I need a tripod head!

[stanton3]

My current pistol grip head isn't cutting it anymore. The lens I use in a Tamron 200-500 mounted on a canon 20D and a 1D mark 2. I would love to have a Wimberly, but I can't justify dropping 500+ for a head. I've pretty much narrowed it down to a three way or a cheaper gimbal. This is the front runner for now. Standard 3-Way Head 808RC4 - Three Way | Manfrotto

I would love to keep it at or under $200 and I mainly shoot birds.

Thoughts?

Edit: The more I think about it, the more it seems like trying to adjust 3 knobs all the time for fast moving birds would get old. So I guess I am in the market for a gimbal.

 

[SCraig]

I stopped using 3-way heads long ago. I went to ball heads and have never looked back and have never regretted that choice. The handles were always in my way, I was continually bumping into them, and they were just more trouble than they were worth. You may well disagree, but I won't have one again.

I'm presently using a Manfrotto 054 head and it holds my Sigma 150-500 on a D7000 just fine.

 

[shefjr]

[h=1]I bought the, Giottos MH1300-657 Professional Calibrated Ball Head with MH657 Quick Release a month ago. It has been great for me. I try and photograph birds as well. I have no complaints yet except for maybe it being kind of heavy.
[/h]

 

[KmH]

Why are you shouting?

 

[shefjr]

CUZ I BELIEVE IN IT THAT MUCH!!!!!!

jk, I actually copied off amazon.com the exact info and it used that font for everything that I then typed. I'll try and keep the yelling down today.

 

[unpopular]

mwahahahahahahaaa

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAJESTIC-HEAVY-DUTY-GEAR-CAMERA-HEAD-MODEL-1200-/230809714385?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35bd54bed1

 

[Overread]

It really depends how much you want to spend as to what head to get.

Personally I agree that pistol and 3 way heads can be a very big pain to use for certain kinds of photography and long lens action photography is one of those areas. 3way are great for slower subjects where you want control and not speed of fluid motion - which is where ballhead and gimbal heads into their own.


Personally I would suggest looking at the following options:
1) Manfrotto 393 (please note that the general way most people use this is with the smaller section cradled in teh bigger instead of supported right over the top as shown in most of this items product shots).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCMfaazzvgA

2) Acratech GV2 Head (you will also need a quick release plate for your lens) - ballhead which also lets you swing the arm into the side and then, if used with a lens with a tripod collar, provides a mock gimbal setup. Great way to get a small sized and yet strong ballhead and a gimbal setup in one go.

 

[Buckster]

I have a few different tripods and several heads, so that I can use the right tool for the job. For general shooting, like landscapes and that sort of thing, I like my ball heads. For macros and most studio stuff, I like geared heads and focusing rails. For birds and other critters that tend to move unpredictably, I like my gimbals.

From there, it's just a matter of budget.