Outdoorsman Panhead vs Gitzo G2128 Fluid Panhead

[parshal]

I received my Swarovski STX and figured I'd better put a good set of legs and head under it to realize the full potential. I ordered an Outdoorsman after all the glowing reviews and also decided to try another fluid head. Most of the fluid heads have a lot of heft to them so I ordered a Gitzo G2128 fluid head that's made for birding. The first thing I noticed when receiving them both (on the same day) was that the Outdoorsman was easier to manipulate by hand while the Gitzo was not. The high temperature for the day was 5 so both were frozen solid. I chalk that up to the fluid in the Gitzo. I wasn't able to put them on a tripod to get a full test but cold will definitely affect the Gitzo more although I don't expect it to negatively affect to being unusable.

The neat things about the Gitzo is a counterweight system which allows you to compensate for a front or rear heavy objective. It allows you to set it up quite quickly and easily. You don't have to manipulate the friction of the knobs as much to keep the scope from moving. Also, the pan and tilt knobs are right on tops of each other for one-handed manipulation. The quick shoe connector has both a button and a screw so there are two steps to keep the scope in place. If you don't tighten the screw enough it will not all out. Pretty nice peace of mind. It's got a nice cap screw if you choose not to use the handle. Also, the head is nice and fluid so the handle really isn't necessary at all. The head can support 8.8 lbs.

I found the Outdoorsman to be incredibly smooth as everyone has raved about. There were no issues whatsoever in either pan or tilt. I did have to tighten the levers fairly tight to compensate for the long eyepiece on the STX to keep it from moving up or down. I also found there was a little more "jitter" once you stopped the movement before it settled. It's was very little and would make no difference when scoping for animals but it was there compared to the Gitzo.

On my postal scale, the Outdoorsman weighed 12.0 oz. with the quick change shoe and 3/8" to 1/4" thread adapter. That included the handle.

The Gitzo G2128 weighed 17.2 oz with the standard size quick change shoe. The handle weighed an additional 2.7 oz. I bought a medium size shoe which gives me the ability to further compensate for the eyepiece weight. That shoe weighs 1 oz. more. I will play around with both shoes to see if there's a large difference or not when using the counterbalance. The medium shoe is in the pictures.

The bottom line. The Gitzo weighs about 6 oz. more (with the medium plate) than the Outdoorsman. It's a fluid head with easy one-handed operation of pan and tilt. I felt the Gitzo was a little more consistent in it's operation. That along with the counterbalance system makes this one nice panhead.

The Gitzo was $259.88 on Amazon with Prime shipping. The medium plate was $44.88 with Prime. That's pretty darned expensive for what you get, I'll tell you that. I paid $418.94 for the Outdoorsman, shipped, with two quick change plates. The Outdoorsman is $114.18 more than the Gitzo with the medium plate. Use the standard plate and it's $159.06 more to save 5 oz.

Once I get the new tripod legs I'll set it up and do some real testing and report back if I find anything drastically different.

Pictures of the Gitzo without the handle attached.

 

[boom]

nice write-up.

you got some serious firepower there!

 

[Stid2677]

I have a new ATX 95mm and I'm going to try a DH 101 tripod head (no plate required with Swaro scopes) on my Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. I have come to realize that dampening makes a huge difference when it comes to using my spotters. My carbon fiber tripods dampen much better than mu aluminum ones.

This is a good piece on heads and tripods,, those birders know spotters.

http://www.surfbirds.com/community-...th-a-review-of-lightweight-tripods-and-heads/

 

[parshal]

Good find there Stid. I haven't seen the issues with tightening the Gitzo head to move the scope as he describes in his article. That was written in 2007 and I think there's been an update or two to the Gitzo head. Regardless, I ordered the DH 101 and will test it side by side myself. A few reviews of that head say that there have been some improvements.

Oh, I'll be running this on Gitzo 2531 legs. A little heavier than most here like but most of my use will not be long packing trips. I went with the 2 series for the extra stability and chose the three section legs over the four for stability as well. Most say, however, that with the Gitzo legs the 4 vs 3 leg sections make little to no difference in stability.

 

[Stid2677]

Good find there Stid. I haven't seen the issues with tightening the Gitzo head to move the scope as he describes in his article. That was written in 2007 and I think there's been an update or two to the Gitzo head. Regardless, I ordered the DH 101 and will test it side by side myself. A few reviews of that head say that there have been some improvements.

Oh, I'll be running this on Gitzo 2531 legs. A little heavier than most here like but most of my use will not be long packing trips. I went with the 2 series for the extra stability and chose the three section legs over the four for stability as well. Most say, however, that with the Gitzo legs the 4 vs 3 leg sections make little to no difference in stability.

Please share how it works, I have not yet ordered one and will be eager to see how it works for you. As I'm sure you know, without a good tripod and head even the best spotter doesn't work very well.

 

[parshal]

Stid, take a look at this thread where a guy from Swarovski responds about the updated DH head over the FH in the previous review. Completely redesigned. Even nicer.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1838381#post1838381

 

[parshal]

Please share how it works, I have not yet ordered one and will be eager to see how it works for you. As I'm sure you know, without a good tripod and head even the best spotter doesn't work very well.

I found this on youtube. It looks pretty slick if you ask me. Watching that and then realizing how I fiddled a bit with the G2128 to get the balance just right makes me think the DH 101 is a wonderfully designed head. Of course, you gotta pay for the name and it's the same cost (at most all sites except Bear Basin) as the Outdoorsman which is a bulletproof head. No plastic, well engineered and strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68DAPjTPD8M

 

[Stid2677]

Stid, take a look at this thread where a guy from Swarovski responds about the updated DH head over the FH in the previous review. Completely redesigned. Even nicer.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1838381#post1838381

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[parshal]

I have a new ATX 95mm and I'm going to try a DH 101 tripod head (no plate required with Swaro scopes) on my Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. I have come to realize that dampening makes a huge difference when it comes to using my spotters. My carbon fiber tripods dampen much better than mu aluminum ones.

Which model Gitzo legs are you using? I've got full size G2531's on order and was looking at the GT1542T's which are nearly a pound lighter an 9" shorter when collapsed. The overall height difference is 13" but I'm going to go with an angled scope and don't know that I need the extra height. The extra legs on the tripod as well as the lighter overall capacity of the 1542's makes me wonder what the real world difference is in stability between these two for a 4# scope. I'll keep searching the birding forums but thought I'd ask since you said you have Gitzo carbon legs. I'll just have to get both sets and see for myself!

 

[Stid2677]

Which model Gitzo legs are you using? I've got full size G2531's on order and was looking at the GT1542T's which are nearly a pound lighter an 9" shorter when collapsed. The overall height difference is 13" but I'm going to go with an angled scope and don't know that I need the extra height. The extra legs on the tripod as well as the lighter overall capacity of the 1542's makes me wonder what the real world difference is in stability between these two for a 4# scope. I'll keep searching the birding forums but thought I'd ask since you said you have Gitzo carbon legs. I'll just have to get both sets and see for myself!

Not sure of the model number, it is an older one as I have been using it for several years. I don't have access to it right now, but here are a few photos.

 

[parshal]

How tall is it when fully extended? About how much does it weigh?

What are you skinning there?

 

[Stid2677]

It weighs 2 lbs 1 oz with the with Manfrotto head model 492.

Not sure of the exact height, but I can stand and use it with bending over.

I'm shaking the toes out of the Grizzly my Son and I had to kill on a sheep a couple years ago. The feet have to be removed at the tip of the bones were the claws attach. The tripod works great for this because you use the weight of the hide helps pull the hide.

 

[parshal]

I'm sure there's a story there for sure!

Does that 2 lbs. 1 oz. tripod support the 85mm ATX well? That's a bit lighter than the legs I've got coming.

 

[Stid2677]

I have used it with a Zeiss 85mm, but I have not used it with the 95mm Swaro I just got it the other day. Will have some time on it for spring bear. I use the hook on the center pole to suspend a bag with rocks in it to add stability.

The story on the bear can be read in the youth forum thread is called,, "Not easy being a Father's Son"

 

[parshal]

I received the Swarovski DH-101. It weighs 17.7 oz. so it's pretty close to the Gitzo head (which weighed 17.5 oz. without the arm just after I weighed the DH-101). I like the locking function of the Swarovski for sure. However, the Gitzo head is smoother and easy to work without an arm. The pan function of the Swarovski definitely doesn't feel fluid. I like being able to use no quick plate with the Swarovski and it also has a level bubble which the Gitzo does not. With the counterweight function on the Gitzo I'm able to get a perfect balance with the ATX scope even when looking up at the sky. With the DH-101 I've got to really tighten down the tilt function or the scope will gain speed falling backward as I start looking up.

I've got more playing to do but I wanted to give a quick report in case anyone is following this.

Incidentially, the ATX with 85mm objective works quite well with a Gitzo GT1524T tripod. It would be perfect for packing but I'd want something a bit more stable if I didn't have to pack it. The stability difference between that and the Slik Sprint Mini II is night and day different.

 

[dirtytough]

I have been using the outdoorsman panhead and a gitzo tripod for years. Really nice combination.

 

[Stid2677]

Any updates yet? I need to get a head soon and you have 2 of the ones I'm considering. Thanks

 

[parshal]

I can report on what I've done so far. I tried a couple other heads, too. I tried the Gitzo 2720QR and the 2380. The 2380 is way too big for my tastes even on a dedicated tripod for near the truck. I knew it was big but had to try it. Way too big to even consider.

The Swaro DH101. The pros:

1) If you've got a Swaro scope no QR plate is necessary.
2) It's light (17 oz. or so).
3) The scope attaches from the top with a solid click. There's no sliding of the scope forward or backward to get it in place.
4) The scope removes quickly with a lever that has little motion.
5) It's got separate locks for pan and tilt.

The cons:

1) While the pan is very smooth and can be set with little resistance it makes a little noise. It's not loud enough to hear outside but it's there and has a "plasticky" feel to it.
2) The head is made almost entirely of plastic. It's durable but it's plastic.
3) The movements are smooth but it's not a fluid head.
4) If you're using it to digiscope and you set the tilt lock the view will move slightly which will affect your pictures at higher magnification.
5) I had to set the friction on the tilt pretty tight to keep the scope from tilting backward on it's own at about 25-30 degrees. If your scoping uphill with a little tripod you'll have to hold the tripod if you've got a larger scope like mine. If you've got a 65mm or smaller scope it may not affect you as much. (I'll be using my setup at the house to look at stars and planets so this is a bigger deal for me than most others).

Gitzo 2180 pros (summarizing my earlier post):

1) Relatively light (comparable to DH101).
2) True fluid motion.
3) Has weight compensation built in so you can adjust for a perfect balance based on scope.

Cons:

1) Requires a QR plate with most scopes.
2) Two knobs to control pan/tilt friction and lock (can also be a positive).

Gitzo 2720QR pros:

1) Smooth operation and a true fluid head.
2) One knob for both pan and tilt.
3) Balances my Swaro 85mm ATX perfectly when set with little to no tilt friction. I can even move the scope up to look at stars and not have it flop back unless I go beyond 45 degrees. A slight turn of the knob and it stays. At this setting it's still more "free" than the DH101.

Cons:

1) Weight. 1# 8.2 oz. with the long QR plate (2 oz. by itself) and handle.

After using the 2720 for a short time I decided I was going to need to have two tripod setups. I'm going to keep the 2720 and a Gitzo series 2 carbon tripod for use at the house and from the truck. I got the Sirui T-025x tripod and will keep the 2180 for use on it if I'm looking for a compact setup. Using the Gitzo heads on both tripods means I won't have to remove the QR plate when I want to change tripods. I can put the smaller plate from the 2180 on my Swaro bino adapter and not have to change anything around.

I did try both a Gitzo 1542T and 0541 tripod. Both tripod are very solid but very expensive. They provide a more solid plate for the tripod head than the Sirui but they cost twice as much and weigh more. The Sirui also compacts down smaller. When I tried both the Swaro and 2720 heads on the Sirui tripod (with the center column removed) I get vibration any time I touch the scope. But, it settles down in 1.5 seconds which is very acceptable for such a light, compact tripod with a heavy scope and head. The smaller Gitzos might have vibration for less time but we're talking less than 2 seconds here.

If I were looking for a single head and tripod for packing I'd use the Outdoorsman head and the Sirui. I wouldn't be worried about having different QR plates on different setups and I wouldn't be as concerned about the individual controls for pan/tilt on the Outdoorsman. All the reviews on the Outdoorsman are spot on. It's the nicest lightweight, compact head out there.

 

[Stid2677]

Thanks,, for a great review!!!

 

[Tony Trietch]

Thanks Parshal. I am looking at a new set up now and your review was grwat