Author Topic: New and very interesting fluid head  (Read 6680 times)

PedroS

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New and very interesting fluid head
« on: October 30, 2015, 13:34:20 »
Just released by RRS  8)

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/FG-02-Fluid-Gimbal-Head

Maybe the best of the two worlds?
Try to test one in a couple of weeks.

Royal Winchester

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2016, 20:39:14 »
I've been very pleased with mine!  :)

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2016, 20:59:30 »
I'll be interested in learning your findings, Pedro.

The contraption appeared to be quite unstable in my opinion, when compared to the traditional video fluid heads. But perhaps it works better in practice?

PedroS

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2016, 21:04:45 »
Think to have one to try next September.
Let you know.
 8)

elsa hoffmann

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2016, 21:44:51 »
It appears 2 kidneys won't be enough..  :-[
"You don’t take a photograph – you make it” – Ansel Adams. Thats why I use photoshop.
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Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2016, 21:46:37 »
Then you have none left ... Elsa ... Not convinced about this head, but Pedro's opinions will be invaluable later.

The asking price about $1.500 is not bad though, compared to a real fluid head.

elsa hoffmann

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2016, 22:04:12 »
Then you have none left ... Elsa ...


exactly my point Bjørn  - "not so Bad " is relative if you look at the exchange rate right now..

I am however interested in hearing the real life opinions on this head
"You don’t take a photograph – you make it” – Ansel Adams. Thats why I use photoshop.
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richardHaw

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #7 on: August 24, 2016, 04:17:32 »
interesting...this is going to be a niche product :o :o :o

PedroS

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2016, 21:41:16 »
Then you have none left ... Elsa ... Not convinced about this head, but Pedro's opinions will be invaluable later.

The asking price about $1.500 is not bad though, compared to a real fluid head.

Can confirm, during September I'll have it to use during some days.
I pretend to test it against mine Mongoose M-3.6 and Cartoni Focus HD
Tripods to be used: Gitzo GT3542XLS and Cartoni ENG carb
Gear on them: D500/D810/D4s + 400mm f2.8 FL VR w/wo TCs

PedroS

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2016, 15:05:39 »
 8)

As I have promised you, here’s my RRS head test.

Disclaimer - my evaluation was done in normal use, wildlife and sports. I completed it with studio one (not the best field for these type of heads) but allowing to use controlled light to lower shooter speeds.
All tests were done without mirror lock-up, or shooting delay.
A word about the shooting technique with big teles; forget using the whole arm on top of the lens, forcing down the barrel, and using the face to force the camera to stay put. This technique, in my experience, is the worst you aim for. Shivering is the biggest enemy when using these long lenses and, the human body is the greatest source of tremor. Therefore, the more contact there is, the worse it will be. With this in mind, I use a very different approach, which consists solely in putting ones hand on the base of the tripod head and push up, with your thumb, the lens barrel. The face should do the least possible contact with the camera.

As I said, the RRS (a hydraulic gimbal) was compared with two other heads, the Mongoose (a typical gimbal) and Cartoni focus HD (a typical fluid head) on two types of tripod, being the Gitzo the one to make things on the light side, and the Cartoni to have the best possible stable base.

Build quality - RRS wins despite not much in front of the Mongoose. The Cartoni comes third. Incidentally, the RRS should be called instead RRQS… Really Right Quality Stuff! Very well built, everything fits and works as it should be. Excellent finish, without sharp edges that could hurt.

Portability - The Mongoose is by far the winner, followed by the RRS and then the Cartoni. The RRS is modular, which facilitates its storage, but it is complex with several parts that have to fit and hold. Heavy and large, becomes difficult to use when in shelter. Here, either the Mongoose or the Cartoni are better, because they are more compact and without so many "arms/levers" that prevent the free usage of it. However, it may seem that the weight and size of the RRS will be not important when we carry a 400/600 + camera + tripod, but you should take into account that it is all to add up, and, at the end of the day, 500gr more, will become several Kgs later on.

Assembly - Draw between the Mongoose and the Cartoni, being the RRS a close third. Easy to realize that if we have to assemble several pieces, it will take more time to get everything ready... However, after assembly, it stays where it should, due to the inherent build quality and attention to design.

Usage - The most important point. The RRS is an hybrid between the typical gimbal and a fluid one, using the gimbal approach with the axles damped by an hydraulic system. The principle is promising and interesting, but it bears the pros and cons of both systems. The gimbal design have two basic issues: several “arms” leveraging potential areas of vibration, and, several axles, potential looseness sites, vibration and unwanted movement. The bigger the “arms” of the gimbal, the worse for vibrations issues, and this RRS has long “arms” indeed. In this respect, and even if its “arms” are very robust and with good attachment points, the RRS suffers from this typical gimbal problem. The Mongoose with a much simpler design, and perhaps a clever approach, is more robust as a whole. Better stability is also achieved with its curved “arm”, which reduces to one axle instaed of two as the RRS. The Cartoni as a fluid head, does not have these “arms”, so no leverage, more compact, robust and by far, the most stable.
Of course if we use high shooter speeds >500/s, the three have perfect control of the situation, but when the speed starts to reach critical values (dawn, dusk ...) the Cartoni excels with exemplary stability, followed by Mongoose, and thirdly the RRS.
Regarding quality of tracking, and because of its manufacturer quality, the winner is the RRS vs the Mongoose, because it has more developed axles and also damped by the hydraulic system. That said, and even with great tracking capabilities, the RRS cannot compete against the Cartoni, which is the winner after all.
In a versatile usage of the heads, such as panoramas, the RRS is the best. Modular assembly, which means adaptability, second to none manufacturing, many available accessories and ease of use in this particular, the RRS should be the best choice. The Mongoose is a gimbal period, and the Cartoni a fluid one. No compromises built on these two.

Conclusion - I have some difficulty in recommending this head... why? Well, first because if you want a gimbal for ease of use, portability and above all, to obtain a versatile system on the field for large lenses, then the choice should be the Mongoose. Lightweight, extremely robust, meets perfectly the requirements for use in wildlife. Besides, it has two brakes on its axles that serve to transport the tripod, safely, on the shoulder. The RRS is a piece of machinery that gives pleasure to see and own, but it's big, heavy and not very pratical to assemble and disassemble, but easy to accommodate in a bag. It serves as a gimbal for sure, but suffers at low speeds. The tracking is perfect and well damped, but here the Cartoni rules.
In fact I still think there is no better than a fluid head for this type of use, but they are no free lunch either, such as size, portability, weight and less versatility. Not mentioning cost…

The RRS price is at the level of a low range fluid head, but well above a good gimbal.
It is certainly a head that establishes a separate category, which brings together the advantages of the gimbal and hydraulic. But at the time of choice, don’t forget its drawbacks.

Bjørn Rørslett

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2016, 17:03:08 »
Thanks a bunch, Pedro :D

These results are not unexpected and in fact, show why the entirety of the shooter's situation and subject(s) need to be taken into account. There is no free lunch and no given 'winner' for applications of really long, heavy lenses.

The advice to forget the often touted 'long lens technique' is timely and sound.

Erik Lund

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Re: New and very interesting fluid head
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2016, 00:02:00 »
Thanks! It makes completely sense ;)
Erik Lund