Not a "what tripod" thread, but a "what tripod head" thread

Snydremark wrote in post #12565797
I'd still stick with a Ball for range of motion and if real precision is necessary, a macro rail will give better control and range than either of these by themselves.......

Macro rails only provides precision in two directions. Geared heads provide the same level of precision as macro rails in 3 dimensions, none of which the rails cover.

If you are even bringing up pan/tilt/swivel heads then you clearly have no idea how a geared head works. A geared head is just that, a head that adjusts using the accuracy of gears. You turn a knob, which turns gears, which turns your camera in the associated direction. There are three knobs on a Manfrotto 400, 405, and 410. Each one adjust the camera in a different direction in smooth less-than-one-degree increments. The each also have a lock-release so you can make rapid movements to get "close" to where you want to be quickly, then finish off with the fine adjustments.

The first knob turns the lens left or right up to 360 degrees.
The second knob tilts the head up to 30 degrees left or 90 right.
The final knob tilts the head upwards up to 30 degrees and downwards up to 90 degrees.

Combine the geared head with a macro rail and you have ultra-precise control of:

Left/Right Facing. Upwards/Downwards Tilt. Left/right Tilt. (gaered head)
Forwards/backwards Movement. Left/Right Movement. (macro rail)

Throw in a geared tripod and you have precise control of the only missing dimension, Upwards/Downwards Movement.

In comparison to a pan/tilt, ball head, or even Gimbal head..... well there is no comparison. None of these come even close to the same precision. Even that giant Arca pictured earlier can't hope to be even half as precise as a geared head.

Anything where fast movement is not needed but precision could be useful. So things like: Macro, Astronomy, Super-long telephoto of precise locations, Landscape, Product, Portrait, Panoramas, Architecture, etc.

A real life example would be when I went to shoot an eagle and baby-eagle in their nest recently. I ended up at 1344mm effective focal length doing manual focusing via 5x live-view. Being able to make the most minute of adjustments to where my camera was pointing was invaluable. I was able to center dead on the eagles head and keep its head in frame even when it moved around a little, so I could precisely adjust focus for the eye at all times.

From the above thread, I am thinking a geared head is the way to go. In addition to landscapes, the type of photography I do is exemplified by the image below. In this situation, i would be looking for precise control to obtain the best possible composition and to achieve perfect focus on the eye.

If the insect were to move slightly, i would want to recompose and refocus quickly and easily. With my current ball head, this is a pain.

And no, they dont fly off before I get the shot because I'm up early enough to get the nice morning sun and get them while they are in a state of tauper

nigpd wrote in post #12568545
From the above thread, I am thinking a geared head is the way to go. In addition to landscapes, the type of photography I do is exemplified by the image below. In this situation, i would be looking for precise control to obtain the best possible composition and to achieve perfect focus on the eye.

If the insect were to move slightly, i would want to recompose and refocus quickly and easily. With my current ball head, this is a pain.

And no, they dont fly off before I get the shot because I'm up early enough to get the nice morning sun and get them while they are in a state of tauper

http://farm6.static.fl​ickr.com …12828436_5568db​64eb_b.jpg

Even so, you might find a geared head too slow. If you need quick recomposition, you might actually be better off with a monopod and a tilt head unless you're working at very high magnifications. Even using a ball head as camera support might be a better option there, but the monopod will give you some lateral motion as well.

arentol wrote in post #12568534
Macro rails only provides precision in two directions. Geared heads provide the same level of precision as macro rails in 3 dimensions, none of which the rails cover.

If you are even bringing up pan/tilt/swivel heads then you clearly have no idea how a geared head works. A geared head is just that, a head that adjusts using the accuracy of gears. You turn a knob, which turns gears, which turns your camera in the associated direction. There are three knobs on a Manfrotto 400, 405, and 410. Each one adjust the camera in a different direction in smooth less-than-one-degree increments. The each also have a lock-release so you can make rapid movements to get "close" to where you want to be quickly, then finish off with the fine adjustments.

The first knob turns the lens left or right up to 360 degrees.
The second knob tilts the head up to 30 degrees left or 90 right.
The final knob tilts the head upwards up to 30 degrees and downwards up to 90 degrees.

Combine the geared head with a macro rail and you have ultra-precise control of:

Left/Right Facing. Upwards/Downwards Tilt. Left/right Tilt. (gaered head)
Forwards/backwards Movement. Left/Right Movement. (macro rail)

Throw in a geared tripod and you have precise control of the only missing dimension, Upwards/Downwards Movement.

In comparison to a pan/tilt, ball head, or even Gimbal head..... well there is no comparison. None of these come even close to the same precision. Even that giant Arca pictured earlier can't hope to be even half as precise as a geared head.

Anything where fast movement is not needed but precision could be useful. So things like: Macro, Astronomy, Super-long telephoto of precise locations, Landscape, Product, Portrait, Panoramas, Architecture, etc.

A real life example would be when I went to shoot an eagle and baby-eagle in their nest recently. I ended up at 1344mm effective focal length doing manual focusing via 5x live-view. Being able to make the most minute of adjustments to where my camera was pointing was invaluable. I was able to center dead on the eagles head and keep its head in frame even when it moved around a little, so I could precisely adjust focus for the eye at all times.

First off, that is a good breakdown, thanks Mike (and Paul, for your comments earlier). I have used a tripod with a non-geared, 3-way head (here) in the past [and have, apparently incorrectly] been calling that pan/tilt/swivel head; that's where my earlier mention of one came from. All I can say is that this must be one of those things where "if you don't get it, then you don't need it"....and I don't get it.

Hopefully it's enough info for the OP to figure out what he needs, though.

nigpd wrote in post #12563156
My thinking is, a quality tripod deserves a quality head, and a quality head invariably means an expensive head

No it does not.
My £30 (250 gram) TRiopo RS3 ball head locks FAR more rigidly than any other head I have tried including my Manfrotto 410 and Wimberley 2. A light twist of the little plastic locking lever is enough for my 600 F4 + 1D4 at any angle it can move to, even when deliberately set up out of balance - this head simply shows how bendy my Gitzos are! My only concern with this head is that the top mounting thread is the standard 1/4inch, with what this head will support a 3/8th might have been better when using a QR clamp.

"Mr do Little" (Paul) is right, for the intended use a Manfrotto 410 or 405 geared head is what the OP needs. I'd go with the 410 unless you really have very heavy equipment.

I use the 410 for nightscapes I can frame the stars even with a long lens in a precise way and I certainly can't do that with a ballhead, even with friction control, the framing is never as precise as with the geared heads. If you ever tried to frame the moon or a star using a telephoto lens you know what I'm talking about.

johnf3f wrote in post #12571670
No it does not.
My £30 (250 gram) TRiopo RS3 ball head locks FAR more rigidly than any other head I have tried including my Manfrotto 410 and Wimberley 2.

Locks what exactly ? (compared to the 410) The gears are engaged unless you disengage them-

Well,the OP took on board everything that was said and went and bought a Manfrotto 405 geared head and now caant wait to try it out

Congrats! Hope to see some results

nigpd wrote in post #12573551
Well,the OP took on board everything that was said and went and bought a Manfrotto 405 geared head and now caant wait to try it out

Congrats!

Im curious why you choose the 405 over the 410 ?

MR do little wrote in post #12574005
Congrats!

Im curious why you choose the 405 over the 410 ?

The thought was for the head to hold whatever I put on it comfortably, so I wouldnt have to give it a second thought as to whether it would hold or not

Sound reasoning for sure, did you buy them in a shop so you could see them before hand ?

Reason im asking is because the 405 is BIG i mean it's not something most people are willing to carry around.

I use the 405 for studio shoots on a studio tripod, the 410 sits on my outdoor location tripod since it much more portable.

Another benefit of the 405 is that it has spirit levels on all axis which is invaluable to me in the studio.

MR do little wrote in post #12576286
Sound reasoning for sure, did you buy them in a shop so you could see them before hand ?

Reason im asking is because the 405 is BIG i mean it's not something most people are willing to carry around.

I use the 405 for studio shoots on a studio tripod, the 410 sits on my outdoor location tripod since it much more portable.

Another benefit of the 405 is that it has spirit levels on all axis which is invaluable to me in the studio.

Yep saw it before I bought it.... and yes, it is a big boy but the weight isnt something I'm too bothered about. i'd carry anything to a spot to get a quality shot.... mad, crazy possibly, dedicated... I hope so

Well then it's all good, im not concerned about the weight but the size isn't practical for me to use on location with a smaller tripod.

MR do little wrote in post #12572092
Locks what exactly ? (compared to the 410) The gears are engaged unless you disengage them-

The Camera/Lens combo I tried is way over the weight rating for my 410 and whilst it would not break it, it would certainly cause excessive wear and hence slackness on the threads. The RS3 holds the 600 + 1 Series pretty much as if it were my G9, though with much more tripod flex!
I was merely illustrating the point that there are some very good heads out there at reasonable money. I agree that the 410 is an excellent choice for many purposes - probably why I bought one!