Vinten Fluid Head Advice

B

boat_face

New member
Hi All

I'm hoping you can help give me a bit of advice on my choice of fluid head. I'm on a shoe string budget and shopping around for an affordable second hand fluid head. Although I'm not using it film making but instead for digital photography of birds in flight. I borrowed a fluid head recently and it was absolutely magic! Makes operating a heavy lens effortless!

So far my eyes have been drawn to a Vinten Pro 9. Their reputation seems to be excellent and there seem to be some at my price point but I just can't find any technical information or forum posting of people who have owned or use one.

For info my camera set up would weigh in around 4Kg so fairly light I imagine compared to others. Although the odd ocassion when I hire a lens could bump this weight up.

Can anyone give me some advice on the specs for the Vinten Pro 9. What weight is it designed to operate with. Is it now an obsolete head so spares no longer available? Also, can anyone tell me whether Vinten plates are standard and an old Pro 9 head will take a new Vinten plate. Many of the second hand heads come without plates. I presume because plates are standard and can be re-used but I want to check.

Any other advice or wisdom greatly appreciated
 
If you're shooting BIF with a still camera, you should not be using a fluid head, you should be using a gimbal style head like a Wimberley. Once properly set up and balanced, not only will your heavy camera move effortlessly but it will stay pointed where you leave it. You can very easily manipulate a 15# camera and lens with one finger.

If the Wimberley is too rich for your blood, check into one of its copies such as the Induro "GHB2" or "GHB1", the Benro "GH-2", or the Jobu Designs "Black Widow".

http://tripodhead.com/products/wimberley-main.cfm
 
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