Is this a good tripod & pan head combination?

Thanks for the feedback and explanations.

For some reason when I went to Samy's photo thye said I should get a 3way head instead of a ballhead for shooting motorosports. Would anyone know why? I didn't really ask into to much detail as I was there to pickup something else and was in a hurry.

If you really intend to use a camcorder a significant amount of time you might want to investigate a fluid damped three way head. It will give you a much smoother pad & tilt movement when shooting.

For a camcorder a 3-way can make more sense, since it will lock the panning in any one of the 3 angles. I guess. But dml has a very good suggestions - a fluid 3 way could be a good compromise for both the long lens and camcorder. Though I'd want to test it to make sure that it can pan fast enough - I know that the one and only fluid head I tried was a little slower to move than I would have liked for action with a long lens. Fluid and smooth, heck yes, but for action with a long lens I'd want very quick maneuverability.

No the camcorder wont be the primary use. It will maybe make up 5-10% of the total use.

I'm just getting used to my ball head. I like the "control" a 3-way head provides but that can be somewhat combersome as well. 3-way heads tend to be more "sticky" in movement.

I only like using a ball head if I have time. The head came with a panning capability (separate from the ball) which is nice. I find the ball head moves in ALL directions when the intent was just to move slightly in one direction. I'm still getting used to it.

In either case, I would use a monopod in the scenario (race cars) you provided. The monopod can be braced against your body (or pocket) and doesn't need floor space to steady your camera.

Would you have a recommendation thats in between the 3437 and the 410? The 3437 doesn't have quite the load capacity that I would want while the 410 is simply out of my budget.

I checked through B&H and couldn't find anything that I'd be interested in. I'd go with the 3437 - the 6.6lb capacity will be more than enough for a 300D and any lens you'd use on this rig. Any lens that's too big or heavy for this head will most likely cost you well over $1,500. By that point you'll also be able to afford a bigger better more expensive head - and you'll have a much better idea of what you want.

the 3437 would work well with a 100-400 L lens on a 20d? What about if I added the battery grip? I believe the 20d with the 100-400 L lens is around 5 lbs?

24.2 oz + 10.2 oz + 48 oz = 82.4, or 5.2 lb - plenty of room. Also, the Bogen stuff has a tendency to be under-rated in my opinion. It's solid stuff. And since the 100-400 has a tripod ring the balance will be nice - it's easier to support a balanced rig rather than one that's decidedly lens-heavy.

Though I've never seen this head I wouldn't hesitate on ordering it and checking it out. If I were wrong it would be a $10 mistake, since B&H will take it back within 14 days and they're good about that.

great! thanks for all the help. I'll probably just pick it up at the local Samy's camera store since they sell everything at the same price as BH, just i get taxed instead of shipping but it works out the same +/- $5 anyways.

Just picked up the 3021bpro and the 3437 from Samy's Camera. Love the combo! Thanks for all the help to everyone.

I recently received the 3021B Pro and the 3047 combo. I stumbled across this thread topic AFTER having ordered these. I now can see why some of you do not like the 3047. It's unwieldy and darn heavy!! It's about 8 lbs as a combo without the camera and the lens sitting on top. BUT, apart from these two inconvenient features, I liked everything about it. First, it looks really nice on top of the 3021, yes, it's esthetically pleasing. Second, it's built like it's going to last you a lifetime of usage. You could easily use the combo as your defensive weapon in case someone became too enamored with you camera gears.

So while the downside to the combo is that I won't be lugging these things while hiking miles into the wilderness, it's nevertheless an excellent combo in terms of solid built and looks. Since I don't do much hiking any longer than a mile in, this combo will suit me just fine. If anyone's thinking about using this particular combo for lots of hiking, it'd be worth your while going with a lot lighter (and lot more expensive) combo set.

Excellent! Let us know a little more after a shooting session or two.

You can say THAT again... I barely take my tripod out.

I'm going out to shop for a ballhead... I'm gonna test 486 and 488 RC2 and cut 3 pound off my tripod.