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I used a Manfrotto tilt-pan head that I've had since the days of film but once I started pointing my digital camera towards the sky I quickly learned limited a pan head can be so I switched to a Manfrotto 054 Magnesium ball head and I'm quite happy with it.
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crashton

Senior Member
I use a RRS BH40 ball-head on my Gitzo CF Explorer. For my kit it works very well. Highly recommended. If you have a heavy lens camera combo the BH55 would be my choice.
 
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pedroj

Senior Member
I bought a cheap Benro tripod that came with a ballhead...I bought a three way tilt head to replace the ballhead...

The ballhead now sits with a few other bits of useless stuff I've bought...Not good for sports...
 
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snaphappy

Senior Member
I just got help with this not long ago and really appreciated it. I got an older manfrotto with a 3way tilt/pan head. I really like the 3way head because it allows you to make minor adjustments easily but it wouldn't allow me to look as high up as I wanted to take sky photos. I got a manfrotto 498 and it works great to look up at the sky or down at the ground but its not as easy for me to make minor adjustments especially with a long lens so I kept my 3way pan/tilt for landscapes and doing family portraits etc
 
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