I shoot a fair bit with long lenses for wildlife (birds). When tilting recently I noticed that at the end of a tilt down that the camera seemed to come back up a bit. While I realize that with extreme focal lengths this problem is amplified, I'm wondering if this is an issue with my fluid head or my technique. I was shooting with a C100II, a 500 f4L and 2X convertor, Manfrotto 504 HD on Gitzo cf sticks. Is this an issue I can practice or spend my way out of? I did have the rig balanced and the tilt wasn't extreme.
Super telephoto jerky motion: equipment or technique?
- Thread starter ED299
- Start date
David W. Jones
Veteran
That would be the limit of using a $500 head with 4-step counter balance, as opposed to a more expansive head with continuous counter balance.
Michael Carter
Veteran
Shooting at 1000mm - yep, the slightest vibration - even 10th of a millimeter - gets amplified at the subject end of things and becomes big leaps.
My guess would be that the manfrotto head isn't cutting it for what you're doing - they're not really known for making great heads (they can barely manage a good one it seems!)… (though I once played with a very old 100mm-ball model - it was huge and smooth as butter, the owner was an old guy with a teleprompter service and said it's been ages since they made world-class heads).
I'd go over to reduser.net and do some searches - lots of discussion there about heads for heavier rigs and moving up to a serious head.
The consensus over there (as I recall and have some notes) seems to be, for used heads, go 100mm and look at O'connor, Miller, etc. For new heads, plan on spending some significant cash - people love the Miller Arrow, Sachtler 20s, Ronford and so on.
There's no getting around the price of a really stellar head - but it will have parts and service available, third-party rebuild shops, and should last years and probably decades. Buy once, cry once, as they say.
Then again, it could be technique - there are days I'm a smooth operator and days I feel like I'm sucking big time.
My guess would be that the manfrotto head isn't cutting it for what you're doing - they're not really known for making great heads (they can barely manage a good one it seems!)… (though I once played with a very old 100mm-ball model - it was huge and smooth as butter, the owner was an old guy with a teleprompter service and said it's been ages since they made world-class heads).
I'd go over to reduser.net and do some searches - lots of discussion there about heads for heavier rigs and moving up to a serious head.
The consensus over there (as I recall and have some notes) seems to be, for used heads, go 100mm and look at O'connor, Miller, etc. For new heads, plan on spending some significant cash - people love the Miller Arrow, Sachtler 20s, Ronford and so on.
There's no getting around the price of a really stellar head - but it will have parts and service available, third-party rebuild shops, and should last years and probably decades. Buy once, cry once, as they say.
Then again, it could be technique - there are days I'm a smooth operator and days I feel like I'm sucking big time.
There's no way to expect that Manfrotto to behave well at that focal length. One thing you can do to help suppress the pullback is to not ease off the pressure right away. Make your move and hold position for a count of 5. That lets the fluid/grease settle and it won't pull back as much or at all. I use that technique when using my cheap head.
That's assuming it is the fluid that is causing the pullback. You just may have something loose in your setup. Take a look at the head when you make the move. See what is pulling back. Maybe it is the connection between the sticks and the center piece of the tripod. Maybe the camera plate is not solid in the head. Everything has to be tight.
That's assuming it is the fluid that is causing the pullback. You just may have something loose in your setup. Take a look at the head when you make the move. See what is pulling back. Maybe it is the connection between the sticks and the center piece of the tripod. Maybe the camera plate is not solid in the head. Everything has to be tight.
David W. Jones
Veteran
I do not believe it is a true fluid head, but rather a variable friction head.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
I have a miller arrow head.. three times a manfrotto.. and it is a challenge to use with a 400,
Bern Caughey
Veteran
Agree the head is likely not up to the task, but if you were using the lens' Image Stabilization that can cause the image to bounce back too.
Great feedback from all of you - thank you so much.
Coming from a still photography background I had no experience with video heads so decided on the Manfrotto 504 as an entry level head while I gained some experience. Didn't know about reduser.net either. I spent a short time looking there and found a lot of useful discussions that should be a help. I appreciate the suggestion Michael.
I hadn't thought about the grease issue. I was shooting bald eagles in a typical winter scene. Although the temperature wasn't particularly low it was probably enough to stiffen up the grease a bit. I have seen 'IS jiggle' before and am aware of that as a possible issue. Wasn't using the IS so that wasn't the problem.
Morgan, could you elaborate on what you say is the challenge with the Miller Arrow and the 400? From reading the Miller specs it looks like the Arrow would be a good match for the weight of my rig.
Coming from a still photography background I had no experience with video heads so decided on the Manfrotto 504 as an entry level head while I gained some experience. Didn't know about reduser.net either. I spent a short time looking there and found a lot of useful discussions that should be a help. I appreciate the suggestion Michael.
I hadn't thought about the grease issue. I was shooting bald eagles in a typical winter scene. Although the temperature wasn't particularly low it was probably enough to stiffen up the grease a bit. I have seen 'IS jiggle' before and am aware of that as a possible issue. Wasn't using the IS so that wasn't the problem.
Morgan, could you elaborate on what you say is the challenge with the Miller Arrow and the 400? From reading the Miller specs it looks like the Arrow would be a good match for the weight of my rig.