Pano head

Im wanting to get into shooting multi row/column panoramics. I am currently trying to decide between 3 different brands on pano heads. Wanting to know if anyone has any experience with any of them and can help make a recommendation.

I am shooting with a Canon 5D MKII with a battery grip. I will be using several different lenses including 24-70 2.8, 85 1.2, 50 1.4, and 70-200 2.8 IS.

The systems I have been looking at are as follows.

http://www.reallyright​stuff.com …ano-Elements-Package.html
Seems a lot more expensive and Im not sure there is anything there to justify the price difference.

http://www.manfrotto.c​om/multi-row-panoramic-head
Seems to be the cheapest of the 3, and have seen complaints that it wont hold heavier lenses without slowly tilting itself.

http://shop.nodalninja​.com …ith-rd8-ii-rotator-f8001/
Middle ground but I have never heard of the company and cant find many reviews which worries me.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Just go with the RRS setup. If youre serious about getting into panos its the best option out there.

The brand really doesnt matter since they all do the same thing. I bought Pano-MAXX 1 and I suggest you should get one too. Its lightweight yet sturdy, its always in my bag and I dont even notice the weight diffrence, and I can mount 300 f/2.8 without worrying it wouldnt support it. Pano-MAXX 2 is even better and both are also cheap.

I have the rrs pano setup. If you look around they are often for sale used and you can save a little money.

I've been looking into this as well and I came across a much cheaper, albeit more manual, solution that you might find interesting. The Panosaurus 2.0.

http://gregwired.com/p​ano/Pano.htm

I just stumbled upon a fairly detailed list of pano equipment. This might help you in your search.

http://www.panoguide.c​om/howto/panoramas/pan​ohead.jsp

I have the Manfroto 303SPH and that thing is a beast. The con's of this unit are that it is really really bulky and heavy. I have since purchased a Acratech Panoramic Head and I really like this unit http://www.acratech.ne​t …rama-heads/panoramic-head The form factor is so much smaller and manageable and it weighs nothing compared to the Manfroto 303SPH. You will also need their nodal rail http://www.acratech.ne​t …nd-nodail-rail/nodal-rail . If you want to be able to have your camera in either a landscape or portrait orientation then get an L bracket for your camera. They sell L brackets as well http://www.acratech.ne​t …kets-and-nodail-rail.html although I got my L bracket from Really Right Stuff.

I almost pulled the trigger on the RRS pano setup you linked to but then stumbled across the Acratech and preferred the configuration of that one much more. Plus when you take the nodal rail off it's a great tripod head as well. The bonus was it was $335 cheaper (not including the L bracket). It is not really meant for 360 degree panos but if you are just going to be doing a couple of rows and columns then it will do the job. Anyways, just thought I'd share my experience.