Tripod head (and tripod) for Landscapes

[O]

Left field thought, i tried a lot of the modern tricky stuff in heads etc and they all work well and of course are expensive.

What i use exclusively for landscapes now is the Gitzo G 1270, precision simple does everything perfectly, and in tough windy conditions just works.

Best part is $100-$150 used, its the original master landscape head system made in France, fabulous mounting plate area unlike the pivoting ball heads.

As to weight just don't have that Cheese burger or that soft drink before heading out LOL. Its surprisingly not that heavy.

Size and weight is not an issue in my mind or case.

As to a tripod exclusively for landscapes or long exposure i prefer using metal Gitzo, if size and weight matters then i prefer a heavy carbon fire version.

Only an opinion

 

[StarTracker50]

Just bought this. On sale right now for 30% off. Ill let you know how it does.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZJTDPMZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

While I have no idea if this is a bit too bulky/heavy for you to consider (but it is lighter than a 55mm ballhead), have you considered the Benro GD3WH geared head? If nothing else, it allows precise adjustments on all three axes.

Thanks - will look at it now !

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Just bought this. On sale right now for 30% off. Ill let you know how it does.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZJTDPMZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Please do!

 

[simplynature]

I have used an RRS BH-55 ballhead for almost 20 years now and it still works perfectly. It is rock solid, smooth as glass, and hasn't given me even the slightest problem. I often use it at the beach, in a windy, sandy,, and salty environment and yet, it remains smooth as can be. I normally wipe it down perhaps several times a year and that's about the only maintenance it gets. I shoot about 85% landscapes so it gets a lot of use. I can highly recommend it.

 

[Steve Cooke]

I am looking for a tripod head for landscapes - specifically fitting well into the category of good and light for travel, while being of proper decent. Not a once-off thingie that will frustrate the shyte of my derierre.

I am open to suggestions - but what I have been looking at is:

Leophoto geared head - G3? G4?
Leophoto levelling base
Leophoto carbon fibre tripod to match

We do not have all the brands you have in the USA, so shipping could be an issue if not locally available, but I am still willing to investigate suggestions either-way.

I don't like a ball head - so thats out. Dont even suggest that one. And I don't have $2500 for a tripod head either.

thank you - for whatever you can contribute.

Personally I use the Benro Mach 3, Benro GD3WH geared head and a Leofoto levelling base which I find to be not too heavy, very stable and great for landscape use.

 

[Calson]

Any geared head is going to be better for landscape photography than any ball head. The differences are in load capacity and speed of use. The Arca-Swiss has both coarse adjustment and fine adjustment controls which saves both time and frustration in use and with the fine angle and tilt adjustment very seldom do I need to do any image correction later in Photoshop.

Once I added gimbal heads and the D4 GP heads my use of my ball heads decreased greatly. I now only use ball heads for quick and dirty astro photography. Doing more video I also added a couple of fluid heads for smoother pans than I can hope to get with a ball head.

 

[StarTracker50]

Please do!

OK Elsa, this is a quick review after mounting the heaviest landscape lens I have. This Leofoto mount is very sturdy for this size camera lens combination. I think a Z9 would probably do just as well. If you use an L bracket on your camera for horizontal/vertical change you will need an additional accessory to convert the HORIZONTAL Arca mount to change its orientation by 90 degrees. Here's a video from Leofoto explaining how the mount works. BTW I had several Qs and they

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

answered them right away! Please excuse the terrible lighting. Also the Arca slide is mine. The one that comes with it is shorter.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Any geared head is going to be better for landscape photography than any ball head. The differences are in load capacity and speed of use. The Arca-Swiss has both coarse adjustment and fine adjustment controls which saves both time and frustration in use and with the fine angle and tilt adjustment very seldom do I need to do any image correction later in Photoshop.

Once I added gimbal heads and the D4 GP heads my use of my ball heads decreased greatly. I now only use ball heads for quick and dirty astro photography. Doing more video I also added a couple of fluid heads for smoother pans than I can hope to get with a ball head.

Thank you - and I agree on the ball heads. Not my thing

OK Elsa, this is a quick review after mounting the heaviest landscape lens I have. This Leofoto mount is very sturdy for this size camera lens combination. I think a Z9 would probably do just as well. If you use an L bracket on your camera for horizontal/vertical change you will need an additional accessory to convert the HORIZONTAL Arca mount to change its orientation by 90 degrees. Here's a video from Leofoto explaining how the mount works. BTW I had several Qs and they answered them right away! Please excuse the terrible lighting. Also the Arca slide is mine. The one that comes with it is shorter.

Thank you. I was quite surprised to see how small these Leo heads are

 

[Geoff_G]

I think the answer to this question is dependent on usage. If I were shooting more landscapes and macros I'd have the Arca Swiss D4 geared head. I think it's ideal for these situations.

But it's also very pricey and it's not something I would use enough to justify it's purchase. I've used an Arca Swiss ball head since the 90's and I'm comfortable using it. But I also have 'add on's' I use with it, notably a Wimberley SIdekick and a recent re-purchase of a RRS panning head. So the ball head is my base platform: Adding the sidekick provides a nice 'gimbal' for my Z600PF; and adding the Panning head - along with a nodal rail/clamp, gives me a lot of flexibility with landscapes and pano's.

Today I'll be experimenting with the nodal rail and coming up with [position] settings for each lens (and focal length if it's a zoom) I might use with it. When I'm done I print out a chart and laminate it to the nodal rail so I have instant access to the setting I need for the lens in use.

 

[StarTracker50]

Thank you. I was quite surprised to see how small these Leo heads are

But certainly sturdy enough for my needs.

 

[Anjin San]

I am looking for a tripod head for landscapes - specifically fitting well into the category of good and light for travel, while being of proper decent. Not a once-off thingie that will frustrate the shyte of my derierre.

I am open to suggestions - but what I have been looking at is:

Leophoto geared head - G3? G4?
Leophoto levelling base
Leophoto carbon fibre tripod to match

We do not have all the brands you have in the USA, so shipping could be an issue if not locally available, but I am still willing to investigate suggestions either-way.

I don't like a ball head - so thats out. Dont even suggest that one. And I don't have $2500 for a tripod head either.

thank you - for whatever you can contribute.

I’ve been using a FlexShooter Pro as it’s a nice cross do it all but not as good as 2 dedicated heads that I’m not willing to carry. Its only real drawback is the 15 degree max elevation which won’t be enough for my Costa Rica trip in the summer…so I got a LeoFoto leveling adapter and a SmallRig lightweight video fluid head per Moose Peterson’s (I think) video recommendation…total cost about $200US and light the adapter swaps out with the bowl on my Induro legs and the head screws to that…and while neither is as ‘good’ as a gimbal…cost and size and weight along with how much tripod work I do make either of those just fine for my needs.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

I have referred back to this thread quite a bit - and checked each and every recommendation you all gave. It was very useful - thank you.
I will under no circumstances support the Leophoto agent, so that brand is off the table.

I tested the Peak Design travel tripod yesterday - damn that thing is sleek. So is the price. The inverted ball head is similar to the Smallrig - has anyone used it? (on the PD I mean)

I do understand though that my camera store is expecting a very large shipment of Smallrig gear - including Tripods -
including this one https://www.smallrig.com/smallrig-FreeRover-Carbon-Fiber-Photo-Tripod-Kit-AP-100-4353.html

I don't find a lot about it on the web in terms of reviews, although I did see some people in this thread referred to Smallrig set ups they use.
The inverted ball head setup doesn't look brilliant - but as fas as I know one can add a different head.

Any opinions on this? Alu vs carbon fiber (except for weight advantage - any reason to buy CF?)

 

[Ambler]

I owned a PD carbon for about 1 year.

Pros
Packs down really small
Integrated ball head which was a lot steadier than it looks
Extends to a reasonable height with centre column down

Cons
Heavy for its size
Flip locks (I much prefer the round knobs)
Not very sturdy when fully extended - (centre column down) This last con was the reason I sold it.
Expensive

I've owned a Gitzo Series 2 traveller CF kit for a number of years and it works well but is not high enough for me now I'm doing a lot more photography.
The Gitzo ball head works very well.

So in pursuit of a taller CF (with waterproof legs) I've landed on the Sirui Sirui W-2204 Waterproof Tripod With Built In Monopod
I'm using it with the Acratech GXp ball head.
It's not as compact as a "travel" tripod but light enough, sturdy enough and tall enough for my needs.
Price (tripod only) was £250 - the Peak Design here in the UK is £560 inc ballhead.

I have no experience of Smallrig tripods/ball heads.

The Ulanzi Zero Y is oft mentioned as an alternative to the PD. Again no experience of this.

It seems to be generally accepted that CF tripods are less prone to transmitting vibration than aluminium.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

I owned a PD carbon for about 1 year.

Pros
Packs down really small
Integrated ball head which was a lot steadier than it looks
Extends to a reasonable height with centre column down

Cons
Heavy for its size
Flip locks (I much prefer the round knobs)
Not very sturdy when fully extended - (centre column down) This last con was the reason I sold it.
Expensive

I've owned a Gitzo Series 2 traveller CF kit for a number of years and it works well but is not high enough for me now I'm doing a lot more photography.
The Gitzo ball head works very well.

So in pursuit of a taller CF (with waterproof legs) I've landed on the Sirui Sirui W-2204 Waterproof Tripod With Built In Monopod
I'm using it with the Acratech GXp ball head.
It's not as compact as a "travel" tripod but light enough, sturdy enough and tall enough for my needs.
Price (tripod only) was £250 - the Peak Design here in the UK is £560 inc ballhead.

I have no experience of Smallrig tripods/ball heads.

The Ulanzi Zero Y is oft mentioned as an alternative to the PD. Again no experience of this.

It seems to be generally accepted that CF tripods are less prone to transmitting vibration than aluminium.

Thank you - I looked at the Ulanzi - not available in South Africa. It seems like a real nice set up
Thanks also for pointing out your pros and cons.
Expensive - hell yes...

 

[Nimi]

View attachment 78270
[/QUOTE]

I have referred back to this thread quite a bit - and checked each and every recommendation you all gave. It was very useful - thank you.
I will under no circumstances support the Leophoto agent, so that

Any opinions on this? Alu vs carbon fiber (except for weight advantage - any reason to buy CF?)




View attachment 78270

Re Al vs CF, in addition to weight and vibrations, and depending if you shoot close to beach, aluminum oxidizes/corrodes. Better aluminum components have deep anodization, but that's not the case with many of the cheaper products.

Also, I have only bad experiences with SmallRig as a brand when it comes to quality and finish.

 

[BarryR]

I have referred back to this thread quite a bit - and checked each and every recommendation you all gave. It was very useful - thank you.
I will under no circumstances support the Leophoto agent, so that brand is off the table.

I have followed the thread with great interest but could not find the reference to "The Leophoto Agent"..What did I miss..?? My vote is for the Arcratech..!! Probably will be purchasing this week from Amazon, here in the U.S..

 

[Whiskeyman]

Sir Winston, for landscapes, of which I've not been doing lately, I use a Fanotec Nodal Ninja head. It allows me to set it up for nodal point optimization with many lenses and easily pan with the camera mounted in either landscape or portrait orientation. I nearly always shoot landscapes in the portrait orientation and make several overlapped exposures to stitch together on the computer. It's not always pefect, but I do enjoy the image detail and resolution I can get using stitching techniques.

(Still typing while sitting at attention!)

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

Sir Winston, for landscapes, of which I've not been doing lately, I use a Fanotec Nodal Ninja head. It allows me to set it up for nodal point optimization with many lenses and easily pan with the camera mounted in either landscape or portrait orientation. I nearly always shoot landscapes in the portrait orientation and make several overlapped exposures to stitch together on the computer. It's not always pefect, but I do enjoy the image detail and resolution I can get using stitching techniques.

(Still typing while sitting at attention!)

You may now sit down

I have followed the thread with great interest but could not find the reference to "The Leophoto Agent"..What did I miss..?? My vote is for the Arcratech..!! Probably will be purchasing this week from Amazon, here in the U.S..

I just checked - we don't get the Fanotec nor the Arcatech here - sadly

 

[BarryR]

I just checked - we don't get the Fanotec nor the Arcatech here - sadly

Well, you get to save some money then !!

 

[StarTracker50]

OK, my ARTCISE HS80C Carbon Fiber Tripod finally came in. It's a 75mm bowl top. Extremely sturdy. The top is at my eye level so perfect for shooting on odd sloping terrain. Absolutely no vibration that I can tell. One of the legs comes off, and becomes a monopod. Absolutely love it so far!

https://www.amazon.com/Monopod-Adapter-ARTCISE-Lightweight-Professional/dp/B089M36DW9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LSUJML5DHGAJ&keywords=ARTCISE+HS80C+Carbon+Fiber+Tripod&qid=1704516249&s=electronics&sprefix=artcise+hs80c+carbon+fiber+tripod%2Celectronics%2C201&sr=1-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

OK, my ARTCISE HS80C Carbon Fiber Tripod finally came in. It's a 75mm bowl top. Extremely sturdy. The top is at my eye level so perfect for shooting on odd sloping terrain. Absolutely no vibration that I can tell. One of the legs comes off, and becomes a monopod. Absolutely love it so far!

https://www.amazon.com/Monopod-Adapter-ARTCISE-Lightweight-Professional/dp/B089M36DW9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LSUJML5DHGAJ&keywords=ARTCISE+HS80C+Carbon+Fiber+Tripod&qid=1704516249&s=electronics&sprefix=artcise+hs80c+carbon+fiber+tripod%2Celectronics%2C201&sr=1-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18630bbb-fcbb-42f8-9767-857e17e03685

it looks good - high rating as well !

 

[StarTracker50]

I will under no circumstances support the Leophoto agent

How come? Did I miss something?

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

How come? Did I miss something?

Personal choice.

 

[wotan1]

With all tripods and heads there are two main issues in addition to ease of use, stability and durability.

I am not sure any of us would be able to tell the difference in stability without running precise comparison tests. Similarly, durability requires testing over time.

I prefer to stick with the known quality brands when it comes to tripods. I prefer Gitzo, Really Right Stuff and Kirk.