Tripod head weight limits?

[NancyMoranG]

Just ordered my first good tripod, Manfrotto 055 Cx3. I saw that weight capacity as @ 17 lbs or such. Now trying to research heads, it has weight limits that are much less. How do I know what to buy?
Currently Nikon D7000 and nothing heavier than 55-300 currently. Someday I may get 150-600 but not much else on my horizon.

thanks,
Nancy

 

[D-B-J]

The rule of thumb is atleast double your heaviest combo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tirediron]

^^That^^

 

[Aloicious]

yup, at least 2x, same for the legs (except remember that the legs also hold up the tripod head, so that should have been included in your calculations for that), but you'll likely be okay. with those legs, assuming a tripod head that weights ~1lb, would put your heaviest setup max (body/lens/TC/etc) at around 7.5-8lbs...your d7000 + a future 150-600 weighs about 2700g or roughly 6 lbs, so you should be just fine, even if you get a slightly heavier tripod head.

 

[KmH]

At least 2x, but 3x is best.

Don't forget any weight you hang on a tripod weight hook to add stability to the legs in wind.
Weight hung on the tripod weight hook doesn't effect the head weight capacity, but for some types of shots a weight bag is placed on top of the camera which does effect the head.

 

[Aloicious]

yup, also with long lenses, resting your hand on top of the lens also contributes to head and leg weight limits too. variables and other things like this are one reason it's usually recommended to get the best weight capacity legs and head you can get right off the bat instead of slowly working your way up the stability ladder...here's one such article on the subject Tripods and Ball Heads by Thom Hogan