Would this fluid ball head allow me to smoothly follow aerobatics at an air show at great distances? Will be using a 2-lb. camcorder on this device.
1662588
The head is very stiff and if it's cold out, it's virtually impossible to get any smooth action because of the stiffness. There is a post in cheesycam on how to change the fluid; I did that BUT: a: it was only applicable to the tilt operation as the site did not cover panning. In any case, even that did not fully solve the problem. Cannot really recommend this head unless you're at the equator!!
280168
How motivated are you, and how are you traveling? I really like this tripod, and have used it with 20x60 binoculars a mile walk from a vehicle. The 'pod, a 128RC mount, and a small spotter together weigh about 14 pounds. I have a vanguard tripod and a 391 head that will take the weight down to about 11 pounds - but the 55 is in my trunk today. I probably wouldn't try to take this on a plane, as its most collapsed length is still pretty good-sized, and I wouldn't likely take it backpacking, but for car camping and day hikes it's very good.
775630
Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it for lots of video, there are better tripod heads with a pan-handle (haha) that make panning smoother. Once you lock the ball with the two knobs, there is a separate knob that controls rotation, and it tells you the degrees (0-360), so you can take panoramic photos. You loosen the rotation knob and can pan, it does feel smooth, and could be used if you will do occasional videos. If you are taking a lot of videos, I would get something made more for videos.
769661
I have only had good success with shooting video with this ball head on my Konova Slider. One day, I will have 'time lapse' equipment and can answer your question then. Best of Luck to you. Al Hamilton, Ardmore, OK
2233689
Yes. You'll have to remove tripod head and it wont be too steady but it can work. It did for me; just be gentle on your moves.
1454065
First off, I covet your camcorder (I'm using the FDR-ax100 - not quite up to pro yet). The MP360 motors for both pan and tilt are whisper quiet, but still might get picked up by the built in mics. I always record my audio separately and sync afterwards, so I've never really paid attention to mechanical noises. My guess is if you are attaching a shotgun or a mounted recording device at a reasonable distance from the base of the camcorder it won't be a problem. My only concern is the weight of your AX2000 may cause the motor to strain slightly and raise the noise. Nice thing about amazon is you can send it back if it does. I'd say "go for it". BTW if you read my review, the MP360 is in practice not usable past about two revolutions since the control cable raps around your tripod as it turns, so if your looking for do a multi-revolution time lapse device - keep looking. Otherwise it's well built, useful, and affordable.
973918
It would work fine. You would need a good fluid head and good support from tripods or something but it would slide without shaking.
769665
Yes it is very heavy for a standard ball head and has worked great for my time laps. Dont forget to weigh down your tripod.
2071536
Yes, it can. The springs on this system is VERY STIFF. I have a Canon XHA1S and Glidecam HD2000 and it flies fine (this is probably comparable to your HVX200 and Glidecam 3000...~10 lbs) but performance is bad. The problem is the single arm. It does not reduce enough of the up-down movement from your body, so I returned mine. Maybe enought practice will make your shots smoother but I don't have that patience. I want something that will require less out of me. This unit is also sold on Ebay under multiple different brand names. I ended up buying a Wieldy dual arm and adapted that to my Glidecam HD2000 and love it. The Wieldy can fly my 5DMIII + Glidecam HD2000 or XHA1S + HD2000. You won't regret the Wieldy and it doesn't matter anyway as both this unit and the Wieldy are knockoffs made in China anyway...my 2 cents.
1639214
I know it will take the weight. I have never shot videos with a DLSR. So I couldn't honestly answer your question. I would get a fluid head designed for this type of work.
213108
Yes you can. I prefer using this ball head over a tripod head. I think you will really like it once you get comfortable with it.
758853
Depends ; How far you are ! Horse track yes foot ball no . The 8250 Aculon needs a try-pod because it is made for distance it is to large to keep steady while just holding it by hand alone . I use a mono shooting stick and that works just fine . I personally think it' to large to be taken in to a sporting event.
1693168
Not a necessity, but a good quality ball head would provide more functionality both for the tripod and whatever camera/lens you use. This is a lightweight tripod so the large camera with large lens will be a challenge.
212998
I think the answer would be yes, but I wonder if your head bounce from the ride would be almost too much for decent viewing comfort. I have adapted several of the various mounts supplied by GoPro for that camera to handle bars, flat surfaces, hats, etc. I think you may be better off to purchase one of the accessory kits from GoPro and make an adaption from that using glue or screws ... I know, I know, nobody wants to do that to their helmet and this strap thing just may be the trick. What the heck, it's pretty cheap, give it a try!
1921236
I believe it would have the power to be able to lift a very small lightweight video camera (it would have to be smaller than even a go pro) but unfortunately because this is not a professional unit it would not be balanced nor would it have the capability for the balance to be adjusted. For cameras i would always suggest using a quad copter for its stability. Basic helicopters don't have the precision of a quad copter that would be very beneficial for taking video.
736736
From my experience I would think so. You can always tighten the screw with a screw driver to really tighten it up if your hand alone won't do the trick. I would also use the grip with the water proof frame like the picture shows for added security. This will also reduce a lot of the wind noise while filming at high speeds. I also have the regular gopro frame but I wouldn't trust that to hold on a coaster. Happy coaster bombing!
8053
Unfortunately no, it's not capable of following a moving object. You essentially pre-program a start and end position. That being said, if you shot a presentation in wide angle at 4K you could later crop that footage down to 1080p and "follow" the person in post production. Similar to pan and scan on old VHS transfers of widescreen.