Dialing in my tripod head

[GL2guy]

Hey guys, as a long time photographer, I am not so new to tripods, but as a newcomer to videography, I am pretty much entirely new to tripod heads, especially the fluid-type.

I have a Bogen/Manfrotto Tripod with the Bogen 503 head. It feels great, but for slow panning and tilting, I am bit unsure how I should go about getting it dialed in for the most smooth and shake-free movement.

It seems that there is a benefit as far as hand shakiness, to adding a lot of friction to the head, but for small movements, that friction is far less superior to a more fluid/softer friction that can allow me to make very tiny adjustments.

I am looking for some guidance on what a general rule of thumb is for how much friction to apply to the head in normal shooting conditions. I have no clue as to how much friction is too much or too little. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[monkeyking]

Generally, I use lower head settings when camera must be panned/tilted rather quickly/unexpectedly , especially for wider focal lengths.
Longer focal lengths favor the higher head settings, especially if camera is not panning/tilting very much. You don't want to do a whip pan on highest setting - you'll be fighting against the resistance of your head and , depending on rigidity of your tripod, your legs may start to flex.

Practice makes perfect; You'll learn from experience.

have fun.