More interesting (or pointless, you decide!) results.
Heavy Duty Tripod Heads (I did not include the Large Format head that came with the Ries J600) - From back to front,
Arca Cube, RRS BH55, FLM CB-58 FT II, Acratech Paning Head, Acratech Leveling Base, and a special Guest Star, a Novoflex ... nothing.
Also visible is a Gitzo GT5533LS. We're going all in on stability here.
The question that most users ask is "how quickly and/or well can I frame my shot when the slightest movement of the camera causes the image to jump halfway across the screen?" So I chose a target image and timed how long it would take me to frame the shot with each setup. Now I am least familiar with the FLM head - it's complex. Very complex. But with no further excuses...
Head followed by seconds to frame:
Acratech Pan w/Level 28
Cube 31
BH55 40
Acratech Pan 44
FLM 49
Novy 107
So we have three clear ranges.
The Cube and Acratech Pan with Level Base are both fast to level, and, since my Cube doesn't have geared panning, both need panning manipulation by hand. The difference is in the vertical motion, and there the cube is slower, if more accurate. The Acratech moved smoothly enough that I did not have to overshoot many times to get the right height.
The next range has two ballheads and a panning base. The panning base, though, needs leveling, and that can only be done with the tripod legs. The head itself has a very sensitive bubble level, so that isn't very difficult - just time consuming. The ball heads have no separate leveling function, although the FLM has a way of locking tilt to a single axis. The problem is that this has to be the RIGHT axis, and setting that takes some time. That being said, the BH55 and FLM were the only heads to give noticeably non-vertical final images. Very close, but noticeable.
The Novy, of course, could only be done by picking up the tripod and adjusting its leg lengths. This took ... a while. Not recommended. OTOH, it is by far the lightest head in the group. And the stiffest.
What does it all mean? Well, until I get the heavier camera for long exposures, and some real-world tests, we have the Cube and the Acra Pan Lvl. The latter, unfortunately, is the least stiff of the group. Only real world tests will show if that matters (for me, anyway). See the following post for data on stiffness.
The Cube, of course, remains quick, accurate, and strong. The FLM might get faster if I practice getting its tilt axis level enough - did I mention that it's complicated?
Now for panoramas, leveling the base only has to be done once, so that may change the calculations significantly. My BH55, for instance, has a panning head, and once it is leveled, you can snap away merrily. The FLM and Acratech have panning bases, and the Cube has both a panning base and a panning head. To do multi row stitching, both the Cube and the Acratech need leveled bases, and that's one place where the Acratech combo excels.
Notably absent: Wimberly...
Until next time,
Matt