One of the first accessories after the camera, which appears in the arsenal of a novice photographer, is most often a tripod for the camera. They usually buy a tripod, which consists of three legs connected together, topped with a special device called a tripod head.

The tripod head is designed to conveniently mount the camera at the right angle for the photographer or videographer. Many articles have already been written and countless copies have been broken in disputes over which head is better. There is no definitive answer. Each photographer, when choosing a head for a tripod, proceeds from his subjective needs and needs, solves issues in different ways, being guided when choosing not only financial capabilities, but also physical ones. Someone acquires several heads for a wide range of tasks, someone sacrifices convenience, but takes a universal one, and so on. Let's look at choosing a tripod head from the point of view of solving certain tasks.

As a rule, a tripod head is equipped with one or more handles, with which you can fix the head in the desired position for the photographer. Simple in design tripods with non-removable heads are in the budget segment, every novice photographer can afford such a model to get better images.

However, after some time and improvement in their own technical skills, many may find that a non-removable tripod head has some limitations in use. Its capabilities may not be enough to implement creative ideas. The creative ideas of the photographer begin to outpace the design features of the existing tripod. It's time to think about which model to buy to replace the outdated tripod.

But almost any amateur photographer after visiting a specialized store can panic. The fact is that manufacturers offer an infinite number of models and often the prices for tripods will be much higher than expected. If you do not know the subtleties, you can be left with nothing, because it will seem that the desired model at a reasonable price does not exist in nature. And this is a wrong assumption.

Each model of almost any manufacturer is designed to solve strictly defined tasks and is intended for professional or amateur use. It is these things that can affect the price of a tripod.

If a tripod is supposed to be used daily, then a more durable material from which it is made is required, and such a tripod cannot be cheap by definition. To alleviate the plight of those photographers who, due to their production work, have to carry a tripod or monopod with them on a daily basis, manufacturing companies are innovating in the production process and looking for solutions to lighten weight while maintaining the strength and reliability of accessories. This is also reflected in the price. That is why you need to prudently approach the choice and know what you should pay attention to in the first place.

If you decide that it is worth buying a head separately from the legs, let's see what tripod heads are in principle.

Let's take a look at the four most common types of tripod heads and discuss how each fits into various types photography. We really hope that this review will give you the most complete idea of ​​what to look for in the store.

Video tripod head

There are several features in video filming, which predetermined modern look heads for such a session. That's what it's called - a video head, or a video head. Such a model has one elongated handle, which is logical, because the second hand of the operator is busy managing the shooting plan or adjusting the focus. The handle is made long specifically in order to smoothly move the camera up and down and left and right and it does not interfere with looking at the screen.

Among other things, it is customary to equip modern tripods with quick-release platforms so that you can quickly remove the camera from the tripod and switch to handheld shooting. Some tripod video heads are additionally equipped with oil dampers, which can further soften the smoothness of the ride.

• Why is the video head inconvenient for some types of photography?

Often, professional video heads cannot be quickly switched to capture a vertical frame, which is logical since there is no need for such a frame position when shooting footage.

Photographing from video shooting also differs by another factor - for it to be carried out with professional SLR cameras most often use the viewfinder, so the long handle of the video head will make it difficult to bring your face closer to the viewfinder.

Panoramic tripod heads

Landscape photography most often does not require speed, it encourages thoughtfulness, but it certainly has its difficulties. Landscape photography is very sensitive to horizon obstruction. Sometimes, to create a panorama, you need to take several shots with a single horizon line. Ideal for these types of shooting would be a panoramic head.

But such a head is quite massive and not particularly versatile, and therefore more often landscapes are shot using a 3D head, which allows you to accurately adjust the camera along each of the axes. Typically, the model of such a head is equipped with three handles, a level or several level sensors.

With the help of a 3D head, you can quickly switch from a horizontal frame to a vertical one, easily fix the camera and easily rotate around any other axis. 3D heads can be quite compact and have an unusual design.

Parameters such as lightness and compactness are very important for landscape photographers. After all, sometimes they have to climb far for the sake of an interesting composition and a good angle.

• wedding photography

Wedding photography, as a rule, does not encourage the use of a tripod. A rather rapidly changing plot, moving subjects, changing plans - all this will complicate the work of the photographer if he decides to use a tripod. That is why in some cases photographers use .

Most often, a monopod is used when working with long-focus optics and in low light conditions, when it is not possible to get closer, or if you cannot use a flash, for example, in a church during a wedding ceremony. In such situations, a monopod with a pistol grip is the only correct and universal solution.

It is a ball head, but with a special comfortable handle.

The pistol head is designed to give the photographer the same level of control over the camera as the ball head. However, users find that the pistol head is easier to set up due to the comfortable grip mechanism.

Whereas a conventional ball head requires the rotation of a relatively small knob to adjust the camera position, the pistol grip works like a joystick of sorts. This makes it possible to relatively quickly adjust the desired position of the camera. It is enough to press the special clutch mechanism on the handle, and the head will be unlocked, it becomes possible to change the position.

More advanced models of pistol ball heads allow you to additionally rotate the camera along one of the axes. This makes it much easier to take panoramic shots. As you can see in the image, pistol heads are much larger than ball heads. But the trade-off is sometimes worth it - it often requires more precise control over the position of the camera while maintaining a sufficiently high degree of freedom and quick access to the full range of motion.

• Reportage

For the most part, everything that applies to weddings also applies to reportage shooting, except perhaps for one exception: when shooting reportage, sometimes even a monopod has nowhere to install.

• Macro and subject photography

Macro photography most often requires photographers to take unusual angles and crop through the viewfinder. That is, you have to hold the camera with one hand, choosing the direction and framing, and with the other you need to fix the camera in the resulting position. It is most convenient to use when shooting macro, when all the degrees of freedom of the camera will be fixed with just one handle.

Ball heads for tripods

Ball tripod heads can rotate 360 ​​degrees around their axis due to the bearing built into the design of the model. With the help of a special lever, you can tighten or loosen the camera mount, rotate the installed camera from side to side, rotate in a circle, change the orientation from portrait to landscape with little or no effort.

Some ball heads are specially designed to allow only one direction of movement to be changed. This feature is certainly very convenient in the case of panning. You should be careful when changing one of the mounting parameters, because if the ball head mechanism is not fixed enough, it can abruptly “reset” the camera, which looks intimidating and always scares. Having clearly fixed the lever, you can already adjust and correct the placement of the camera on the ball tripod head at the micro level.

When a photographer sets out to change a tripod and purchase a tripod with an interchangeable head, while not knowing exactly for what specific purposes this most convenient and necessary accessory in the arsenal will be used in most cases, the general recommendation will be as follows: it is worth considering options for models with ball tripod heads .

The ball head will give the photographer such a fantastic amount of control over the process of stabilization and control of the camera, which was not possible with tripods with a fixed head. And even if the model does not allow you to rotate the camera in all directions, ball heads make it much easier to control cameras.

In the case when you intend to shoot a video, of course, you should first of all pay attention to the models of video heads. You will have to deal with the nuances already in this segment of offers from leading manufacturers of studio accessories. It is important to remember that video heads are the best choice for shooting video on a DSLR. We can say that, in general, the video heads have a smoother and more regulated rotation and a more stable design, which undoubtedly makes their operation smoother.

Choose thoughtfully, carefully, weigh your decisions, then you will not have to regret lost opportunities and unaccounted for circumstances.

Creating panoramas is a rather difficult and painstaking task, but the result of painstaking actions will please both you, as a creator, and users. Creating panoramas is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. I have seen users say the following: "To create panoramas, you only need to photograph a few frames with overlap, and then align the frames in a special program, glue them together and get the finished panorama." We can say that this statement is true. but only for a beginner photographer. The result can be satisfactory. But, if the photographer wants to develop professionally, then you need to be critical of your previous work. Look at them as the first basic brick. The basis of future skill in creating seamless panoramas.

Why is the statement about “aligning and gluing images into a panorama” not entirely true? The answer is simple: the statement does not take into account what needs to be corrected and taken into account at the post: distortions introduced by the lens, perspective and spatial distortion, color correction and many other factors.
In order to provide yourself less work on the post, it is recommended to initially shoot the panorama as “correctly” as possible. And for this you can not do without aids. Panoramic tripod head- this is one of the important devices that will allow you to create high-quality panoramas with less effort in post-processing. You can read more about why you need to use a panoramic head in a very good article.
I would like to consider the choice of a panoramic tripod head: buy a ready-made solution or make it yourself.

Turnkey solution

Excellent panoramic head. Sturdy aluminum construction, a guarantee of reliability from a renowned manufacturer, precise fixation. It is supported by the fact that the panoramas of the Hermitage were made by the photographer Natalya Kovarskaya with the help of this head. A detailed description of this head can be found in this article.
But the price cools the ardor a little: about 20,000 rubles. in RF.

head from Chinese manufacturer, the quality is satisfactory, but the price is about 14,000 rubles.

High quality head, easy to use.
But the price is about $640.

Allows you to use a heavy camera and lenses, light, easy to handle. Precise positioning.
The price is about $450 for the top version.

Homemade heads

Homemade head, not inferior to commercial counterparts. Detailed scheme and description on the page in his blog.

Head from Yuri Nadezhin

One can say professional solution, for the manufacture of which a metalworking machine is needed. Drawings can be found or.

Homemade head at a price of 200-300 rubles. Andrey even patented this invention. Withstands heavy photographic equipment. More details on Andrey's personal page.

conclusions

P.s. Thank you all for finding the bugs

For high-quality shooting of panoramas in cramped conditions, interior panoramas, beakers, spherical panoramas. Novice panorama players often master with homemade plywood heads. My first panorama head was also made from plywood for one set of camera and lens. But sooner or later there comes a moment when you want something more. This moment came to me 5 years ago, then I purchased the Sfera-69 panoramic head, and it coped with its duties normally, until one day the plastic cracked (from impact). And I had to shoot panoramas on. He got out by rewinding the head with electrical tape. However, immediately after that I ordered Orbit. Since then, with her help, I have shot a lot, some of which are on this site.

For three years now I have been doing spherical panoramas with the help of the NP Orbita panoramic head, and during this time I have accumulated a fairly rich store of knowledge about it and about the features of its operation. In addition, recently Orbita developer Alexander Nikitin provided me with the most recent version of the head, and I finally got the idea to write this review.

I struggled for a very long time with the choice of this indispensable and necessary tool for me, but now, after three years, it is very difficult for me to understand what was incomprehensible to me then. And, to be honest, before writing this material, I continued to think that there are some other solutions than the one I came to. And when I set out to understand the comparison objectively, it turned out that everything is very simple. I settled on the Orbita, and I am sure that it will remain with me for a very long time. When I'm ready to buy something much cooler, I'll leave Orbita as a second head.

A few words about Orbit

When creating the Orbit panoramic head, Alexander most likely proceeded from the design of the Nodal Ninja 4/5 head, which has proven itself over the years of service with panorama viewers around the world, but its price was and remains not so friendly to our brother.

Therefore, the idea of ​​the Orbit has been in the air for quite a long time, and finally there was a person who embodied it.

• PG Orbit website: nodalpoint.ru
• Group PG Orbita in contact: Spherical panoramic heads NP Orbita, Basic

First of all, let's talk about the main thing.

The price of PG Orbit, or the main reason not to buy a ninja

The price of PG Orbit is 8,000 rubles, and the closest Western analogue Nodal Ninja 4 costs 315 dollars, or almost 17,000 rubles at the current exchange rate, not counting delivery to Russia. Considering that performance characteristics heads are very similar, buying NN4 seems to me inappropriate.

Panoramic head packaging

The head is supplied in a cloth bag with strings, it also comes with a hexagon for adjusting the rotator and a 1/4-3/8 threaded adapter for attaching the panoramic head to a standard tripod plate. I am glad that the head does not need to be disassembled to carry it in a bag.

Orbit head design

All elements of the stressed head are made of aluminum alloy. Elements made of steel, PTFE, brass are also used in horizontal and vertical swivel units.

The heads use AMG grade aluminum, which is softer than 6061 or duralumin, and, as a result, under extreme loads, head parts can still bend (but it is unlikely to break).

So, once I had to order a new horizontal guide from Alexander, as mine bent from very careless use (I put a tripod with a panoramic head installed on it in the trunk of a car and piled heavy things on top).

With aircraft aluminum 6061, most likely, this would not have happened (if it had not broken). However, it would be incorrect to attribute the softness of the metal to disadvantages: the same Nodal Ninja 3-4-5 are also made of quite ordinary aluminum, but noble hard alloys they start with older models - Nodal Ninja Ultimate M Series, and this is completely different money.

Head painting

Orbit is powder coated High Quality. For 2.5 years of merciless, ruthless use, the corners are rubbed off, but in general, the product holds up very worthily. In fairness, I note that in my mode of operation, everything has a shabby look, even cameras and lenses.

Millimeter scales are applied to the horizontal and vertical guides, which allow you to adjust the head for different cameras without resorting to the nodal point search procedure each time. The scales are applied not by paint, but by engraving, thanks to which the scales are practically not subject to abrasion. On the next photo the engraving is clearly visible, click to enlarge:

Rotators

The horizontal rotator of the Orbit allows you to adjust the head to 6, 8, 10 or 12 clicks. Accordingly, these are 60, 45, 36 and 30 degrees, which will suit most.

But you can also buy separately puck, which will allow you to set 3 or 4 clicks (120 and 90 degrees). However, I personally do not see the need for this. For "quick" panoramas I use a 10mm fisheye on a full frame camera and take 4 frames in a circle. The rotator is set to 8 clicks, and when I turn the head, I just skip every second cutoff. It doesn't add any hassle at all. On the contrary, I like that it is possible, without rotating the tripod, to more successfully choose the starting direction of the shooting. There is a photo of the rotator washer a little higher.

Vertical rotator

Vertical rotator responsible for tilting the camera to the horizon, snap cutoffs does not have. On the one hand, this is a disadvantage, but on the other hand, when shooting a panorama using a wide-angle lens, it will be necessary to realign the rotator only 1-2 times, and when shooting with a fisheye lens, it may not be necessary at all, in addition, changing the camera tilt angle does not require great accuracy, because to. it determines the overlap between the rows, and if it is not 25%, but 20%, final result it has virtually no effect.

Thus, the creation of a clicky vertical rotator will significantly increase the cost of the head, while not providing a significant improvement in the functionality of the head. Therefore, I agree with Alexander that at the current stage, the improvement of the rotator is not advisable. It is enough to turn the camera in the right direction when shooting (so that the vertical guide is to the right of the camera), and there will be no problems: the upper arm of the head is self-tightening under the weight of the camera, preventing accidental "creep" of the camera. There is one more peculiarity: sometimes the vertical rotator is strongly tightened, and in order to unscrew it, it is more convenient to turn the guide itself by hand, and not turn the lamb.

The rotators are applied degree scales. The scale of the lower rotator may not match perfectly with the pointer when clicks, the problem is treated with a hexagon in 5 minutes.

Differences between old and new rotators

The scale of the upper rotator in my old Orbit is "wrong" by one and a half degrees, in the new head everything is fine (this problem can also be solved quite easily by loosening the fastening of the part with the scale and turning it to the desired angle).

At old panoramic head, the rotator works somewhat indistinctly, and for new clicks are very clear, unambiguous and understandable, while backlash Hardly ever. This is due to a general improvement in the quality of the manufacture of head parts (almost all parts are manufactured on CNC machines), due to which there are practically no backlashes in the rotary assemblies.

ball position adjustable with the included hex key so you can adjust the head to any rigidity fixation. Without fanaticism, of course.

The old rotator has a bulk bearing, which does not prevent backlash and unwinding of the head, so shooting by turning the head counterclockwise is inconvenient: sometimes you have to tighten the rotator. AT new version at the top of the rotator there is an industrial bearing that prevents backlash and untwisting. Also, this design is convenient when disassembling the rotator for changing the pitch or technological inspection or cleaning - the upper nut, which used to have four parts, and it was easy to lose one of them during disassembly, is now made as a single non-separable element.

Head attachment points

Tripod mount

The head attaches to any modern tripod with a 3/8 thread. You can also attach a standard 1/4 thread tripod plate to it using the 1/4-3/4 adapter that comes with the head. There is one peculiarity here: since the lower part of the head rotator is smooth, some tripod pads can spontaneously unscrew. To prevent this from happening, I use a tripod pad with rubber inserts and tighten it with a hex. Coins may not be enough.

In addition, when shooting, it is best to rotate the head clockwise - so it will definitely not unscrew at the wrong moment. This is also indicated by the arrow on the rotator knob.

Mounting the camera on the rail

By default, the camera is attached to a special L-shaped shoe, which has a rubber coating in the place where the camera is installed. In this case, the shoe itself is fixed on the guide with a lamb bolt (twisted by hand) and remains in this position.

I have complaints about this lamb bolt: when I used it, this bolt had to be tightened with pliers, otherwise, with heavy lenses, the camera could turn a little along with the shoe. Of course, for most situations, a one degree error is not significant, but for a perfect floor bonding, it is better to have a perfectly tuned head.

As for adjusting the head for your camera, the head is fixed with special stops for the hexagon, using them you can always accurately and quickly assemble the head, even if you disassembled it for transportation. Personally, I never disassemble the head, but I remember the settings for each lens, so I don’t use stops: the bottom one is unscrewed and lies separately, the top one is fixed in a useless position.

To install the camera, you need to fasten it with a bolt made under a screwdriver or a coin. The slot has a size of 2 mm and fits any coin with a face value of up to 5 rubles.

The fastest and best solution

Subsequently, I screwed to a standard L-shaped pad Arca Swiss standard quick release plate. This solution, in addition to ease of removal and installation, has another important advantage: Arca Swiss is a very common standard supported by Manfrotto, Benro, Gitzo, Slik and other self-respecting manufacturers of tripods, heads and other equipment. I also purchased several tripod platforms this standard and screwed them:

• To head rotator
• To main camera
• To spare camera
• To telephoto tripod

Of course, the tripods also feature Arca Swiss heads. As a result, the usability of the panoramic set has increased many times over. First, you don't need to carry a screwdriver. Secondly, if you need to switch from panoramic shooting to regular shooting, it is enough to disconnect the camera from Orbit, Orbit from the ball head, after which the panoramic head is put aside, and the camera is easily and quickly fixed on the ball head. Previously, I had to do a lot more actions with such castling and spend an unreasonable amount of time.

Of course, the design turned out to be somewhat cumbersome. But in my case, there was no other solution: my quick-release plate cannot be installed without additional thickening, because. twister interferes. And it is not possible for me to set the platform at an angle of 90 degrees, because. for ease of use, the camera is equipped with an Arca Swiss platform, made specifically for it to achieve the ideal angle of 90 degrees. The disadvantage of this solution is that the distance of the camera from the vertical guide increases, and the horizontal adjustment of the head may not be enough. In my case, when using the Nikon d600 carcass, the vertical guide is shifted horizontally as far as it will go.

However, if your camera is oversized (or using a battery pack), you can order a larger bottom rail.

Also, the quick-release adapter can be installed on the head using the optional universal adapter. It attaches to any type of adapter (Arca Swiss, Monfrotto, etc.), has a ledge for installation in the rail groove and a threaded hole for attaching a standard screw.

Rigidity

The declared maximum load on the head is 2.5 kg. I installed a set of a carcass (770 grams) and a telephoto lens (1 kg) on ​​it, and I can’t call the resulting design rigid: the head twists a little and vibrates noticeably.

The same happens when a Nikkor SB910 (0.5 kg with batteries) is attached to the camera.

However, this mode of operation cannot be called standard. I am sure that with the same total mass, but with a more compact lens and without a flash, the head will perform much better. Still, overall "add-ons" significantly twist it.

With all standard fisheyes and wide-angle lenses, the head behaves well and does not raise any complaints. There are vibrations, but within reason. They depend very much on the quality of the tripod and ball head. A good tripod, a powerful ball head (with a ball of at least 42 mm), and the absence of unnecessary weights such as an on-camera flash are the factors that help minimize vibration. But miracles do not happen, so you should not refuse the remote control.

Actual operation of the head

If you are using a head from time to time, or shooting only spherical panoramas (no photos), the Orbita panoramic head contains everything you need for your needs.

For regular comfortable operation, I would recommend following my example: in addition to the Orbit, purchase ball head, quick release plate and several Arca Swiss standard tripod plates. This will save you a lot of time and effort when switching from one type of shooting to another.

Dirt resistance Orbita is at a high level. If they say about Nodal Ninja 4 that its upper rotator is very whimsical and requires constant cleaning, then nothing similar can be said about the Orbit: for 2.5 years I have never cleaned or lubricated the insides of my Orbit, and the nature of its work has not changed at all . There is simply nothing to clog and wedge, everything is extremely simple.

clicks quite clear and perfectly felt by hand even in conditions of strong noise, shaking, etc. With the Sphere, I had to constantly look at the scale in noisy conditions, because. the click was so weak that it was not felt by hand. Addendum from 2016. According to the developers of the Sphere, there are no more problems with the rotator: now the clicks are clear and confident.

The head takes up little space in the frame, see examples.

conclusions

On the Russian market There are almost no alternatives to Orbit. If you shoot panoramas infrequently, for yourself, or just want to experiment, you can buy Sfera-69, because. it's cheaper. But for more serious work, I would advise taking the Orbita. Well, if your monthly income from panoramas exceeds 50 thousand rubles, do not hesitate to go towards Nodal Nonja. For a beginner, Nodal Ninja is too expensive, besides, the presence of many rotators does not provide any significant advantages at this stage (and increases the price).

Flaws there is:

• Weak aluminum (but NN3-NN5 is no better, and the price is different). Significantly better aluminum in Nodal Ninja's professional line
• No ratchet in the top rotator
• Inconvenient camera mount for a screwdriver
• Inaccurate positioning of the scale of the lower rotator relative to the pointer painted on the horizontal guide (fixed with a hexagon in five minutes, I preferred not to bother at all)
Lessons on creating virtual tours

Creating panoramas is a rather difficult and painstaking task, but the result of painstaking actions will please both you, as a creator, and users. Creating panoramas is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. I have seen users say the following: "To create panoramas, you only need to photograph a few frames with overlap, and then align the frames in a special program, glue them together and get the finished panorama." We can say that this statement is true. but only for a beginner photographer. The result can be satisfactory. But, if the photographer wants to develop professionally, then you need to be critical of your previous work. Look at them as the first basic brick. The basis of future skill in creating seamless panoramas.

Why is the statement about “aligning and gluing images into a panorama” not entirely true? The answer is simple: the statement does not take into account what needs to be corrected and taken into account at the post: distortions introduced by the lens, perspective and spatial distortion, color correction and many other factors.
In order to provide yourself with less work at the post, it is recommended to initially shoot the panorama as “correctly” as possible. And for this you can not do without auxiliary means. Panoramic tripod head- this is one of the important devices that will allow you to create high-quality panoramas with less effort in post-processing. You can read more about why you need to use a panoramic head in a very good article.
I would like to consider the choice of a panoramic tripod head: buy a ready-made solution or make it yourself.

Turnkey solution

Excellent panoramic head. Sturdy aluminum construction, a guarantee of reliability from a renowned manufacturer, precise fixation. It is supported by the fact that the panoramas of the Hermitage were made by the photographer Natalya Kovarskaya with the help of this head. A detailed description of this head can be found in this article.
But the price cools the ardor a little: about 20,000 rubles. in RF.

The head is from a Chinese manufacturer, the quality is satisfactory, but the price is about 14,000 rubles.

High quality head, easy to use.
But the price is about $640.

Allows you to use a heavy camera and lenses, light, easy to handle. Precise positioning.
The price is about $450 for the top version.

Homemade heads

Homemade head, not inferior to commercial counterparts. Detailed scheme and description on the page in his blog.

Head from Yuri Nadezhin

We can say a professional solution, for the manufacture of which a metalworking machine is needed. Drawings can be found or.

Homemade head at a price of 200-300 rubles. Andrey even patented this invention. Withstands heavy photographic equipment. More details on Andrey's personal page.

conclusions

P.s. Thank you all for finding the bugs