Tripod head?

[IDmuleyjunkee]

Ok, so I'm kinda new to lightweight tripods and accessories and such and have a tripod on order and am trying to decide on a head for it. Now I'm not willing to spend 200+ for a tripod head as I only spent 60 on the tripod and I don't see it being necessary. Here's a few I have been looking at, what is the difference between a 2 and 3-way panning head? And anyone personally tried either of these or something similar in price? If so please throw in your 2 bits... Thanks

http://www.sandsarchery.com/Promaster_6090_all_metal_3_way_pan_head_p/p6090.htm

http://www.sandsarchery.com/Promaster_6160_all_metal_3_way_pan_head_p/p6160.htm

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/508060-REG/Slik_618_717_SH_707E_2_Way_Pan_Tilt_Head.html

 

[bucklover]

Just something that I have found very helpful: Make sure the one you buy has that little secondary pin sticking up. Otherwise your spotting scope will have a tendency to want to rotate on you.

 

[IDmuleyjunkee]

Secondary pin? On the mounting plate you mean??

 

[bucklover]

Yes. It sits right in line with the threaded bolt that screws up into the spotting scope. Without out it, the scope wants to rotate and you are constantly needing ti tighten it. After a while the threads on the spotting scope tend to strip out. All this is assuming your spotting scope has that second hole. If is doesn't its not a big deal to drill it out. I just noticed that at least one of the heads you were looking at didn't have one. Just thought I would point that out to you. Hope it helps.

 

[SandSarchery]

The difference between a 2 and 3 way head is that the 2 only pans left and right and tilts up and down. A 3 way head will also have an adjustment to rotate the mounting plate so that you can level it when on uneven ground.

A 3 way head is a lot more important for video cameras then a spotting scope so you can level the image in the viewfider of the camera.

Also, a good smooth head will make your glassing much more enjoyable and productive. Cheap heads won't allow you to pan smoothly and when viewing through a spotting scope can be a headache.

The 6160 you posted from my website is a great all around head.

One bit of advice I give people when buying spotting scopes and tripods is to spend a little more on a good tripod/head than they want. The best glass in the world won't look good through a shaky tripod.