Separating tripod head and legs

D

Dystopia

Member
I'm planning on buying a new tripod which i plan to carry attached to my backpack. The problem is, most of the higher quality tripods are quite long even when folded and i'm usually riding a bike while wearing my backpack so it can be quite awkward.
I'm wondering how easy/time consuming it is to separate and then reattache something like a 503 head, to a pair of legs. Because i'm riding a bike, it would be easier for me to carry the head inside the pack and just have the legs on the outside but if this is not really feasible then i'll just have to settle for a lower quality tripod thats shorter when folded.

Thanks
 
Removing and reattaching the head is a quick process, there is a handle on the bottom of the head that is attached to the 75mm or 100mm claw ball at the bottom of the tripod. This handle is used to balance the tripod head, but if you unscrew it all the way it will allow you to totally separate the head from the sticks.
 
...and if you are using a Manfrotto/Bogen tripod without a ball leveler, look under the panhead and you'll see 3 screws. Undo the screws most of the way (when you drop the first one, you'll know how far not to go with the others :))
Then lock the Pan and unscrew teh head from the legs/center column.
To re-attach, screw teh head back down on, then find that missing screw and put all 3 back into place. The screws lock the head in place and prevent it from unscrewing.

- Mikko
 
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