SmallRig Video Head for Vertical/Horizontal Shooting, Tripod Pan Tilt Fluid Head with Telescopic Handle and Switchable QR Plate for Arca, Max Load 5kg / 11Ibs for Camcorder, Mirrorless, DSLR - 4104

I do some commercial videography as a solo production, so I have to maintain a pretty lightweight and portable kit condensed to 1 or 2 bags. I'm also paying for gear out of pocket so budget comes into the equation when purchasing new gear. I've played with a lot of budget portable video heads: Neweer, Ulanzi, Sirui, but this is the one, bang for buck, that I would recommend to anyone needing a travel friendly tripod video head. The drag is smooth on the fluid head, but there is some skipping at tighter adjustments horizontally, where more drag is needed, but no rough speed changes otherwise. Love the added lock in place vertical alignment and 90° pan turn options for sky shots. The design feels solidly built with great quality materials and metal parts. My favorite part though is the handle, oh man, I love the turn lock telescopic design, much better than the Neweer alternative, easily my favorite portable handle. I pair this video head with my Ulanzi F38 Fotopro Aircross tripod and my Sony ZVE10 with a Sigma 18-50mm, it's the perfect head for my twist-lock quick set-up combo kit. It is compatible with all of the Ulanzi F38 quick release plate mounts I own.Now, the cons, well, more like gripes. The biggest one and the thing I want the most on this head: a quick-adjust ball head. If your video head has a bubble level, but no means of fine tuning like a ball head, then it's really just telling you what you already know, isn't it? If it had a ball head, I wouldn't hesitate to say this would be the PERFECT portable video head. Maybe the next version will feature it, I hope so.The only other gripe is the horizontal pan doesn't have a great high resistance, slow drag, it pretty much only operates at the loosest setting, so it's up to your hand speed to get the slow pan, don't love that, but I can live with it. SmallRig, put a ball on this and it will be the absolute best travel head for the money!

This is a great little video head worth every penny. From the small size and weight to the versatility of vertical/horizontal shooting. You can't beat this for setting up on the go or while on vacation. So small it fits in my mini tripod bag but very solid and functional. I use it with my Sony A6700 and love it. Highly recommended.

Overall, I love this head. The ability to move the position from landscape to portrait is easy and rock solid. My only issue is with the panning knob. When I lock it down, it moves the head a degree or 2. Very annoying.

I mainly shoot wildlife and I don't go on paid trips where I can sit around all day waiting for the perfect shot so my tripods are usually large paperweights. I needed a new head for an application where I needed to bring a tripod. This was one of the only items available to come on time and it was great. It is solid, easy to tighten to the point where it stays still but at the same time can be moved using the handle, lever, and it is also compact and light weight. Def great to have on hand for future use.

I replaced a 3 way panning head with this because I wanted something that was easier to adjust with... and pan up and down or side to side. I was impressed with the size and weight of the head. The panning is super-smooth, but two additional features make this even better. There are two buttons on the head. One allows it to tilt 90° to easily go from Landscape to Portrait orientation. The second allows you to rotate the orientation of the base plate, so that if need front to back or side to side orientation, you can change it without any hassle. The telescoping handle is easy to adjust for operation in front of or behind the camera and makes it easy to collapse for folding and transportation. It is very well made and should last me many years.

This is an ok tripod head. The telescoping handle and horizontal to vertical functionality is nice.Ive noticed that the pan axis often "catches" unless the screw is loosened all the way. No way to tighten it to get a bit of resistance to smooth out shots.Can't say I'd recommend this one. It's OK and I kept it, but it's been turned into a tripod head for my phone instead of my camera. For that purpose it works fine, but I dont think the value is there.

likes:The tripod head doesn't disappoint. It seems to be well made. The Pan and Tilt controls hold my 10 lb camera rig well. It's small enough to fit into my cobra 3 monopod's carrying case. It's made mostly of aluminum. The handle retracts to a very pleasing size.Dislikes:The Arca Swiss tightening screw is a bit too close to the top of the head, especially if you already have a plate mounted on your rig. It becomes a little difficult to tighten with the battery mount attached. Also, I wish I could tighten the portrait to landscape hinge at different angles instead of it locking only in horizontal or 90 degrees. I still gave it five stars for now.

This tripod head is built well and all the moving parts function smoothly and properly. This is of no surprise as it is a Smallrig item. I have yet to see them produce anything of poor quality.This tripod head allows you to switch from landscape to portrait (vertical) mode quickly and with minimal effort. The end points are perfect for balanced shots. It is very easy to use and is a big improvement over the typical cheap ball head mounts.The only gripe that I have is that it tilts the camera offer the center. This can become an issue if you are shooting with long heavy telephoto lenses or if your camera setup is just heavy. The offer center tilt can cause your tripod to tip over if mishandled.Other than the one issue I came across, this is a nice upgrade and works well over the traditional cheap ball head.