Flexshooter Pro for Mammals and Landscape?

[randomwalk]

For the last three or four years, I have been using a RRS BH-40 primarily for landscapes. I love everything about it but I want to add a leveling base to make panoramas easier.

Within the last year or so, I have been getting into the wildlife side. Target subjects tend to be Mountain Goats, Snowshoe Hares, Elk, Coyotes/Wolves, Marmots, etc. (no birds at this time or planned in the future). It has been doable with my BH-40 but I imagine it would be a lot easier with a gimbal or Flexshooter Pro.

It seems like instead of adding a self leveling base to my BH-40, I might be better off switching to a Flexshooter Pro and using that for both mammals and landscapes.

1. Does this seem like a good plan for "do it all" tripod head? There are not a ton of YouTube reviews on the Flexshooter which gives me a little bit of pause, especially coming from very trusted brand like RRS.
   
   It seems like the alternatives would be a Fluid Head with a self leveling base (like the setup Henry Hudson has). Not opposed to this but the weight definitely seems to go up and I would prefer something on the lighter side. 95%+ of my photography comes from hiking/backpacking several miles at a time.
   
   
2. Does the Flexshooter Pro pan and tilt independently like a fluid head or gimble? It almost seems too good to be true.
   
   
3. I've never had to worry about using a nodal rail and parallax points, but if it seems like I ever need to cross that bridge, a nodal rail should be compatible with a Flexshooter Pro?
   
   
   

 

[Butlerkid]

We need two important pieces of information. What lenses do you intend to use? What problem(s) are you trying to solve?

A ball head like the BH55 is fine for landscapes, architecture, etc when using small to medium sized lenses. A gimbal is best for long teles like the 500/600mm f4s or 800mm.

Leveling the camera for a single image can easily be done in camera. Panos can also be done by leveling the tripod legs and then leveling the camera using spirit bubbles.

 

[randomwalk]

For landscapes, a 24-70 and 14-24.

For wildlife, generally a 70-200 and a 100-400. Most likely the 400mm PF once that comes out.

Leveling the camera for a single image can easily be done in camera. Panos can also be done by leveling the tripod legs and then leveling the camera using spirit bubbles.

That is what I have been doing for the last several years and generally I find leveling the tripod legs to be a real pain. Hence why I want to switch to something with a leveling base (either the flexshooter or adding a leveling base to my BH-40)

 

[Abinoone]

With the lenses you mentioned, the Flexshooter probably would be fine. It's a nice hybrid ball/gimbal, and I know of several people who swear by it (you might check with Mike Milicia - he's a big fan https://www.michaelmiliciaphotography.com/). I like using mine for situations when I travel to far flung (at least for me) places, and don't want to tote a heavy gimbal with me. The Flexshooter is fairly smooth and fluid, and has a good range of motion. Nonetheless, I still prefer using my Benro GH2 gimbal head most of the time - for me, it just seems to be more versatile, smoother, and intuitive for my longer and heavier lenses. In addition to large and small mammals, I also shoot birds in flight, and the gimbal works wonderfully well. For landscapes, the gimbal is basically useless, so I use my ball head in those instances. Hope this helps a little.

 

[DRwyoming]

For the last three or four years, I have been using a RRS BH-40 primarily for landscapes. I love everything about it but I want to add a leveling base to make panoramas easier.

Within the last year or so, I have been getting into the wildlife side. Target subjects tend to be Mountain Goats, Snowshoe Hares, Elk, Coyotes/Wolves, Marmots, etc. (no birds at this time or planned in the future). It has been doable with my BH-40 but I imagine it would be a lot easier with a gimbal or Flexshooter Pro.

It seems like instead of adding a self leveling base to my BH-40, I might be better off switching to a Flexshooter Pro and using that for both mammals and landscapes.

1. Does this seem like a good plan for "do it all" tripod head? There are not a ton of YouTube reviews on the Flexshooter which gives me a little bit of pause, especially coming from very trusted brand like RRS.
   
   It seems like the alternatives would be a Fluid Head with a self leveling base (like the setup Henry Hudson has). Not opposed to this but the weight definitely seems to go up and I would prefer something on the lighter side. 95%+ of my photography comes from hiking/backpacking several miles at a time.
   
   
2. Does the Flexshooter Pro pan and tilt independently like a fluid head or gimble? It almost seems too good to be true.
   
   
3. I've never had to worry about using a nodal rail and parallax points, but if it seems like I ever need to cross that bridge, a nodal rail should be compatible with a Flexshooter Pro?
   
   

I switched to from the Wimberley gimbal heads I'd been using for a couple of decades to a Flexshooter pro about a year ago and after using it for a while I sold my Wimberley. The Flexshooter does have a touch more friction drag in the tilt axis than the WH-200 but I don't find it objectionable and it still supports single finger pan and tilt with no ball head lateral flop.

I have used the Flexshooter as a general purpose ball head when traveling to avoid packing multiple ball heads but personally I still prefer my BH-55 for direct camera mounting when shooting landscapes, macro or astro photos. The Flexshooter can certainly work but I find the normal ball head to be a bit better suited for that kind of work. Though the Flexshooter does provide independent tilt and pan with no roll (side to side tilt like a normal ballhead) there's only one tension control so you can't lock the pan while tilting or lock the tilt while panning which is easy to do with a good ball head. For uses like landscapes and macro I prefer those independent locks and the ability to adjust horizon lines without releasing the outer leveling ball on the Flexshooter. I'm sure many folks use the Flexshooter for everything and I'll do it when traveling to keep my luggage light but although I have no regrets selling my full Wimberley gimbal I'm not planning on selling my BH-55 ball head.

And yes the Flexshooter will accept a nodal slide without problems.

 

[randomwalk]

The Flexshooter can certainly work but I find the normal ball head to be a bit better suited for that kind of work. Though the Flexshooter does provide independent tilt and pan with no roll (side to side tilt like a normal ballhead) there's only one tension control so you can't lock the pan while tilting or lock the tilt while panning which is easy to do with a good ball head.

Ah that is very interesting, that sounds like it would be problematic to do panoramas then, if I am understanding it right.

 

[Nimi]

For landscapes, a 24-70 and 14-24.

For wildlife, generally a 70-200 and a 100-400. Most likely the 400mm PF once that comes out.




That is what I have been doing for the last several years and generally I find leveling the tripod legs to be a real pain. Hence why I want to switch to something with a leveling base (either the flexshooter or adding a leveling base to my BH-40)

I never used a Flexshooter, so can't compare.

However, I added a leveling base to my RRS tripod and use it both with my BH55 and Panogimbal and it works great. I never use the feet to level for a host of reasons and past mishaps.

 

[randomwalk]

I never used a Flexshooter, so can't compare.

However, I added a leveling base to my RRS tripod and use it both with my BH55 and Panogimbal and it works great. I never use the feet to level for a host of reasons and past mishaps.

Do you use the panogimbal for wildlife, in lieu of something like a Wimberly?

 

[Nimi]

Do you use the panogimbal for wildlife, in lieu of something like a Wimberly?

Yes, and panos and surfing. It can do everything a ballhead can do but weighs much more and last time I looked twice as expensive. Here it is with my b-camera. If I go out for a day and know I'll be shooting panoramas, that's what I put on the tripod. It saves (me, with my low level of expertise) a lot of time to stitch if I get the parralex and level correct.

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[Steve W]

I use Acratech levelling base with Kirk TQR between either Acratech ball head or a Sunwayfoto GH-02 gimbal. Makes setup quick and easy no matter what I’m shooting.

 

[PhilcTx]

It seems like the alternatives would be a Fluid Head with a self leveling base (like the setup Henry Hudson has). Not opposed to this but the weight definitely seems to go up and I would prefer something on the lighter side. 95%+ of my photography comes from hiking/backpacking several miles at a time.

Since getting a Manfrotto fluid head and Sunwayfoto leveling base a couple years ago I've rarely used my BH-40 either alone or with my Wimberly Sidekick gimbal for stills or video shooting.

I don't find the fluid head/leveling base weight objectionable (YMMV), but I don't hike very far anymore especially with a tripod. The fluid head/leveling base combo is an attractively priced alternative to a Flexshooter.

 

[lpphototx]

I used a BH-55 and Wimberley head for many years- the BH-55 for landscape and short lens work, and the Wimberley for long lens photography. I switched to the set-up advocated by Hudson Henry- a levelling base (RRS for me) and a Manfrotto fluid head for landscape and short lens work. The weight is not much different than a BH-55, but it does take up more space.

I've been using a Flexshooter Pro for long lens work for the last 3-4 months and it is my go-to head for travel with a long lens. It works for landscapes, but isn't well suited for panoramas.

 

[Marcus Slade]

I have recently added a Flexshooter Pro to my kit and am favourably impressed so far. I'll add that I'm in the experimental stage of trying to form opinions based on multiple outings. Having read a variety of favourable reviews from respected photographers, I took the plunge, thinking this would be very effective for travel and reduction of mass. To date I have only used it with my 600 mm f4 G (a heavy lens at 11 lbs) for birding and a couple of times for landscapes with my 24-120 f4 and 70 200 f 2.8. With a couple of trips planned for later this year, I'm confident the Flexshooter will go in the bag but having said that, I won't be selling my Jobu HD IV gimbal.

If I knew I was going to be relatively planted in a location, and shooting my 600mm f4, I would lean to using the gimbal. I find the fluidity of movement through all axes more appealing. I will throw this out there too and see what others might say: the heavier the camera and lens combo, the more the gimbal setup will likely yield perceptual performance advantages. Shorter and/or lighter telephoto lenses (particularly those with external zooms where the balance is disturbed on a gimbal) will work particulalrly well on the Flexshooter.

I will lastly add that the Flexshooter is both very well engineered and built.

 

[Anjin San]

For landscapes, a 24-70 and 14-24.

For wildlife, generally a 70-200 and a 100-400. Most likely the 400mm PF once that comes out.

The FlexShooter Pro is fine with my 500PF and Z 100-500 as well as the Z 70-200. Haven't used it much with the 10-20 and 24-70 but no reason it won't be just fine with those as well.

 

[randomwalk]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the information. I think I have now ruled out the Flexshooter since it will not be very viable for doing panoramas.

I have narrowed it down to a Manfrotto MVH500A Fluid Head or a Acratech Panoramic Head. I may end up getting both, especially since the Manfrotto is on sale for less than $200. The Acratech would work for longer hikes/trips (20-30 miles) and the Manfrotto on shorter hikes (less than 10 miles).


Does anyone have recommendations for a leveling base that would be a good fit for my needs and is good quality? It seems like there are a lot of brands out there for leveling bases. The mini TLB-2 from Kirk looks really interesting since it is only 6.3 ounces. I wonder if this would be a good fit for my typical setup (Z7/Z9 + 100-400mm + 70-200mm + 500mm PF + 400mm PF (future) or if it would not be supportive enough?

I would be using it on my RRS TFC-14MK2 legs. I am also considering the Leofoto LS-284CEX with a built in leveling base to replace my legs (which are too short for me). It's nice it has a built in leveling base but I am bit skeptical since it is half the price of my RRS legs that don't have a leveling base.

This is the matrix I have been building of my various options and all of their weights

 

[PhilcTx]

Does anyone have recommendations for a leveling base that would be a good fit for my needs and is good quality? It seems like there are a lot of brands out there for leveling bases.

I use a Sunwayfoto DYH-66i leveling base under my Manfrotto MVH500AH and have been happy with both. I use them with lenses up to a Nikkor 200-500mm.

An alternative for leveling might be a half-bowl leveling base if the tripod has a bowl type top plate.

 

[Charles Loy]

I am a gimble man, so that is all I have to say

 

[RichF]

Leveling the camera for a single image can easily be done in camera. Panos can also be done by leveling the tripod legs and then leveling the camera using spirit bubbles.

For Pano, I use a leveling base. Much easier than fiddling with tripod legs. I used the RRS level base and which works great.

 

[Butlerkid]

For Pano, I use a leveling base. Much easier than fiddling with tripod legs. I used the RRS level base and which works great.

Agreed that a leveling base is easier. But for those like me that don't do a lot of panos (and never multi row ones! LOL!), the extra weight of the leveling base is not worth the rare times I need it. So nice that we can customize our gear to meet our various needs!

 

[GingerichPhotoArt]

I switched to a FlexPro Shooter about 3 years ago. Love it. Got rid of my ballhead and gimbal. It reduced travel weight significantly. I use it for both wildlife, birds and of course, landscapes too. Works good on my Nikon D750 with Nikon 200-500 and all other lens, 24-120 and 14-24. If you get the balance correctly set up on the foot of the 200-500, it is awesome. Use Kirk L-Bracket on camera and the Kirk mounting plate on my 200-500 foot and then made small marks using silver permanent marker on the foot and plate so I don't have to rebalance each time. Super fast to change lenses and the balance is great for more stationary non-handheld wildlife and birding photography. I have a Z9 arriving shortly and plan to have the same set up on it with L-Bracket etc.

 

[Neil H.]

A few Flexshooter Pro Mini ideas. I'm waiting for Really Right Stuff to upgrade their heavier duty multi-row pano gear. My macro rail works at pinch for single row panos with my landscape lenses. The car set-up is for lightning when it's close - with the Pluto Lighting Trigger. I now leave the RRS panning head with lever clamp shown in the car lightning set-up permanently attached to the Flexshooter Pro Mini. When balanced the long lens will stay pointed up or down and not droop when left. I don't bother trying to balance with shorter lenses - just tighten both screws. I can go from 500mm to 14mm (and all in-between) in both portrait and landscape (with L-bracket) on the same base.

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[MikePapple]

Thanks all, I really appreciate the information. I think I have now ruled out the Flexshooter since it will not be very viable for doing panoramas.

I have narrowed it down to a Manfrotto MVH500A Fluid Head or a Acratech Panoramic Head. I may end up getting both, especially since the Manfrotto is on sale for less than $200. The Acratech would work for longer hikes/trips (20-30 miles) and the Manfrotto on shorter hikes (less than 10 miles).

I love my Acratech Pano Head. Sold my gimbal. For a levelling base, I just bought one from Amazon, Andoer DY-60N for around $80. Works fine.

I looked at a levelling bowl for my Gitzo tripod, but they wanted $300 for it. No thanks.

 

[randomwalk]

I love my Acratech Pano Head. Sold my gimbal. For a levelling base, I just bought one from Amazon, Andoer DY-60N for around $80. Works fine.

I looked at a levelling bowl for my Gitzo tripod, but they wanted $300 for it. No thanks.

That's really great to hear since I decided to go with the Acratech Pano Head. I may add the fluid head in the future but the Acratech is very light and a good fit for my needs. I am going to add the Kirk Mini leveling base.