Tripod head

[Broken Compass]

Last fall I upgraded my spotting scope system. A Swarovski 80mm spotting scope, the carbon promaster tripod and the manfrotto befree pan head.
Well the head I bought just isn’t cutting it. It won’t hold the scope at high angles no matter how tight I tighten the pressure screw. Also the handle always seems to be in the way as it only adjusts about 80 degrees and doesn’t have a bend in it.
The ball head that came with the tripod seems nice but for some reason I thought it was against the rules to run a spotter on a ball head? Is anyone having good luck with a ball head/ big spotter combo?
Would like to keep it lightweight. wondering if the benro will be sufficient or is it comparable to the befree
Any other awesome heads out there? Outdoorsmans worth the weight/price on that tripod?


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[LaHunter]

Give the guys at Cameraland a call and ask them about the Suiri VA-5 pan head. It may be a little more expensive than other heads, but it is a very good / high quality head. Tell them you are a RS member and they will give you a discount.

Good luck

 

[Napperm4]

Hmmmm. I wasn’t aware there were rules on pan vs ball heads hahaha. Luckily I haven’t been brought up on charges yet and the animals I’ve found didn’t seem to care what I was mounting my optics to.

Seriously though I’ve always liked the light weight / compactness of a ballhead myself. As long as it has a good, separate pan function I’ve been very happy to glass / digiscope with them. I’m currently even just using a low end one that came on the vortex summit ss with an added panning plate sometimes.

For my heavier glass (5lbs and up) I do prefer a pan head. My go to for everything these days is the Outdoorsmans regular pan head. A lot of time if packing it in I leave the handle behind and run it like I would the ball head.

I’ve also tried the vanguard ph111 and the benro S2. My brother still uses the benro head. All 3 of these handle the bigger optics about the same. The only difference I’ve noticed and gripe about is the amount of creep when they are locked down.

The vanguard was a great little piece of kit but the creep or shift when locking either the pan or tilt knobs drive me nuts. Say looking out a mile with 10x binos and I locked the knob it would shift over or down at least 2x my fov. I had 3 of these and they all acted the same.

The benro is about 1x the fov at that distance so a little easier to compensate. The handle on that thing is also way too long for my liking. I joke that when using it from the window mount the guy in the back passenger seat can easily make my adjustments for me. Trimmed it saves a little space and weight.

The Outdoorsmans head has little to no discernible shift when locking in at 1 mile with 10x binos. It is noticeable when using my spotter at full zoom but not nearly as bad as the others I mentioned. Maybe 1/4 my fov which is still annoying but that’s the trade off for the light weight and compact heads I guess. But once it’s locked in it holds and doesn’t move.

 

[flinginairos]

I got the Promaster tripod this year as well and will be using the ball head it came with. I really like that thing and it’s pretty lightweight! It just works better for me than the two Manfrotto heads I have and saves me weight in the process. Win/win!


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[ckrhtr]

I have the Outdoorsman Panhead for my ATX 95 and it holds great

 

[mcseal2]

I have the Outdoorsmans pan head on my Promaster carbon 525 tripod. I put one of their adapters on the tripod and attach the head with that so I can move the head between my window mount and tripod. I figure for what that head costs I just as well be able to use it both places. I really like the head though. I use it with their shooting rest for my rifle, with my 15x Swaros with their adapter, and for my spotter.

 

[Camera Land]

There are a lot of great options out there. Thanks to all of you I have spoken with many people with different prefrences. There is no "right" answer. It's more what you prefer. Give me a call to discuss and of course mention Rokslide.