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| Sunwayfoto GH-PRO II Geared Tripod Head |
For a few years I've had a niggling problem with my medium sized tripod ballhead. Actually, the problem was two-fold. I was the first problem as I am very finicky and OCD about how I compose my images. I tend to compose precisely, examining relationships between and among objects, checking the edges and corners of the frame, etc.
The second problem came into play when I had a heavy lens, usually a telephoto lens, mounted on my camera and tripod. When I would precisely compose, then tighten the ball head's knob to lock down exactly how I wanted my composition to be, the head always dropped just a tiny bit. Often times, I found myself repeatedly loosening the knob, moving the camera and lens up a little higher than necessary to compensate for the anticipated slight drop in position. Now, I will also add that many times it really didn't matter if that little drop in vertical position happened, but many times it did. As I mentioned, I'm kind of OCD when it comes to composition at times.
A few months ago, I happened across this little gem of a geared tripod head. It is the Sunwayfoto GH-PRO II Geared Tripod Head. You can find it on Sunwayfoto's website here. Having bought several Sunwayfoto items in the past and never being disappointed with the design, engineering, choice of materials, utility and quality, I decided to buy this head and try it. The immediate problem I found was that it was sold out everywhere I looked! Finally, I decided to get on an email notification list from Adorama.com to be notified when it was back in stock. It took a while but I received it from Adorama quickly once they had a new shipment of the heads. You can find it on their site here.
I've never owned a geared head before and I wasn't sure if I would like it. But I was willing to give it a try. First, I wanted to see if it would be easy to use to be able to precisely compose my images and second, would its mechanism be tight enough to stay exactly as positioned? The short answer is yes to both.I like this geared head. It sits directly over the center of my tripod, allows me to precisely control the up/down, left/right and pitch of my camera. Within the knobs are handles that fold out and allow making large changes quickly. Using the knob itself, allows making small changes. Wherever I have placed the position of the camera with lens, it has stayed secure. I even tested leaving a heavy lens on my camera for a few hours then checked and the lens' position had not changed. This little device solved both my problems. At least the ball head drop issue. My obsession with being precise and getting as much right in the camera remains...
One other aspect I like about this head. The rotates 360 degrees independent of the rest of the head. So leveling it (there is a bubble level in the top plate) easily allows a panoramic image to be made without the camera tilting to one side as one rotates through it. With my ball head, I had to use a leveling device between my ball head and my tripod plate to be able to quickly level it. No longer.
I won't include all of the technical specs of this head. You can find them either at Sunwayfoto's internet site or at Adorama's. I will say it is well made and engineered, Arca-Swiss compatible, is made of a good grade of aluminum, anodized nicely and all knobs are nicely stiff to prevent unwanted movement.
As of this writing, I can recommend this head. It has so far served me well. Time will tell if it will loosen. If it does, I'll let you know. But for now, when I mount my camera and lens on this geared head, it stays exactly where I want it to stay. It is also solidly anchored and I've had no problem with vibration or camera movement when using it.
One more thing. Sunwayfoto made a first generation of this head so don't mistake this for one of the first generation. I've read that they made this newer one based upon feedback from users of the first generation head. I'm not sure what issues there were, but I haven't had any complaints about this second generation geared head.
DISCLAIMER: I have no affiliation with Sunwayfoto, Adorama or any other company. I pay for all my gear and pay what you pay. I don't have any advertisements nor click through links to generate rebates, commissions, money, free things, loaners or discounts. It is just me letting you know how well the things I use work as a public service.
Join me over at my website, www.dennismook.com/.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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Dennis:
ReplyDeleteDid you consider Platypod’s Platyball? The GH-PRO II looks quite bulky and I like a ball head that I can hike with (sometimes with the camera mounted).
Can you share the tripod you use to go with the GH-PRO II?
Thanks for your continued posts about gear. They serve as a good basis for some decision making and "what to look for!"
Jeff, thanks for commenting. A month or two ago I watched several videos about the new Platypod head. Although intriguing, it didn’t interest me. I guess it was the fact that it is just an upside down ball head with a squeeze lock instead of a twist knob lock. I was looking for a head that I could make small, precise changes and a ball head, whether traditional or upside down, didn’t give me that ability. One would still have to hold it in place, then lock it down. I use a more than two decades old Gitzo GT2540 medium sized carbon fiber tripod. It has served me well for many years. Not as big as my very large Induro 410 but larger than a small travel tripod. Let me know if you have any other questions. I’ll be happy to answer them.
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