Fluid head ON TOP of ball head?

[schmidty3]

So ive got a hunch that this unholy amalgamation would make for a sweet NRL type tripod setup.

Set the tripod up. Level with the ball head, then i can pan on the fluid head for the ultimate in smooth and stable glassing/ranging setup.

Its violently excessive and heavy ASF. But for match use it would be slick.

So ive got the leofoto setup. the ball head and the quick lock arca are fairly nice to use. I also have a manfrotto 500.

My ultimate setup is the flat base of the manfrotto tying into the ball head, then the quick lock arca on top of the manfrotto.

Anyone do anything like this? I cant seem to piece together a way to adapt all this together. Ive found some adapter bridges to make the top of the manfrotto arca adaptable.

 

[cafemike]

Tricer has something similar to what you are looking at 14.6 oz

Tricer-DZ

Have you seen Deez? The Tricer-DZ is the first Panhead of its kind, combining a fluid head and a ball head. There is nothing like it. As smooth as butter with the ability to fully articulate, the Tricer-DZ does it all.

tricer.com

 

[alexnelon]

This setup would be slower than Christmas. Almost nobody uses tripod heads in NRL to start with because a bag is just as good and 10 times faster. Using two tripod heads stacked on top of each other is just ridiculous.

 

[T_Widdy]

This setup would be slower than Christmas. Almost nobody uses tripod heads in NRL to start with because a bag is just as good and 10 times faster. Using two tripod heads stacked on top of each other is just ridiculous.

That is close to the exact setup Rusty Ulmer uses…..

 

[doc holiday13]

If you plan to use the same tripod for shooting and glassing, just use a ballhead. there is some benefit to a fluid head but with a ballhead, you can just set your ball tension and free spin. i never felt like i needed a fluid head after 5 days being stuck behind my binos

 

[BasicUtahrd95]

I've never shot a competition, but for the past few months I have been shooting off of the Aziak Ridgeline tripod with the integrated ballhead. It has been awesome to shoot off of, but the ballhead is terrible for glassing. To fix that, I screwed a small arca plate to the bottom of a Tricer LP panhead and attached that to the ballhead. The whole system weighs 25oz and works great for shooting and glassing.

 

[schmidty3]

That is close to the exact setup Rusty Ulmer uses…..

I may have caught that at my last shoot . I was thinking loosely about it. Then I saw him do it and it reaffirmed my thoughts on it.

 

[T_Widdy]

I may have caught that at my last shoot . I was thinking loosely about it. Then I saw him do it and it reaffirmed my thoughts on it.

I have thought about trying it to maybe help the sometimes 1 or 2 stages I can’t find a target. It might help slow down and smooth out looking for hard to find targets, I have been pretty happy glassing off a flat bag that’s hooked to a tac table. Try it out and see. Just put a square arca on the bottom of the manfrotto and clip the whole setup into your tripod ball head

 

[schmidty3]

This setup would be slower than Christmas. Almost nobody uses tripod heads in NRL to start with because a bag is just as good and 10 times faster. Using two tripod heads stacked on top of each other is just ridiculous.

"Just as good"

Ive seen arguments for and against on shooting locked in or with a bag.

I contend it would be no slower then any other method and I will be glassing in less then 30 seconds everytime. its really no different in deployment then just a ballhead. This just gives you the ability to re-level if you place your tripod in an uneven situation. And that manfrotto is the smoothest viewing experience I've ever had, and being able to pan without fidgeting with a lever lock is nice. Ive been fine with finding the targets just using my pack as a rest. But depending on the match, the ranging was the hardest part. There were many in amarillo where I wished I could've locked my rangefinder down, that extra second would've saved many.

 

[schmidty3]

I have thought about trying it to maybe help the sometimes 1 or 2 stages I can’t find a target. It might help slow down and smooth out looking for hard to find targets, I have been pretty happy glassing off a flat bag that’s hooked to a tac table. Try it out and see. Just put a square arca on the bottom of the manfrotto and clip the whole setup into your tripod ball head

That's the rub. I could cobble together a doubled arca system. I was hoping to cut out that middle arca, and to use it on the manfrotto. But that may he the direction I have to go.

To me it's more about accurate ranging. At the last shoot there were some that were very difficult and I wasted too much time reshooting trying to get a good range.

 

[schmidty3]

I've never shot a competition, but for the past few months I have been shooting off of the Aziak Ridgeline tripod with the integrated ballhead. It has been awesome to shoot off of, but the ballhead is terrible for glassing. To fix that, I screwed a small arca plate to the bottom of a Tricer LP panhead and attached that to the ballhead. The whole system weighs 25oz and works great for shooting and glassing.

Nothing wrong with that setup im sure. Ive got a lightweight tripod and a tricer fluid head. But it just isn't up the to task. Last shoot I had to take a 600 yard standing shot on 2 bobcats. The beefy tripod was nice for that.

 

[steelheadmike]

Yes, I have done it. I have a ARCA ball head on a Sirui tripod. I put an arca plate on the bottom of a VA-5 head (I found one on Amazon with a 3/16 bolt) and lock it into the ball head. Works miles better than just the ball head for glassing but the whole setup is pretty dang heavy to packing around. I could definitely see it having some uses where weight is less of an issue.

The other downside was that for heavy glassing having a center post is real nice. My shooting tripod doesn't have this.

 

[schmidty3]

Yes, I have done it. I have a ARCA ball head on a Sirui tripod. I put an arca plate on the bottom of a VA-5 head (I found one on Amazon with a 3/16 bolt) and lock it into the ball head. Works miles better than just the ball head for glassing but the whole setup is pretty dang heavy to packing around. I could definitely see it having some uses where weight is less of an issue.

The other downside was that for heavy glassing having a center post is real nice. My shooting tripod doesn't have this.

yeah, its mainly a competition setup. Maybe short distance hunts. But it would make for a 10#+ tripod.

 

[T_Widdy]

To me it's more about accurate ranging. At the last shoot there were some that were very difficult and I wasted too much time reshooting trying to get a good range.

My Revic binos have saved me a few times with this problem I think, the laser works extremely well. But the pan head would probably help.

 

[alexnelon]

That is close to the exact setup Rusty Ulmer uses…..

Rusty is using that setup because his hands aren’t as steady as they used to be and he struggles with handholding binos, not because it’s something everyone should do.

Just because someone who is really good does it, doesn’t mean it will make you better too.

 

[schmidty3]

My Revic binos have saved me a few times with this problem I think, the laser works extremely well. But the pan head would probably help.

i was running the BR4. just got in my leicas. I'll be at the nrl hunter games on saturday east of dallas to try out the leica's.

The BR4 works great, just hard to hold her steady. Thinking about stage 18 at amarillo i think. That antelope bobcat combo shouldve been straightforward. But it ate everyones lunch. im not sure if anyone cleaned it. And i timed out. Mainly on just feeling good about the ranges i was getting back.

 

[schmidty3]

Rusty is using that setup because his hands aren’t as steady as they used to be and he struggles with handholding binos, not because it’s something everyone should do.

Just because someone who is really good does it, doesn’t mean it will make you better too.

It wont make me worse! Is being steady a bad thing? the precedent is established that at best, you could be one of the best shooters/competitors around with that combo. Whats the at worst? literally no downside other than having to carry a few extra pounds. My kifaru will absorb that extra weight without flinching and so will I. if it doesnt work, then i just rip the manfrotto off and go on.

Its ok to try new things. If there was only one way to do everything then the world would be a boring place. I'm probably going to try it and see how it works. I've done enough of these things to see that the proposed combo has merit in theory. And i have both and ive got enough time on each individually to see them coming together nicely.

 

[T_Widdy]

Rusty is using that setup because his hands aren’t as steady as they used to be and he struggles with handholding binos, not because it’s something everyone should do.

Just because someone who is really good does it, doesn’t mean it will make you better too.

I was just saying that a guy who finishes top 10 usually doesn’t have a problem with it being slower than Christmas.

 

[schmidty3]

I was just saying that a guy who finishes top 10 usually doesn’t have a problem with it being slower than Christmas.

And the dude can shoot. I think he usually finishes closer to the top 5! Maybe i need shakier hands too?

I just cant see how it would add any significant time to the process.

Its on. you run up. Deploy. (you could even leave your binos hooked on). Level (if needed). and start scanning. The pan is smooth, may gain time there over a ball head. But definitely gain time on getting a steadier range.

On the harder stages where timing out is in play...for me, the biggest single use/waste of time is finding the targets. And the second was getting a good range. The 2 seconds wasted leveling my fluid head would be more than made up by getting a super steady range.

 

[T_Widdy]

And the dude can shoot. I think he usually finishes closer to the top 5!

I just cant see how it would add any significant time to the process.

Its on. you run up. Deploy. (you could even leave your binos hooked on). Level (if needed). and start scanning. The pan is smooth, may gain time there over a ball head. But definitely gain time on getting a steadier range.

On the harder stages where timing out is in play...for me, the biggest single use/waste of time is finding the targets. And the second was getting a good range. The 2 seconds wasted leveling my fluid head would be more than made up by getting a super steady range.

I agree, try it and let us know! You might find your new binos off a bag will be a big improvement also.