tripods- What does 2 or 3 way panhead mean?

Hi Everybody,

Can anybody please explain what the difference between a 2 way and 3 way panhead on a tripod is?

and.. Is an Oil-fluid Panhead worth paying extra for?

I'm looking at tripods and I'm trying to get past all the terminology .

Thanks,
Geoff

Three-way means you can pan, tilt up-and-down, and tilt sideways.

Two-way (usually) means you can pan and tilt up-and-down.

Fluid heads make the panning a smooth motion, and are usually for video, where that is an issue.

Hope this helps.

Have Fun
Rick 8)

Hi Rick,

Thanks, that was helpful.

I got a Velbon CX-586 which is sturdy and light with fluid heads. It has Two-way tilt. Doing some more looking into things I found that the three way tilt tripods are really intended for use with cameras where you may want to get a shot using the camera on its side rather than for use with a video camera.

Thanks for your input,

Geoff

I never understood why anyone would want a 2-way, but I guess a 2-way with a fluid head would be the best combination for video. No need to go sideways like still photography - unless you want special effects

Have Fun
Rick 8)

I never really looked at tripods much to find out what different types could offer.
I kept an eye out on eBay though for a cheap-ish one to start me off.

for the £15 or so I paid I got a great one! It has 2 levels of extension in the legs (can be adjusted to any height within the min and max range), a swivel lever to raise and lower it on the spot, and has a 3-way pan as above.

I couldn't have done better with my money! My tripod is light and compacts down nicely and goes everywhere with my camera kit.

Whoever thought up the concept of eBay, I salute you!