clementstevens
New member
Handhold, you will get more opportunities for flight shots.
Birding tripod head.
- Thread starter Zof9
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Are "flight shots" the single be-all end all of bird photography? Just asking. For every situation where handholding is the way to go there is a situation where one might want to stand or sit in one place with a tripod-mounted rig, e.g., a blind, a feeder setup, a fruiting tree in the tropics, etc. Especially when we are considering a relatively slow lens (f5.6) and the low light situations that are all too common in bird photography, a tripod or at least a monopod is quite useful.
I have used an Acratech Ultimate ball head with a Wimberley Sidekick on my PF 500mm, but usually just use the WH-200 because I have it, and love it.
But the sidekick is perfect for the 500 PF
But the sidekick is perfect for the 500 PF
That all depends. Maybe the case due to where, how, and what you shoot. But that is not a universal truth.
Well... yeah!
I may hand hold all the time but you are dead on that is not a universal truth and it depends on where, how, what you shoot and physical limitations. I taught a beginning bird photography class tonight and I took my like new mono pod with the wimberly monogimbal and tripod with FlexShooter Pro Lever Black Ball Head for the show and tell gear section since one size does not fit allThat all depends. Maybe the case due to where, how, and what you shoot. But that is not a universal truth.
Well... yeah!
There were people in the class that will get far more flight shot opportunities with one or both of those supports than hand holding.boviscopophobic
Member
Hi, you're the only owner of the WH15 that I know of so far, so I hope you won't mind if I ask a quick question. I purchased the head a few days ago and noticed that the alignment mark on the bottom (the circle with a vertical line through it) doesn't line up with the 0 mark on the scale for the panning clamp. Thus, if the panning clamp is lined up for a straight shot with a long lens, the alignment mark on the panning clamp isn't pointing at 0, but rather at some unmarked space.
My description above might not be easy to understand, so if we reference this product image:
The image shows the panning clamp's alignment mark lined up with 0 on the scale. On the unit I purchased, if I lined things up like this, the lens plate would now be pointing 1 or 2 degrees clockwise from the tilt axis, i.e. 1 or 2 degrees clockwise from the alignment mark at the bottom of the image. To straighten it I would have to turn the panning clamp counterclockwise slightly.
Is your unit also like this, or is the alignment accurate? This would help me decide whether or not to try a second copy of the head.
Turns out mine is like that and I never noticed. Doesnt seem to effect anything for what I use it for tho. Im guessing its just the graduations are etched slightly off on the upper panning section. I pretty much have that locked down anyway. Come to think of it Ive never used any graduations on any tripod head they always seemed to be a bit useless in my mind.Hi, you're the only owner of the WH15 that I know of so far, so I hope you won't mind if I ask a quick question. I purchased the head a few days ago and noticed that the alignment mark on the bottom (the circle with a vertical line through it) doesn't line up with the 0 mark on the scale for the panning clamp. Thus, if the panning clamp is lined up for a straight shot with a long lens, the alignment mark on the panning clamp isn't pointing at 0, but rather at some unmarked space.
My description above might not be easy to understand, so if we reference this product image:
The image shows the panning clamp's alignment mark lined up with 0 on the scale. On the unit I purchased, if I lined things up like this, the lens plate would now be pointing 1 or 2 degrees clockwise from the tilt axis, i.e. 1 or 2 degrees clockwise from the alignment mark at the bottom of the image. To straighten it I would have to turn the panning clamp counterclockwise slightly.
Is your unit also like this, or is the alignment accurate? This would help me decide whether or not to try a second copy of the head.
Calson
Well-known member
I never used a tripod with the 500mm PF lens as it is a very light lens and it is much much much faster to shoot without a tripod. I can change the background or shooting height to be at eye level with subjects in seconds when shooting without a tripod. The only time a tripod would be helpful with a lens like this is when shooting video.
With video the general purpose gimbal head is not smooth enough when panning and one should go with a true video head, even the iFootage are pretty good and lightweight and not terribly expensive.
Where the gimbal head is of value is with a 12 lb camera and lens load where having the weight balanced on a gimbal head requires very little effort to adjust the lens angle or tilt.
With video the general purpose gimbal head is not smooth enough when panning and one should go with a true video head, even the iFootage are pretty good and lightweight and not terribly expensive.
Where the gimbal head is of value is with a 12 lb camera and lens load where having the weight balanced on a gimbal head requires very little effort to adjust the lens angle or tilt.
merlinator
Well-known member
Used Wimberley for years, bought a Flexshooter pro for travel purposes. If you are doing BIF I would suggest taking the lens off the tripod or get a lens you can hand hold.
My preferences are, hand held, sidekick type and full gimbal in that order. Steve has an excellent video on how to correctly set up your gimbal so the lens seems essentially weightless. It moves easily and stops and stays in any position.
It's a while later, how did you/do you like this product?I actually just ordered one of these, should be here tomorrow. Bird in flight is far better using a fluid head.
Teakdust
New member
I just did a video about the Benro WH15 that you might find interesting.
Looks like a real piece of junk.
I bought this same wildlife head and I have experienced none of the problems described in the video. A telephoto lens foot does drop directly into the opening channel on the head, and the tightening screw system works fine as far as I can tell. The counterbalance tension adjustment "wheel" does require you to determine the best setting for each different load, i.e., the heavier the load the higher the setting number. Once adjusted correctly the head performs very much like a gimbal or like a Flexshooter ballhead. And whereas the panning adjustment does not have a huge range, it does have a "midrange" and overall it seems fine, at least for my purposes.
Is it possible that Teakdust got a problematic copy?
Meanwhile, Moose Peterson reviewed this item on YouTube and is quite enthusiastic (I expect that Benro gave him the gear, but I do think Moose's enthusiasm is sincere).
I have written my own (positive) review on the B&H website.
Wes Peterson of this forum group purchased the Wildlife Head before I did, and in a private exchange he indicated that overall he is happy with it. Perhaps he will comment further here.
That's too bad, thanks for posting.
Teakdust
New member
Yes. The included Benro mounting plate will drop into the Swiss/Arca mount. But I have Swiss/Arca tripod feet installed on all my larger lenses. The only way I could get my 800mm to drop in was to tilt the foot so the right side of the plate went under the screw handle side of the mount. Then it would fit in. When I dropped the left side in, the plate would not clear the upper edge of the clamping jaw. But all of the other issues aside, the possibility of the camera crashing down when the counter balance doesn't engage properly is reason enough for me to return it. I suppose I may have received a bad unit, but I'm going to keep looking for another fluid head.
That is because there is no standard for Arca Swiss. There is dimensional variation between many manufacturers. Many lever clamps are only compatible with the same brand foot or plate. Acratech and others overcome this by making the clamp adjustable but swapping between brands can be a nuisance.
My Arca Swiss type plates and lens feet fit into the Benbo WH15 head channel, no problem. I have not tried every single Arca plate I own, but all of the long lenses with Arca feet that I normally use pass the "fit" test. The screw mechanism makes it possible to open the channel quite wide enough, and then it tightens down easily and firmly. And I have had no experience of the counterbalance mechanism failing to engage. If the "wheel" setting is incorrect (set too low) an unbalanced load will drop like a loosened ballhead, and if set too high the load will not stay in a downward or upward-pointing position but will kind of bounce back toward the center. But if the counterbalance is set correctly the rig stays put when pointed at any up or down angle, just like a properly-calibrated gimbal (you really only have to experiment with each camera/lens combination once, and then remember the setting).
Again, I am wondering if the Wildlife head Teakdust has used is flawed somehow. But I think it's too bad if people take from this series of posts the conclusion that this device is "a piece of junk" or badly engineered somehow. Not my experience at all. I have not been bribed or brainwashed by Benro here, and I paid full price for my WH15.
Doug Greenberg
No issues with my copy of this head. Ive been shooting with it since last November. Never had any cameras come out of the clamp or had the tilt suddenly let loose.
Teakdust
New member
I really wanted to be happy with the WH15. At $699 US, it's not an inexpensive option. I have no reason to go to the trouble of producing, editing and posting a video of my experience with it other than to relate my real-world findings. The unit I received may well be defective. But if so, that's still a valuable data point. It speaks to quality control. And by the way, it's doubtful that Benro covers secondary liability for their products. So if a very expensive lens/camera were to be damaged due to a manufacturing problem. They would NOT be responsible for repair/replacement costs. I would be. My Benro GH2 is an excellent piece of gear. So I have no bias against Benro. I'm just illustrating my experience. Take from that what you will.
boviscopophobic
Member
I also found that when adjusting the counterbalance setting, the counterbalance could become disengaged until the tilt was "exercised" up and down once or twice, which seemed to convince the mechanism to re-engage. This might be only a minor annoyance if you're prepared for it, but the possibility of accidentally bumping the counterbalance dial does seem potentially worrisome.
Is the WH15 true fluid or is it a friction and drag system? I know it's advertised as fluid, but back when I was researching heads I wasn't convinced. Are there fluid cartridges on bottom and side?
Its a true fluid head but the dampening isnt adjustable, only the drag and counterbalance. Its a compromise head. Its not perfect at anything but its fluid, balances well and weighs about what a normal gimbal does. As Ive said Ive been using for awhile now with a Z9 and 600f4E without issue.
Thanks you, I'll check it out again. I need a lighter fluid head with for flat base tripod.