I can rattle of the names of fluid heads known to be great for eng work and such where the pans and tilts are bold and decisive.
But I’m wondering if any other video landscapers out there with some hands on experience with heads that excel in very subtle movement, where the quality of the motion is almost as important as the subject.
I’m looking for very slow, smooth pans and tilts that start and stop without the slightest stiction or break-away lurch. And that’s with long lenses, the equivalent of up to 300mm on a full frame dslr. Good locks and other features are nice too, but the most important thing is simply great motion that starts and stops without a hitch and is smooth and consistent everywhere in between.
Will be working with a GH4 with minimal accessories. Mostly just the bare camera and lens on a head, with at most a lightweight monitor.
In the past I had an ancient no-name head that worked very well when the handle was dragged around with a series of looped-together rubber bands. But that approach doesn't work with the head I have now, which like most cheap heads has a lot of break away friction. There's no way around the lurch at the start of motion, or the grab at the end.
Have seen heads online like the Benro S8, H8, and H10 that are in my budget range which might extend to $1000 for a head that solves the problem. Any comments on those? No way for me to see any of those without a 400+ mile trip.
Got sabotaged yesterday by a c**p fluid head during a spectacular landscape lighting situation. Great shots made unusable by jerky moves. My own fault, and I need to fix that.
http://www.unit16.net
But I’m wondering if any other video landscapers out there with some hands on experience with heads that excel in very subtle movement, where the quality of the motion is almost as important as the subject.
I’m looking for very slow, smooth pans and tilts that start and stop without the slightest stiction or break-away lurch. And that’s with long lenses, the equivalent of up to 300mm on a full frame dslr. Good locks and other features are nice too, but the most important thing is simply great motion that starts and stops without a hitch and is smooth and consistent everywhere in between.
Will be working with a GH4 with minimal accessories. Mostly just the bare camera and lens on a head, with at most a lightweight monitor.
In the past I had an ancient no-name head that worked very well when the handle was dragged around with a series of looped-together rubber bands. But that approach doesn't work with the head I have now, which like most cheap heads has a lot of break away friction. There's no way around the lurch at the start of motion, or the grab at the end.
Have seen heads online like the Benro S8, H8, and H10 that are in my budget range which might extend to $1000 for a head that solves the problem. Any comments on those? No way for me to see any of those without a 400+ mile trip.
Got sabotaged yesterday by a c**p fluid head during a spectacular landscape lighting situation. Great shots made unusable by jerky moves. My own fault, and I need to fix that.
http://www.unit16.net