SmallRig Tripod Fluid Head Pan Tilt Head with Quick Release Plate for Arca Swiss for Compact Video Cameras and DSLR Cameras -3259B

Needed a not-so-bulky fluid camera mount for my monopod that I use for wildlife photography and it's perfect! The camera and lens in the photo weigh approximately 5.5 pounds and even at a 45 degree angle held for several minutes the mount joints never moved! It's sturdy yet smooth when you move it and hold all the weight you need. My one TINY issue is that the screw used to mount to the camera is about a full thread (about 2mm) too short to fully lock into the camera so after using it for about an hour and hiking the camera kept coming a tad bit, though not significantly loose, but I can deal with that for the price, versatility, and overall quality!

Love this head. It is tiny but I have my 80 mm spotting scope (3 lbs) mounted on it with no problems. Very smooth in both directions and you can adjust the drag in both directions with the knobs (although they are a little sensitive for this). Rock solid when locked. My only concern is that the knobs are plastic and I wonder about their durability. Wish they were metal but I think the rest of the head is metal. I don't baby my equipment so I will know after a while how durable it is. Will update as necessary. Until then I have achieved a big weight reduction over my old head with no compromises that I see yet.

I ordered this and noticed that when I was panning the head would unscrew. I contacted customer support because overall I really loved this head for my Opticron mm4 scope. They were very responsive and helped me solve the problem. The first solution did not work but the second, which included the attached video, fixed it. I was not tightening the head enough. As you can see from the video you do not need to worry about how much force you use since the head is solidly made. The head is very well made and fits my needs perfectly. I needed a small, lightweight, quality pan-tilt head. It would defeat the purpose to put a lightweight scope and carbon fiber legs with an oversized head. I am very happy with this combination that will serve my needs, especially for travel.

Solid construction, feels sturdy and well built. It's very small and aluminum. Black in color and possibly semi-gloss. It does feel heavy but weighs in at 280grams or 9⅞oz, which is close to what the advertisement claims. The handle is a to long for my liking. It too is strong, metal, and has a solid feel. On the end is rubber grip that fits the hand well. As soon as I opened the box, I was thinking of ways to cut and modify it to shorten and lighten it up. It seems well made a very Compact. I don't think you'll be disappointed by it.

Videography is my profession, and hunting is my passion. For the videographers - this head is small and lightweight. It goes on my travel tripod. When I'm in the field for hours with a small tripod attached to my camera bag, it's my go-to. The panning and tilting are great. I have a Canon 80D and an R6. Both are sturdy with small zoom lenses and just about any prime lenses. I don't think I would use it with my 70-200mm Tamron. For hunters - this pairs great with my lightweight Sirui tripod. It's exponentially better then the ball head that came with it. The head works perfectly with my binos and my 65 mm spotting scope. An 80mm spotter should do fine. The head is smooth enough that I can make small adjustments. Only question I have with it is durability. It should do fine in most applications, but if you are in the backcountry, take care not smack it on any rocks.

Updated review (April 20, 2022) Warning. Test any other Arca Swiss Plates with this! I used other name brand plates and have not had any issues with any other clamps. On this, camera fell off and cracked a lens (Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 repair cost was $300 -- ugh); weight was under limit. Arca Swiss is standardize or supposedly to work interchangeably via different manufacturers. Well, not exactly. I am diligent in ensuring all knobs are tightened since I am using it in a run-n-gun environment and on the move. Using another Arca Swiss plate was the demise. After taking out a digital caliper, the clamp lip on this is about 2.4mm and the over hang is about 1.75mm. Most of the clamps I have used in the past are between 2.75 and 3mm for the height and 2.5mm and 3mm for the overhang. What does that mean? More surface area to clamp onto. I tested using various plates with this, tightened the Arca Swiss clamp, and tried bending the plate out. A bunch of them came out. The plate that came with this did not. Why? The angle of the plate edge connecting to the clamp lip is at a sharper angle and the clamp lip aligns with that angle, so less material is needed overall and holds. Good way to save money manufacturing this - less metal to use. So, use the plate that comes with this and if you use another brand test it before trusting this. My gripe is Arca Swiss is supposed to be interchangeable. SmallRig is expanding their reach with lower cost products. I am becoming more skeptical of some of their newer product lines. Just disappointed. 3 stars. Original review (October 19, 2021) I had high hopes for this fluid head because of the size and payload capacity. It somewhat delivers. To start, I have a lot of SmallRig components and expect the highest quality with solid metal materials, but I am now questioning whether they are compromising to attract a slightly different audience. The form factor of this fluid head is great because of the size. I use it with a iFootage Cobra 2 monopod and it is sleek, better than a regular fluid head size-wise. The pan and tilt were acceptable for what I need, but the knobs are plastic. Not a big deal when tightening/loosening the resistance, but they are the adjustable ratchet-style so you can reposition the knobs and after a while, they will start to slip since the internal mold will wear down since it is plastic; metal will last longer. Thus you will need to replace the knobs if you want to continue to use this long-term. Under the Arca-Swiss plate, there is a bubble level, and useless unless you have a baseline of the tilt being level. There are no markings for a level tilt, so I used a silver Sharpie to establish what is level for the tilt. Now whenever I use that bubble level as a reference, I first align the tilt with the markings so when I pan, it is actually level. Knob for locking the Arca-Swiss plate is solid and works, but for some with big fingers it can be a little challenging since the base and two screws of the arm may get in the way when tightening/loosening. Overall, I give it 3.5 stars since it could be great and it's decently priced, but I would have paid more for using quality metal components like I am used to with other SmallRig products.

Great Panhead at a reasonable price. I added this unit to a lightweight alpine carbon tripod and it’s been a great unit at the fraction of the price of other units. I live in Colorado and use it for scouting/hunting for backcountry elk/mule deer (don’t film) I appreciate the price, lightweight and functionality

Is what it is. Happy with it but of course it is not a high end head.

I was surprised at how small this head is. I use my tripods for both stills and video so I simply attached it to an existing mount. At this point, I'm not so sure I want to dedicate a tripod specifically for this head - just personal taste. The smaller size makes it easy to just toss in the bag. I took the photos to show how small it is - Nikon Z30 with the Nikkor 12-28mm PZ. I also tried it with my D750/Nikkor 28-300 and it held fine. My primary use for this would be for the Z30. First thing I did was flip the handle (allen key hidden & magnetic is a nice touch). This allows me the ability to use one hand to pan and the other to press the record button and power zoom controls :-) Both vertical and horizontal panning is very smooth. I would say that so far, pretty pleased with it.

Excelente si deseas mantener una configuración práctica y ligera, a mi me a ayudado mucho a la hora de moverme entre distintas locaciones y tener la facilidad de llegar grabar y salir.

there is nothing more smooth and lightweight in the market. I run a 77mm spotting scope on this and its perfect. Better than spending 350 on a tricer that has the same smoothness. These are the best value on the web.

Got it on Black Friday Sale. Smaller then I thought it would be. Not recommended for Large DSLR/Mirrorless camera. If you don't balance the camera/lens correctly it will drop forward, unless you lock the pivot down. Works ok. Comes with Allen key attached via magnet, Used to remove handle. Arca Swiss plate is very good and locks on head nicely. CON: Bubble Level is under the Arca Swiss Plate, so can't be used once camera is mounted. PRO: Build quality is very good NOTE Using with Nikon Z7ii camera with 85mm f/1.8 lens, also with Smaller Canon EOS M6 Mark II. You need to be careful and lock the pivot down other wise camera will move forward/down. Recommended for smaller cameras only.

Works perfectly with the M43 cameras and lenses.