Here I’m going to talk to about the pro, cons and differences between pan & tilt and ball heads on tripods. If your confused as to which one is best for you, this will really help you out!
Before we get into the differences, first make sure you get the right head and tripod for the weight of your camera. Basically if your camera is too heavy for the head you’ve bought it will just fall over. You’ll find the weight requirements of a particular tripod head on its specs, just look it up on whatever web site you’re buying it from. Basically it breaks down like this; If you’ve got the lighter SLR’s like the Canon 1300d or Nikon d3300 then you’ll get away with the smaller heads and tripods but if you’ve got the Canon 7D, 5D or Nikon D750, which are heavier cameras because they are built using metals not plastics, then you’ll need a bigger head and tripod to support the weight of it.
There are two different types of tripod heads; a ball head and a Pan & Tilt Head
Ball Head
Pros – Easy to use – quick to operate – and generally smaller to carry around
Cons – Harder to get things precise.
Pan & Tilt Head
Pros – Very precise control – feels more solid.
Cons – It’s bigger in size – Slower to adjust.
So, which one should you buy? Well the answer to that is simple.
If you need speed, buy a ball head.
If you need precision buy a pan and tilt head.
A ball head would suit things like sports, or studio work where the model is moving a lot, or wildlife if you have to keep moving the camera positioning as the animals move etc.
Whereas a pan and tilt head would suit landscape photography as precision is important and the land don’t move. Or studio work if the subject doesn’t move e.g. still life.
Which one do I prefer?
Well I prefer the pan and tilt head as if I’m using a tripod, it’s because I’m trying to be accurate, landscapes for example. If I’m shooting people, in the studio or outside, I tend to be hand holding the camera anyway. So for me a tripod is about accuracy and stability and the pan and tilt heads give me that.
So that’s it. I hope it’s helped you out and informed you as to what one will be best for you.
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Thanks. This video just helped me make my decision as to which tripod head I’m taking to Iceland! I own both types, but am going w the heavier pan & tilt head especially for my landscape & long exposure work.
Thanks!
perfect, I found your video!
What would you recommend for Astrophotography?
Why does it seem like he's talking to potheads all the time? Lol
Thank you!
I'm trying to shoot the moon with a large manually controlled telephoto lens, sometimes it's windy and cold. I'd like your suggestion on what type of tripod would help me track the moon as it moves through the sky. Thank you.
which one is better for 360 panoramic photos
I have a cheap ballhead tripod that has an issue with a DSLR attached to a long-zoom lens (500mm), and I am mounting the long lens to the tripod. The issue is when I tighten things down, when I let go of the camera, it tilts up a little bit more (due to the weight of the camera body). This makes it hard to position something in the frame. Is this an issue with higher-end ballheads? Thanks.
If you know how to properly dose friction, 3w head does everything the ball head does and a little more. The opposite is not the case. 😉
a very useful video thanks for your view on this.
I like your camera
What about a gearhead tripod? You didnt mention those
Thanks mate, came in handy, I'm a newby with a Nikon p1000. Any ideas of best for moon, planes, stars, zoom stuff? You've given me iseas.
I'm just close to buy a new head and this video was helful to me for the final choice. Thank you!
Thanks! Your video has helped me realize that I need a pan and tilt instead of a ballhead. So which one?
Such a great video – thanks for sharing! Hope you can help me out here;-) I have the Manfrotto 055XPRO3 with a center column that tilts 90 degrees for overhead shots. I have a standard ball head and am thinking about buying something else.
I am looking for something to help me refine my food photographing as I find it takes way too much time. Both when I do overhead and straight on shots I find it difficult to get the lines straight and I find that once I tighten a screw in the setup and let go of hold the camera it drops a little and is not straight/in level anymore. Very annoying 😳
I have heard a bit about the Manfrotto Junior Geared Head and about fluid heads (usually used for film but should be great to still photography)
My questions: What equipment would I benefit fro to fine adjust my setup to the manfrotto tripod?
Would (how) I benefit from the Manfrotto 131D Overhead Arm?
Any other tips on how to struggle less to setup both for straight on and overhead shots that never seem to be even/in level etc for me?
Thanks a lot for any advice;-)
Really useful info! Many thanks 🙂
Nice review, well explained. Thanks!
solid review… thanx !! 😉
I have both of these heads, but never really thought about the difference. This was a very interesting comparison. Thanks for posting.
Excellent video, helped a lot.
This is the video that I was searching for rather than spending 10+ hours on amazon trying to find a Tripod
I'm a beginner, this was AN AMAZING REVIEW. You are great at teaching, thank you so much, I have learned what I needed to make a decision on buying my tripod head 🙂
Thanks Marc. Great comparison.
No homo what a beautiful soothing voice!
-muhammad
great
A problem that I am having with my Manfrotto Tripod Ballhead is that when I place the camera to be level… i do all my tightening and then when i let go .. it drops the camera down a smidge. That makes it no longer level. It only happens within that point.. if I tighten it at any other level it works perfectly. Has this ever happend to you? I am assuming it needs to be serviced but I have no idea how to do that. I'd appreciate the advice.
Feedback: Just curious…why would you have a black background when the tripods and cameras are black…to boot, your shirt is black. You can't see anything very well.
"Free" knobs for everyone!
Which would be best for a slider on an angle.
Awesome Review!
Thanks!
send me those tripod models
Thank you sir! Can I use fluid heads for both photography and video?
It would be nice to see what brands of heads those were.