What Are the Most Important When Buying a Fluid Head Tripod?

2022-11-04 09:34:50 Ari

A professional broadcast camera support equipment is generally composed of two main parts, namely, the head and the tripod. The professional fluid head is a very precise mechanical kit. It not only requires large payload and good stability, but also has a very smooth damping effect and controllable counterbalance. Of course, there are also some small details such as quick release plate, illuminated leveling bubble and bowl that can not be ignored. Otherwise, the head you bought may not perform well at critical moments.


What basics do we need to know when buying a fluid head?


When it comes to whether the fluid head is good or not, many people put the payload and damping as the main consideration parameters, and the actual effective counterbalance is the key. The four main parameters of the head include the payload range, the number of horizontal damping gears, the number of vertical damping gears, and the number of counterbalance adjustment gears.


SEEDER camera support equipment for Broadcast television industry


Payload Range


The payload range is most misunderstood, as many people believe that as long as the camera is stable when placed on the tripod. Because when the horizontal and vertical of the head both are locked, there will be no problem when the 40kg camera is placed on the 20kg counterbalance payload head. This is also where many manufacturers in the industry blur the concept of payload.


Take 3kg-12kg counterbalance payload as an example, in theory, all cameras within this range can be mounted, but not in practice. It depends on the number of counterbalance adjustment gears and the adjustment range of each gear. Assuming that the head has only four levels of counterbalance, the detailed adjustable parameters should be 3, 6, 9 and 12 kg. The adjustment range of each level is 3 kg. Only the camera with a weight close to this can be adjusted to the optimal counterbalance. So if the camera weighs 5, 7, 8, 10 kg, the head then fails to work well. This is also the reason why the number of counterbalance gears is large, and the adjustment payload of each gear is about 1kg.


Counterbalance Adjustment


When we shoot, we often lock the camera vertically, thinking that it is safe to do so. In fact, this is wrong, because as long as you adjust the effective counterbalance, the camera will not fall down. Professional photographers will not lock the head when using it.


Therefore, whether a head is good or not depends mainly on the weight of your camera, whether the counterbalance payload of the tripod head is enough, and whether there is enough fine adjustment range to suit the weight after you add different accessories. Other issues are durability and convenience.


Full CNC Processing


Most fluid head on the market are processed by molded metal parts, however, SEEDER is the pioneer of CNC technology in the camera support field. The connectors, lock buttons, plate and the head body all adopt CNC processing technology. Especially the SEEDER's S series tripods are full CNC tripod systems in the industry.


SEEDER camera support equipment for Broadcast television industry


SEEDER camera tripods, from large payloads of up to 60kg to lightweight, studio or outdoor use, can give the most smooth and flexible operation and handfeel. If you have any needs about camera support equipment, feel free to contact us for quotation or demonstration. We are very delighted to provide support for your project.


Contact

Jack (Sales Director)

Email: jack@seeder.com

WhatsApp: +86 135 8820 8864