Whats your favorite type of Head?

[480sparky]

I've given consideration to a gripped ball head, but I much prefer the precision a 3-way gives me. I can see it's uses (such as shooting flowers), but I don't see it as an option for shooting panos or landscapes.

Grab hold of it, and you lose your 'aim' on all 3 axes.

 

[Big Mike]

As mentioned, it's all about the task at hand, and what you are most comfortable with.

I've been researching top end tripods and heads a lot lately. And it seems that whether you want a ball head, 3-way, pan & tilt, Gimbal etc....there is a big difference between the low end the middle quality stuff and the really good equipment.

Something that I've learned recently, is how useful a leveling base can be. Especially if you're into shooting panoramic images. For example, if you are going for high quality panos, you will want the tripod head to be as level as possible. Not just the camera, but the head. So if you are out in the wilderness, you're unlikely to be on even terrain, so getting the top of the tripod level would mean a lot of fiddling with the legs. But with a leveling base, you have 10-15 degrees of movement to allow for leveling the head.

Then you might want an L-bracket. For shooting panos, it's best to turn the camera to portrait/vertical orientation. But if you do that with most heads, you loose some adjustability and the camera would no longer be near the centre of rotation and it would also be less stable. But with an L-bracket, you can mount the camera to the head, pretty close to the nodal point.

There are specific 'pano' heads. They will have a rotation movement that is separate from the ball part of the head and maybe have markings so you can turn a specific amount each time. They may also have x & y position adjustment so that you can locate your camera's nodal point of the center of rotation on the head. You could also use a focus rail or even a sliding QR plate to do that though.

And of course, you will want to have a good quality head (if you can afford it). For example, many of the tripods/heads that I've used over the years...just weren't all that great. The QR plates has a little bit of movement. The head's movements don't tighten right down, so that when I take my hands off, it sags just a little...making it hard to get just the right framing. A good head should not allow any movement. But a good quality ball head is likely going to cost you $250-$500.

 

[Joey_Ricard]

Manfrotto ballhead

 

[480sparky]

...........Then you might want an L-bracket. For shooting panos, it's best to turn the camera to portrait/vertical orientation. But if you do that with most heads, you loose some adjustability and the camera would no longer be near the centre of rotation and it would also be less stable. But with an L-bracket, you can mount the camera to the head, pretty close to the nodal point. .........

I have no issues shooting panos with my ordinary 3-way head, even shooting in portrait orientation with a 10mm. Not sure if it would become a problem if I tried to do a spherical pano, though. But that's not my thing.

Heck, I stitch panos with a bunch of hand-held shots, as well as on a 24' painters' pole and/or my 50 mast system:

 

[Big Mike]

I have no issues shooting panos with my ordinary 3-way head, even shooting in portrait orientation with a 10mm. Not sure if it would become a problem if I tried to do a spherical pano, though. But that's not my thing.

Heck, I stitch panos with a bunch of hand-held shots, as well as on a 24' painters' pole and/or my 50 mast system:

Good point. It's certainly not always critical that you have special gear and a perfectly still & level support. I've been 'hanging out' among some hard core landscape photographers and there tends to be a bit of gear elitism.

Heck, there are point & shoot digi-cams that will create a pano, all you have to do is hold the button and turn your body.

One situation where it does become more critical to level the camera and attempt to rotate around the nodal point, is when you have a rather close element to your shot. So if it's a landscape with a big rock or log in the immediate foreground, you might run into problems when trying to stitch.

I have several attempted panos that just don't want to stitch nicely. I don't know exactly why (yet).

 

[480sparky]

I have several attempted panos that just don't want to stitch nicely. I don't know exactly why (yet).

Post a sample of one.

 

[Big Mike]

I'd have to dig it up on my home computer...and I don't have any free time once I get home. One of these days maybe...

 

[PictureBox]

So ultimatley heads are like lenses in the sense you need them for different situations...

 

[Big Mike]

So ultimatley heads are like EVERYTHING ELSE in the sense you need them for different situations...

Fixed that for you

 

[PictureBox]

So ultimatley heads are like EVERYTHING ELSE in the sense you need them for different situations...

Fixed that for you

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[Ron Evers]

I have both, the three-way has a set of 2 way focusing rails on it for macro work & a "L" bracket option for pano.