Fluid head

Fluid Heads
Fluid heads are designed for motion picture and video work, but for still photographers with long lenses, the ultra-smooth pan and tilt movements of fluid heads have advantages similar to those of gimbal heads.

Fluid heads are designed to dampen sudden movements for smooth panning. Though occasionally used by still photographers in sports and action photography, fluid heads are most often used in video production.
Geared Head Edit ...

In the past I have used a pan tilt head at the zoo in a manner similar to using a fluid head. If you level your tripod and side to side tilt axis, you can use a pan/tilt head much like a video fluid head.

Grecco: I had the Canon 5D Mark II on a Redrock shoulder rig and on a tripod with a fluid head. When I used the shoulder rig, I used the loupe in the back, the magnifier. This allowed me to focus much more easily while I was shooting.

Gitzo GH1720QR Series 1 Birdwatching Fluid Head
This is the only tripod head we know of that’s been specifically designed for birdwatching, as opposed to bird photography.

More expensive tripods come with swappable heads and optional spiked feet for rough ground, and usually feature fluid heads, which are designed to move more smoothly than the basic heads on inexpensive tripods.

“I use a long lens, 500mm, mainly because the dragonfly won’t let you get too close, and the camera on a tripod with a fluid head. An advantage of a long lens means that my movement to keep the dragonfly in frame is less.

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Topic: Photography