Head for 500 f/4
 

Sorry for the really basic question, but what's the deal with fluid heads and long lenses? Currently I have a Manfrotto 501 fluid head on a Manfrotto 055 NAT III tripod. The tripod is OK, not great just OK, but I'll replace it with a carbon one before too long. I bought the 501 head for digiscoping, but these days I'm using 20Ds, a 100-400, and thte 500 f/4 arrived 20 minutes ago. (Joy!)

Is there any reason not to keep on using the 501? It's a video head, designed to pan and tilt smoothly any way you like, but I screw the tension right up so that it is hard to push against but stays exactly where I point it, and it has coped with the 80mm scope + digicam no worries. (Size and weight around the same as a 100-400 and 20D, but *much* more zoom, in the 2000-3000mm range.)

I have never used any other type of head. Ball heads look so frail and cumbersome, and I don't like the thought of constantly having to screw up and release the tension every time I want to adjust something. The Wimberly looks nice and solid, but it too seems like it would be a pain to use.

So how do these compare to a good fluid head? Do I need to upgrade? If so, what to?

I use the 501 with my Sigma 500 f4.5 and am very happy with it, it's not quite so big and heavy as the Canon 500 f4, but is still a big lens. I did look at other heads but went for the 501 as it was a familiar style, having used video heads for many years. I also wanted a head that I'd be happy to use with either the camera or my scope - while I'd be happy to use the camera on a ball head I like to have a pan handle when using the scope.

I'm sure the 501 will be fine (I've seen people using this head with the Canon 500 f4) and it's certainly worth giving it a go as you already have it. That said, if I could afford a Wimberly I'm sure I'd change to one.

I've used my 600/4 on the 501 without a problem... but I still think you would love a gimbal type head, something like the Manfrotto 393 is very affordable and not in the least bit complicated (it's lighter in weight than the 501 by over a 1lb).

I would be surprised if you ever wished to go back to a standard head for long lens use after using the 393.

I'd maybe consider a Gitzo legset though ... the legs on the 055 can warp/twist a bit with a heavy load, I don't think there's any danger as such, but it makes you wonder at times.
cheers,
Andy

I keep hearing very good things about this head, and at £99 it seems to be a bit of a bargain. The only problem I've had is that I can't find anyone who has it in stock and I'd really like to see it in action before splashing out on one...

Can't your mate at Cleyspy have a friendly word with Mark at Manfrotto? Although I've made big strides in getting this hidden gem of the Manfrotto line-up into more widespread use, it could always do with more presence.

I've used the Manfrotto 128RC fluid head with various combinations of lens, converter etc., for years. It's usually steady as a rock, even with a Nikkor 500 f4 AFS + 1.4 converter it is fluid smooth and you can set it so that it stays put until you need to move it yourself. It has a solid metal quick release platform with a secondary locking catch. It's not very expensive at £59 either!

nirofo.

Hi,
For whats it's worth,we have both 501 and 393 and this is our opinion of them for the use you have suggested.
501 = Solid and well made, heavy.Ideal for digiscoping and we have used it with a 500mm (prime) lens with 1.4x/2x TC and heavy pro DSLRs.We found it ideal for STATIC type shots of birds ie in branches/trees but very slow for birds in flight.We found that we could not pan fast enought for fast flying birds, crows and gulls no problems, anything faster we found the damping effect of the head was too "sticky".We think that this is not a fault of the head but more that we were trying to use it for something it was not really designed for.The other concern we had was that we could not balance our kit, ie if we tightened it then we could not just grab it and pan or tilt without loosen the various locking/tightening controls.I hasten to add that we used the standard plate and that the elongated plate MAY have given better balance.
393 = This is, as already stated a gimbal style head, cheap and works as is, ie you don't need extra plates for each different big lens you own, and is about 1/3 to 1/4 of the price of the other big two.It consists in very simple terms of two "U" brackets.The big one fits on your leg set for the panning action; and the other bracket "hangs" within the outer brkt by two adjustable turn screws to give tilt.The tilt bracket also has has 3 height settings ( your choice).
If you are into birds in flight you will not find better for the money, not only is it very quick with (in our case 500mm lens +TCs+Pro dslr), but much more importantly in our case, PERFECT balance ie you can leave the set up as you last left it, once you have initially set up your balance point for your camera/lens combo.For the money, £100, you won't find anything better!There is a v.good/fuller review on ? (Andy Bright/Birdforum??)The only slight problem you may encounter is that that the LH side pieces of the brackets MAY impede your access to various controls of your lens, or of a particular make/size of lens.We are going to modify ours, by cutting off 45mm ish from the inner bracket (LH side only), and then use the centre set of holes for the pivot point.We believe this will give much greater access to the LH side of the lens (where most of the controls are).We have also made an "L" shaped ally flash bracket 200mm long x 70mm , (cost about £3) which utilises the two spare holes on the RH side of the inner bracket. This allows the flash + flash extender to point/follow the same direction/angle that you point the lens.
Hope some of this is of use.
Regards Subzero.

A big thankyou gentlemen, that's exactly what I needed to know. Looks like my plan, then, is to use the gear I already have for the time being, with a view to replacing the 055 NAT with a stiffer carbon tripod reasonably soon. (As Andy says, the way the legs on the 055 wobble is a little alarming. It's OK, but I think something stronger would be good. Manfrotto if I can find something suitable - because I like the handling - but that's a question for another thread.)

I'll carry on with the 501.

Damn! There is a well-documented bug in Firefox where it switches over to putting everything you type into the search box, and it just nailed me. Again! Hence cutting off half-way through my post just now. Agggh. (I generally avoid the Fox because IMO Opera and Mozilla both are better, so I should know better.)

Back to the topic, if my crippled browser will let me continue. I have never seen a Manfrotto 393 and the only really practical way I could lay my hands on one for testing would be to buy one and hope it suits. (That is, after all, the way I bought the ATS80HD and the 501 - good advice from you guys followed by a stab in the dark with a loaded credit card.) So I guess I will stick with the 501 for a little while and see how I go.

PS: Congratulations to WPF. I asked the exact same question (via cut n paste) over at another forum - a very gear-oriented one, no prizes for guessing where - and got not a fraction of the useful information provided here. You guys are the best!

Hi Tannin

If the legs on your 055 wobble then there's something wrong with it, I use mine with a 128RC Fluid head, Nikkor 500 f4 + 1.4 converter. No wobble unless I cause it myself!

nirofo.