As for the levers interfering with each other(tilt and forward-backward lock), it is my experience that with some Smallrig leavers they are spring mounted(pull outward) and you can rotate them to a more suitable position.
Many thanks for this tip. I had a look at the SmallRig 3457 video head again and it appears that three of the levers have this functionality including the lever for adjusting the tilt (as well as the small lever to adjust the rotation of the mount part and the lever for tightening the handle grip). So it appears that video head is less flawed than what my ignorance initially led me to believe.
@@RadCameraMan Hi, I am glad that I was able to shed some light on the subject. I would rather put it down to my spending a lot of time using Smallrig than to your ignorance. Thank you for your videos.
Wow you’ve got an absolute TON of spec info and measurements here, which is perhaps helpful to some folks. But, have a feeling most people watching this video came here to see some actual footage to see how these heads perform, pros and cons of how they shoot, etc.
Thank you for a very thorough review. I just wanted to add my experiences on a few points. By the way, I have nothing to gain by promoting the SmallRig or any other product. I'm glad someone straightened you out in the comments on the issue of the knob interference, but given the amount of time you spent going down the wrong path on this it would be nice to see it corrected in the video, as many people might miss the correction in the comments. A video close-up of how repositioning the knobs works would be most welcome. A few other comments: 4:07 -- Tilting up 90-deg: "The SmallRig one won't allow you to do that." There's a simple workaround for this if you don't need to go from 90-deg down to 90-deg up in one shot. Because of the extra rotational freedom of the mounting plate, it's a very simple matter to release the clamp screw and rotate the camera 180-deg. Then by using the head "backwards", you can tilt up 90-deg. You'll probably want to reposition the handle, and with a small camera you may have to clamp down on the tilt friction because you'll be a the maximum tension of the balance spring. 21:00 -- Quick release safety feature: "So this quick release safety feature doesn't seem to work properly." On mine, the safety bosses engage well, up to the point where the quick-release clamp is so loose that the plate comes up and off, rather than sliding out the end. So I'm wondering if there is a difference in mechanical tolerances, or if you just didn't carefully consider how loose your clamp screw was. If the clamp screw is loose enough that you can simply lift the camera off, then of course no safety feature will help. Also note that many people will have a variety of QR plates from different manufacturers. I find that, for example, the plate from a Newer ball head, which by the way has cap screws for stops like the Ulanzi plate, works equally well on the SmallRig (and would probably also work well on the Ulanzi). 23:38 -- Pan/Tilt Smoothness: You say both pan and tilt are not "uniformly smooth" on the SmallRig. I don't have the Ulanzi to compare with, but I find my SmallRig very smooth on both, provided the clamp screws are reasonably loose. See below about the pan clamp. On the tilt, if the clamp is tightened almost to the point of immovability I can feel a slight bit of irregularity, but that would also be a very uncomfortable mode of use. There may also be a "wear-in" factor here, as I would expect it to become smoother with use. 25:33 -- Pan clamp screw: "...but if you unscrew it too much, it comes out completely..." On mine, it takes 8-1/2 revolutions to completely remove the screw, whereas it takes only 1/2 revolution (or less) to fully unclamp the pan joint. I can imagine some very peculiar situation where something rubs on the screw and repeated motion might tend to unscrew it, but this strikes me as very unlikely. The viscosity of the grease seems sufficient to prevent reasonable vibration from causing the screw to loosen. It is also worth noting that if you loosen the pan clamp screw only a small amount, say 1/8 of a turn, you may think that the pan joint is free, but it will in fact hit some bumps at various angles, resulting in jerky pans. A half a turn seems more than adequate to avoid this, and again, is very far from what is required to remove the screw completely. 28:21 -- Handle: "I'd just like to emphasize that this handle is really useless in my opinion." I don't quite understand why you are so down on the handle of the SmallRig, and it makes me wonder how much time you've spent shooting video with it. I find the telescoping feature to be very useful and one of the more appealing features of the head. Collapsing the handle completely is great for stowage and quick motion with a small camera. Full extension works very well for slow, smooth pans and tilts, and intermediate lengths allow the obvious compromises. The adjustable length allows you to optimize for the subject, type of camera, and lens focal length. Your suggestion of using just the camera with no handle seems misguided at best, and only slightly better than using a ball head. By the way, I found it was very helpful to put a small amount of grease on the threads of the handle attachment screw and on both sides of the washer under the head of the screw. Before doing that I would often find that I hadn't tightened it quite enough to hold the handle against rotation in the clamp when I twisted it to extend or retract it. With the grease that hasn't been a problem. Also worth noting: 1. The tilt clamp gives a reasonable degree of control over the clamping friction, whereas the pan clamp is essentially all-or-nothing. I would not expect this difference to be much of an issue, as you need the adjustable tilt friction to counteract gravity (depending on the weight and balance of your rig), whereas there are not likely to be external forces on the pan axis that need to be counteracted. 2. The mounting clamp rotation feature allows for very convenient rotation of the camera from landscape to portrait orientation by rotating, panning, and tilting 90-deg in each axis. It looks like you would have to unmount the camera and remount it with a 90-deg rotation to do this on the Ulanzi. On the SmallRig you can even do this very smoothly on a live video shot, should you be seized by an uncontrollable urge to induce motion sickness in your audience. Again, thanks for your review, and I hope these comments help someone.
@@RadCameraMan Smiley face noted, but for those who might somehow have missed it, nope. I have absolutely no connection with SmallRig or anything to gain by promoting their products. I'm just an engineer who appreciates good design and has a penchant for rigorous presentation of the facts. In a world filled with poorly designed crap it is noteworthy to come across products that are well thought out and executed, and that effort deserves at least the respect of accurate reportage.
@@RadCameraMan None to speak of. I'm normally much more involved in still photography, but have been pressed into service as a videographer to cover some events in recent months.
good video, the idea behind the telescoping handle is most likely as a Transport function, to store the head/tripod without any snagging issues, for instance, if you hike, and carry the tripod on a backpack, or over your shoulder, it can't snag a tree, or ones cloathing.
Yes, the idea is good in theory but in practice it is more of a nuisance... also the implementation of it is not great in comparison to the telescoping handles on bigger fluid heads such as the Ikan E-image GB2 or GB3. I think one of the problems with it is that the handle itself needs to be rotated in order to extend the handle which means the whole fluid head will move as a result when attempting to do this so it is not possible to change it mid-shoot without shaking the fluid head and camera as a result. Also, if the handle hasn't been tightened very firmly, the handle will rotate instead of the extendable part.
Thanks for the reviews. The ability to rotate the A-S mount makes the SmallRig 3457 the better choice for me because mount the camera square when using shorter lenses but toward the target with lens mounts. I’m planning on pairing it with a set of self-leveling Leofoto LS-223CEX Ranger legs for low POV wildlife photography and video. FYI, Small Rig has a new smaller head with leveling base for $70 but it lacks the ability to rotate the A-S mount.
@@TeddyCavachon thanks for sharing the model number. I looked up the new one and it is better in that it is lighter, has a better pan bar and no longer has the mount rotation section. However the new one has a levelling base and is 20cm tall which is double that of the old one. Overall the new one seems to be better but substantially larger. I would have preferred it without the levelling base and for it to be shorter and even lighter instead.
Thank you 👍 I also have separate videos for each of these videoheads but the information is repetitive, nevertheless I will leave a link to them in case it is useful: ua-cam.com/play/PL42hO7UHafKverdk2zvmjTySWxrJNp167.html
Both might suit travel use, although neither is a great head IMO, albeit I like the SR #3457 enough to just buy for stills and occasional video use when travelling light but not wanting to 'hand hold'. Everything is a compromise. After 40 years shooting, I currently own about 6-7 tripods and 10+ heads - different size, performance trade offs etc (like scredrivers - the right tool for the job). I must have sold on a similar number of inferior sticks and heads in my quest to understand the differences and find the 'best' - which doesn't and won't ever exist! Best I can manage is a 'good enough' tool for any given use case. I like SmallRig kit and have certainly bought enough of their kit to assist the Chinese economy (joke). I recently ordered this #3457 for possible travel use and a heavier #4165 to compare with one of my Manfrotto heads, which I may sell on eBay. Like lenses I try a lot of stuff and retain less than 50% but try to keep stuff that helps me and merits a place in my photographic 'tool box'.
I have tried a bunch of small video heads including these two, which are very nice in terms of materials and construction quality. However the panning and tilting is pretty bad. It's barely usable in the Ulanzi but very bad in the smallRig. If you have a small setup with a mirrorless camera, for travelling I recommend the Velbon PH-248 which despite being plasticky and using a non standard plate, it's pretty smooth even at panning. It's actually smoother than a lot of bigger video heads as the Manfrotto MHXPRO-2W which I also owns.
An interesting comparison for those who haven't seen either head close up or felt 'in the metal'. SR do at least 5 fluid Heads. SR models #3259 at 279g or #4270 at 350g are more comparable to the Ulanzi. Everything is a compromise. Arguably neither head is a great fluid head where one can easily spend $2000+ for better performance. But equally there is a place for both of these heads, albeit as you go ever smaller then the fiddle factor and ergonomics mitigate against being useful. I feel your video would have benefitted from you knowing your key points in advance. It was longer and less certain that it might otherwise have been (for instance conjecture about the Ulanzi plate turning). Also your attempts to detail measurements, whilst well intended, bordered on 'obsession' and could be much tighter. eg the arca plate dimensions top and bottom were excessive detail that just distracted from your key message. BTW the SR 'knob conflict' although not great, is easily overcome by lifting and then rotating the cam knob so that further turning is possible. I don't mean to be negative and critical as I felt you made a good effort to explore the micro differences. But better prior product knowledge and pre-planning your key message points might help you make even better 'clearer' comparison videos.
Thanks man! I could be wrong, but for the SmallRig one, I think you can unscrew the mount lock lever to reposition it. This would solve the hitting problem between adjustment lever and mount lock lever when tilting. By the way I would love to see in movement comparative footage of theses heads.
I had a look at the mount lock lever but it is not possible to reposition it as there are barriers to its movement in both directions unless I misunderstood what you meant. Please have another look at the movement of the mount slide lock lever and the metal section that will stop it in both directions, or alternatively please let me know if I have misunderstood the instructions.
Your video is not bad but the recording voice too poor alot of eco sound. You should use a more semi professional mic closer to you to prevent echo background.
Many thanks for the feedback. There is a blank wall in front of me as well as to my right side which I suspect is causing the echo/reverb. I don't have any sound proofing on the walls etc. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for a microphone to use (or let me know if the sound is any better in my newer videos) ?
Does anyone have experience with this Ulanzi U-190 vs SmallRig CH-10? They are about the same price, just wondering if there is any major difference in quality and smoothness of pan/tilt. Very useful video, thank you.
There is comment thread about this on the U-190 video (link below). It seems like one person managed to get it to work but another person tried and the screws didn't line up. I haven't tried unscrewing and repositioning the mount myself but I measured the distance between the screws and the distance was equal in either direction. ua-cam.com/video/KSgJz5uzqho/v-deo.html&lc=Ugx5NdoRQfReYPCsJ154AaABAg
there someone comment to use the L key on the bottom of tripod holes, it can reduce the stif of the pan an tilt and make it more smooth stop when paning and tilt, have u tried that? i wanna buy this but many review and video say that they are to stiff not smooth
The SmallRig 3457 is loose and much easier to move than the Ulanzi U-190. Regarding using the L key on the bottom screw to loosen the pan further; I contacted SmallRig and they said this: " _It is not possible to adjust the tension/resistance to the translational movement by using an Allen key to turn the nut in the tripod mount (i.e. the bottom base of the video head)._ " However someone in the comments mentioned that they did this and it worked for them although they said they were not sure whether it impacted the stability of the video head. Here is a link to that comment and video: ua-cam.com/video/luegv75Tmds/v-deo.html&lc=Ugz9WbHiHIUpYTG5LrZ4AaABAg
Thanks for feedback... I am going to do a follow up to this video and compare these two video heads to some other ones as well. If you want to be notified once that goes up, press the subscribe button.
Nice review. What tripod are you using? if you retrofit this to most tripods balancing them to be flat is a nightmare. I am surprised they don't incorporate a levelling method. is there a work around?
SmallRig has since updated their video-head with one that has a levelling feature built into it (SmallRig 4170B) amzn.to/3OxfxX7 However I haven't tried that one. I was using mine with a monopod so levelling wasn't a requirement for me but nevertheless I use the "iFootage Gazelle TC9 Tripod" which has a levelling feature and that's how most video tripods are: amzn.to/3w14NtH
@@RadCameraMan thanks for the feedback, I will take a look. I like the tc9, but don’t really need another tripod 🙂 hopefully the one you mentioned could be a solution 👌👍👍
Is the Ulanzi so strong that you risk tipping your tripod (say a simple one that is 2.5 lbs in the $75 range) over when trying to tilt the video head? Or is the tripod still reasonably stable while you are handling the video head?
You don't risk tipping over the tripod but the tripod will move or shake if you have a light tripod which defies the point of having a video head. Maybe you can attach some weight to your tripod to make it more stable. I created this other video about the Ulanzi one which might be helpful to watch in order to see its functionality in more detail: ua-cam.com/video/KSgJz5uzqho/v-deo.html
I intend to do a comparison video with Sirui VA-5, iFootage Komodo K5, SmallRig 3259 ch10, and Ikan E-image GH06F, so if you want to be notified once that video is published press the subscribe button to be notified once that video goes up.
How about the Smallrig 3259 for $49.99 and 5% off rn? I'm tossed up between this and the Ulanzi U-190. I'm looking at getting the Ulanzi Coman Y Tripod (Travel tripod) and getting this as a ballhead. I mostly do photography, but I wanna have something for when I do videos, like when I was at a tennis tournament, I used a ballhead to pan between both sides of the net and it was NOT stable, lol.
I haven't used the SmallRig 3259 ch10 so I can't comment about it. But I don't recommend the Ulanzi U-190 for tennis because the pan is too stiff which means the beginning of the pan movement will be jerky which is exacerbated if you are recording a tennis match. Sirui VA-5 and iFootage Komodo K5 are also worth having a look at. I intend to do a review comparison with all those heads soon including the SmallRig 3259 ch10 so if you want to be notified once that video is published press the subscribe button to be notified once that video goes up.
@@RadCameraMan I gotchu! The head on the Ulanzi Coman Y looks pretty good in itself, but its a ballhead like most tripods. I'd love to have a decent pano head to just change in/out, but can't believe they're in the range $100-200! Best budget option?? Would the U-190 suffice for slower video movements? (tennis, zoomed out, for example).
@@MNKOGaming even for slower video movements, there will still be a slight jerk at the beginning of the movement which defies the point of having a video head. So I think the SmallRig 3457 is the only realistic option. I intend to test some other video heads and provide more information soon. However out of those two video heads I cannot recommend the Ulanzi U-190 even though it looks better on paper considering its lower weight, smaller size and counter balance feature. I have been testing the Ikan E-Image GH06F which is substantially better than both of these video heads however it is really heavy in comparison which is something I find really annoying when carrying around.
By the way, there is also a dedicated video for the SmallRig 3457 although there is nothing in that video which isn't covered in this video as well but I thought to mention it regardless. ua-cam.com/video/luegv75Tmds/v-deo.html
Yes, both heads support the weight of the Nikon Z9 plus the 100-400mm lens. In fact the Ulanzi one can support substantially more than that. The Ulanzi U-190 has counter balance weight which is more suitable for heavier set-ups. I think it is better to attach the lens to the fluid head instead of the camera since the 100-400mm lens is relatively large and heavy. This should make it easier to balance it on the fluid head. Can you please let me know if you are intending to shoot video or take still photographs?
@@RadCameraMan I would like to shoot both video and stills with a compact setup for travel I’m 61 and carrying weight is tough. I currently have RRS ball head and you can’t take video with that so I’m trying for something dual purpose. I do often shoot w 24-120 which doesn’t have a foot
The Ulanzi U-190 is smaller, lighter, has weight counter balance and supports a heavier load which seems to be the better choice for your requirements. However it is worth being aware that the drag for video work is quite thick and strong on it in comparison to the SmallRig 3457. So as long as you don't want to do whip pans or move the head extremely fast, I think the Ulanzi one will be better. Regarding using smaller lenses; that should be fine as well, since you can mount the camera on the video head instead of the lens. So the lack of a foot on the lens doesn't matter.
which one? Ulanzi U-190 or SmallRig 3457? I prefer the Ulanzi one with the exception that its pan and tilt drag is too strong for small cameras and fast movements. Hence I am using the SmallRig one more because the pan and tilt drag is much looser which is what I want. However it is worth mentioning that the Ulanzi one has counter weight balance which the SmallRig one lacks. So when using the smallrig video head you have to keep locking it or keep holding it steady at the desired tilt level.
As for the levers interfering with each other(tilt and forward-backward lock), it is my experience that with some Smallrig leavers they are spring mounted(pull outward) and you can rotate them to a more suitable position.
Many thanks for this tip. I had a look at the SmallRig 3457 video head again and it appears that three of the levers have this functionality including the lever for adjusting the tilt (as well as the small lever to adjust the rotation of the mount part and the lever for tightening the handle grip). So it appears that video head is less flawed than what my ignorance initially led me to believe.
@@RadCameraMan Hi, I am glad that I was able to shed some light on the subject. I would rather put it down to my spending a lot of time using Smallrig than to your ignorance. Thank you for your videos.
This is how reviews should be, Without having the product you get to know how will be the products.
Appreciate this man.
Thank you 🙇♂ I appreciate the feedback
Wow you’ve got an absolute TON of spec info and measurements here, which is perhaps helpful to some folks. But, have a feeling most people watching this video came here to see some actual footage to see how these heads perform, pros and cons of how they shoot, etc.
thanks for your input, I will look at doing this in the future.
Thank you for a very thorough review. I just wanted to add my experiences on a few points. By the way, I have nothing to gain by promoting the SmallRig or any other product.
I'm glad someone straightened you out in the comments on the issue of the knob interference, but given the amount of time you spent going down the wrong path on this it would be nice to see it corrected in the video, as many people might miss the correction in the comments. A video close-up of how repositioning the knobs works would be most welcome.
A few other comments:
4:07 -- Tilting up 90-deg: "The SmallRig one won't allow you to do that."
There's a simple workaround for this if you don't need to go from 90-deg down to 90-deg up in one shot. Because of the extra rotational freedom of the mounting plate, it's a very simple matter to release the clamp screw and rotate the camera 180-deg. Then by using the head "backwards", you can tilt up 90-deg. You'll probably want to reposition the handle, and with a small camera you may have to clamp down on the tilt friction because you'll be a the maximum tension of the balance spring.
21:00 -- Quick release safety feature: "So this quick release safety feature doesn't seem to work properly."
On mine, the safety bosses engage well, up to the point where the quick-release clamp is so loose that the plate comes up and off, rather than sliding out the end. So I'm wondering if there is a difference in mechanical tolerances, or if you just didn't carefully consider how loose your clamp screw was. If the clamp screw is loose enough that you can simply lift the camera off, then of course no safety feature will help. Also note that many people will have a variety of QR plates from different manufacturers. I find that, for example, the plate from a Newer ball head, which by the way has cap screws for stops like the Ulanzi plate, works equally well on the SmallRig (and would probably also work well on the Ulanzi).
23:38 -- Pan/Tilt Smoothness: You say both pan and tilt are not "uniformly smooth" on the SmallRig. I don't have the Ulanzi to compare with, but I find my SmallRig very smooth on both, provided the clamp screws are reasonably loose. See below about the pan clamp. On the tilt, if the clamp is tightened almost to the point of immovability I can feel a slight bit of irregularity, but that would also be a very uncomfortable mode of use. There may also be a "wear-in" factor here, as I would expect it to become smoother with use.
25:33 -- Pan clamp screw: "...but if you unscrew it too much, it comes out completely..."
On mine, it takes 8-1/2 revolutions to completely remove the screw, whereas it takes only 1/2 revolution (or less) to fully unclamp the pan joint. I can imagine some very peculiar situation where something rubs on the screw and repeated motion might tend to unscrew it, but this strikes me as very unlikely. The viscosity of the grease seems sufficient to prevent reasonable vibration from causing the screw to loosen. It is also worth noting that if you loosen the pan clamp screw only a small amount, say 1/8 of a turn, you may think that the pan joint is free, but it will in fact hit some bumps at various angles, resulting in jerky pans. A half a turn seems more than adequate to avoid this, and again, is very far from what is required to remove the screw completely.
28:21 -- Handle: "I'd just like to emphasize that this handle is really useless in my opinion."
I don't quite understand why you are so down on the handle of the SmallRig, and it makes me wonder how much time you've spent shooting video with it. I find the telescoping feature to be very useful and one of the more appealing features of the head. Collapsing the handle completely is great for stowage and quick motion with a small camera. Full extension works very well for slow, smooth pans and tilts, and intermediate lengths allow the obvious compromises. The adjustable length allows you to optimize for the subject, type of camera, and lens focal length. Your suggestion of using just the camera with no handle seems misguided at best, and only slightly better than using a ball head.
By the way, I found it was very helpful to put a small amount of grease on the threads of the handle attachment screw and on both sides of the washer under the head of the screw. Before doing that I would often find that I hadn't tightened it quite enough to hold the handle against rotation in the clamp when I twisted it to extend or retract it. With the grease that hasn't been a problem.
Also worth noting:
1. The tilt clamp gives a reasonable degree of control over the clamping friction, whereas the pan clamp is essentially all-or-nothing. I would not expect this difference to be much of an issue, as you need the adjustable tilt friction to counteract gravity (depending on the weight and balance of your rig), whereas there are not likely to be external forces on the pan axis that need to be counteracted.
2. The mounting clamp rotation feature allows for very convenient rotation of the camera from landscape to portrait orientation by rotating, panning, and tilting 90-deg in each axis. It looks like you would have to unmount the camera and remount it with a 90-deg rotation to do this on the Ulanzi. On the SmallRig you can even do this very smoothly on a live video shot, should you be seized by an uncontrollable urge to induce motion sickness in your audience.
Again, thanks for your review, and I hope these comments help someone.
Thanks for sharing your experience in the detailed comment. It sounds like you work for SmallRig ;) 😂
@@RadCameraMan Smiley face noted, but for those who might somehow have missed it, nope. I have absolutely no connection with SmallRig or anything to gain by promoting their products. I'm just an engineer who appreciates good design and has a penchant for rigorous presentation of the facts. In a world filled with poorly designed crap it is noteworthy to come across products that are well thought out and executed, and that effort deserves at least the respect of accurate reportage.
Can you please let me know which other video heads you have used?
@@RadCameraMan None to speak of. I'm normally much more involved in still photography, but have been pressed into service as a videographer to cover some events in recent months.
Very thorough comparison. This is also a very appropriate comparison. I have three professional fluid heads but they are not suitable for travel.
Thanks 👍 ... there are a few more lightweight fluid heads which I would like to try but there is only so much I can spend on fluid heads 💸
@@RadCameraMan I get it.
Very helpful in-depth comparison 💚
Thanks, please let me know if I can provide any additional details or comparison for other video heads?
good video, the idea behind the telescoping handle is most likely as a Transport function, to store the head/tripod without any snagging issues, for instance, if you hike, and carry the tripod on a backpack, or over your shoulder, it can't snag a tree, or ones cloathing.
Yes, the idea is good in theory but in practice it is more of a nuisance... also the implementation of it is not great in comparison to the telescoping handles on bigger fluid heads such as the Ikan E-image GB2 or GB3. I think one of the problems with it is that the handle itself needs to be rotated in order to extend the handle which means the whole fluid head will move as a result when attempting to do this so it is not possible to change it mid-shoot without shaking the fluid head and camera as a result. Also, if the handle hasn't been tightened very firmly, the handle will rotate instead of the extendable part.
Thanks for the reviews. The ability to rotate the A-S mount makes the SmallRig 3457 the better choice for me because mount the camera square when using shorter lenses but toward the target with lens mounts. I’m planning on pairing it with a set of self-leveling Leofoto LS-223CEX Ranger legs for low POV wildlife photography and video. FYI, Small Rig has a new smaller head with leveling base for $70 but it lacks the ability to rotate the A-S mount.
Cam you please let me know the name or model number of the new SmallRig video head?
@@RadCameraMan The model is 4170. It is listed on Amazon.
@@TeddyCavachon thanks for sharing the model number. I looked up the new one and it is better in that it is lighter, has a better pan bar and no longer has the mount rotation section. However the new one has a levelling base and is 20cm tall which is double that of the old one. Overall the new one seems to be better but substantially larger. I would have preferred it without the levelling base and for it to be shorter and even lighter instead.
This video is fantastic. Love the attention to details.
Thank you 👍 I also have separate videos for each of these videoheads but the information is repetitive, nevertheless I will leave a link to them in case it is useful:
ua-cam.com/play/PL42hO7UHafKverdk2zvmjTySWxrJNp167.html
Thank you for the thorough review! Some functions in SmallRig is redundant, A long arca swiss plate will provide the movement needed.
exactly 💯
Both might suit travel use, although neither is a great head IMO, albeit I like the SR #3457 enough to just buy for stills and occasional video use when travelling light but not wanting to 'hand hold'. Everything is a compromise.
After 40 years shooting, I currently own about 6-7 tripods and 10+ heads - different size, performance trade offs etc (like scredrivers - the right tool for the job). I must have sold on a similar number of inferior sticks and heads in my quest to understand the differences and find the 'best' - which doesn't and won't ever exist! Best I can manage is a 'good enough' tool for any given use case.
I like SmallRig kit and have certainly bought enough of their kit to assist the Chinese economy (joke). I recently ordered this #3457 for possible travel use and a heavier #4165 to compare with one of my Manfrotto heads, which I may sell on eBay. Like lenses I try a lot of stuff and retain less than 50% but try to keep stuff that helps me and merits a place in my photographic 'tool box'.
I have tried a bunch of small video heads including these two, which are very nice in terms of materials and construction quality. However the panning and tilting is pretty bad. It's barely usable in the Ulanzi but very bad in the smallRig. If you have a small setup with a mirrorless camera, for travelling I recommend the Velbon PH-248 which despite being plasticky and using a non standard plate, it's pretty smooth even at panning. It's actually smoother than a lot of bigger video heads as the Manfrotto MHXPRO-2W which I also owns.
How much does it weigh?
@@RadCameraMan I don't have a precision scale but about 300gr I'd say.
thanks, that's quite light 👌
Amazing level of detail! Wow, thanks.
Thank you 👍
An interesting comparison for those who haven't seen either head close up or felt 'in the metal'. SR do at least 5 fluid Heads. SR models #3259 at 279g or #4270 at 350g are more comparable to the Ulanzi.
Everything is a compromise. Arguably neither head is a great fluid head where one can easily spend $2000+ for better performance. But equally there is a place for both of these heads, albeit as you go ever smaller then the fiddle factor and ergonomics mitigate against being useful.
I feel your video would have benefitted from you knowing your key points in advance. It was longer and less certain that it might otherwise have been (for instance conjecture about the Ulanzi plate turning). Also your attempts to detail measurements, whilst well intended, bordered on 'obsession' and could be much tighter. eg the arca plate dimensions top and bottom were excessive detail that just distracted from your key message.
BTW the SR 'knob conflict' although not great, is easily overcome by lifting and then rotating the cam knob so that further turning is possible.
I don't mean to be negative and critical as I felt you made a good effort to explore the micro differences. But better prior product knowledge and pre-planning your key message points might help you make even better 'clearer' comparison videos.
Thanks for the feedback, I agree with the points that you mentioned.
Thanks man! I could be wrong, but for the SmallRig one, I think you can unscrew the mount lock lever to reposition it. This would solve the hitting problem between adjustment lever and mount lock lever when tilting. By the way I would love to see in movement comparative footage of theses heads.
I had a look at the mount lock lever but it is not possible to reposition it as there are barriers to its movement in both directions unless I misunderstood what you meant. Please have another look at the movement of the mount slide lock lever and the metal section that will stop it in both directions, or alternatively please let me know if I have misunderstood the instructions.
Sadly, I don't see the Ulanzi sold in Canada. I'm looking for a more lightweight fluid head for an iPhone on a tripod.
You can buy it from Ali Express if you are willing to wait for the long delivery times. The Ulanzi one is as light as a fluid head can get.
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thanks for the feedback
Your video is not bad but the recording voice too poor alot of eco sound. You should use a more semi professional mic closer to you to prevent echo background.
Many thanks for the feedback. There is a blank wall in front of me as well as to my right side which I suspect is causing the echo/reverb. I don't have any sound proofing on the walls etc.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions for a microphone to use (or let me know if the sound is any better in my newer videos) ?
You can try wear type mic close to your mouth or pan tilt support close to your person.
Thanks for sharing! I prefer Ulanzi U-190 with Falcam F38 Camera Quick Release System
Good choice! That one has some distinct advantages
Can these be used for still photography? I use nikon d850 with 200-500 f5.6 lens.
Yes, both of them support the weight of that camera with the mentioned lens.
Does anyone have experience with this Ulanzi U-190 vs SmallRig CH-10? They are about the same price, just wondering if there is any major difference in quality and smoothness of pan/tilt. Very useful video, thank you.
Did you see if the 4 screws on the baseplate would line up if rotated 90 degrees on the Ulanzi?
There is comment thread about this on the U-190 video (link below). It seems like one person managed to get it to work but another person tried and the screws didn't line up. I haven't tried unscrewing and repositioning the mount myself but I measured the distance between the screws and the distance was equal in either direction.
ua-cam.com/video/KSgJz5uzqho/v-deo.html&lc=Ugx5NdoRQfReYPCsJ154AaABAg
there someone comment to use the L key on the bottom of tripod holes, it can reduce the stif of the pan an tilt and make it more smooth stop when paning and tilt, have u tried that? i wanna buy this but many review and video say that they are to stiff not smooth
The SmallRig 3457 is loose and much easier to move than the Ulanzi U-190.
Regarding using the L key on the bottom screw to loosen the pan further; I contacted SmallRig and they said this: " _It is not possible to adjust the tension/resistance to the translational movement by using an Allen key to turn the nut in the tripod mount (i.e. the bottom base of the video head)._ "
However someone in the comments mentioned that they did this and it worked for them although they said they were not sure whether it impacted the stability of the video head. Here is a link to that comment and video:
ua-cam.com/video/luegv75Tmds/v-deo.html&lc=Ugz9WbHiHIUpYTG5LrZ4AaABAg
You can't adjust the angle on the Ulanzi. I tried, they are not a perfect square. Too bad
That's a shame because they could have made it exactly square which would have provided an additional benefit.
Excellent review, very detailed, it helped me a great deal, thank you so much !
Thanks for feedback... I am going to do a follow up to this video and compare these two video heads to some other ones as well. If you want to be notified once that goes up, press the subscribe button.
Thanks a lot. 100% what i was looking for.
thanks, I am glad it was useful 👍
Nice review. What tripod are you using? if you retrofit this to most tripods balancing them to be flat is a nightmare. I am surprised they don't incorporate a levelling method. is there a work around?
SmallRig has since updated their video-head with one that has a levelling feature built into it (SmallRig 4170B) amzn.to/3OxfxX7
However I haven't tried that one. I was using mine with a monopod so levelling wasn't a requirement for me but nevertheless I use the "iFootage Gazelle TC9 Tripod" which has a levelling feature and that's how most video tripods are: amzn.to/3w14NtH
@@RadCameraMan thanks for the feedback, I will take a look. I like the tc9, but don’t really need another tripod 🙂 hopefully the one you mentioned could be a solution 👌👍👍
Is the Ulanzi so strong that you risk tipping your tripod (say a simple one that is 2.5 lbs in the $75 range) over when trying to tilt the video head? Or is the tripod still reasonably stable while you are handling the video head?
You don't risk tipping over the tripod but the tripod will move or shake if you have a light tripod which defies the point of having a video head. Maybe you can attach some weight to your tripod to make it more stable.
I created this other video about the Ulanzi one which might be helpful to watch in order to see its functionality in more detail:
ua-cam.com/video/KSgJz5uzqho/v-deo.html
There are no screws on the device In proper English, They are all bolts. I am just very picky about using proper terms over "colloquial" ones
Thanks for clarifying the correct terminology.
Please, compare also to Smallrig CH10. What changes in the comparison?
I intend to do a comparison video with Sirui VA-5, iFootage Komodo K5, SmallRig 3259 ch10, and Ikan E-image GH06F, so if you want to be notified once that video is published press the subscribe button to be notified once that video goes up.
Will the Ulanzi be strong enough to handle a telephoto lens for birding?
Which camera and lens do you use and how much does the camera and lens weigh?
Canon 90d with a sigma 150-600 sport. Total weight about 3.8kg
@@Yippeedee Yes, that's fine weight wise, as long as it gets balanced nicely which it should do with the lens foot.
How about the Smallrig 3259 for $49.99 and 5% off rn? I'm tossed up between this and the Ulanzi U-190. I'm looking at getting the Ulanzi Coman Y Tripod (Travel tripod) and getting this as a ballhead. I mostly do photography, but I wanna have something for when I do videos, like when I was at a tennis tournament, I used a ballhead to pan between both sides of the net and it was NOT stable, lol.
I haven't used the SmallRig 3259 ch10 so I can't comment about it. But I don't recommend the Ulanzi U-190 for tennis because the pan is too stiff which means the beginning of the pan movement will be jerky which is exacerbated if you are recording a tennis match.
Sirui VA-5 and iFootage Komodo K5 are also worth having a look at. I intend to do a review comparison with all those heads soon including the SmallRig 3259 ch10 so if you want to be notified once that video is published press the subscribe button to be notified once that video goes up.
@@RadCameraMan I gotchu! The head on the Ulanzi Coman Y looks pretty good in itself, but its a ballhead like most tripods. I'd love to have a decent pano head to just change in/out, but can't believe they're in the range $100-200! Best budget option?? Would the U-190 suffice for slower video movements? (tennis, zoomed out, for example).
@@MNKOGaming even for slower video movements, there will still be a slight jerk at the beginning of the movement which defies the point of having a video head. So I think the SmallRig 3457 is the only realistic option. I intend to test some other video heads and provide more information soon. However out of those two video heads I cannot recommend the Ulanzi U-190 even though it looks better on paper considering its lower weight, smaller size and counter balance feature. I have been testing the Ikan E-Image GH06F which is substantially better than both of these video heads however it is really heavy in comparison which is something I find really annoying when carrying around.
Thanks for this video. Super useful
By the way, there is also a dedicated video for the SmallRig 3457 although there is nothing in that video which isn't covered in this video as well but I thought to mention it regardless. ua-cam.com/video/luegv75Tmds/v-deo.html
@@RadCameraMan yup, watched both!
Can either head be used for a Nikon Z9 with a 100-400 or is that too heavy?
Yes, both heads support the weight of the Nikon Z9 plus the 100-400mm lens. In fact the Ulanzi one can support substantially more than that. The Ulanzi U-190 has counter balance weight which is more suitable for heavier set-ups. I think it is better to attach the lens to the fluid head instead of the camera since the 100-400mm lens is relatively large and heavy. This should make it easier to balance it on the fluid head. Can you please let me know if you are intending to shoot video or take still photographs?
@@RadCameraMan I would like to shoot both video and stills with a compact setup for travel I’m 61 and carrying weight is tough. I currently have RRS ball head and you can’t take video with that so I’m trying for something dual purpose. I do often shoot w 24-120 which doesn’t have a foot
The Ulanzi U-190 is smaller, lighter, has weight counter balance and supports a heavier load which seems to be the better choice for your requirements. However it is worth being aware that the drag for video work is quite thick and strong on it in comparison to the SmallRig 3457. So as long as you don't want to do whip pans or move the head extremely fast, I think the Ulanzi one will be better.
Regarding using smaller lenses; that should be fine as well, since you can mount the camera on the video head instead of the lens. So the lack of a foot on the lens doesn't matter.
By the way this is the review I did on the Ulanzi U-190 in case it helps. ua-cam.com/video/KSgJz5uzqho/v-deo.html
Got mine today. For 44 Euros a no brainer. At least for camera settings up to 2 kg.
Which one did you get?
Ups, sorry. I knew I forgot something :-D The U-190 @@RadCameraMan
😂@@henryluebberstedt7819
Thank you, you help me a lot.
No worries, which one did you buy?
@CameraMan not yet. But I will buy the Ulanzy one. For the camera but for my directors monitor.
That is an interesting use!
@@RadCameraMan Yes, I like to have a carbon tripod to move with it on location , to not loos time
excelente comparativa...
Thank you... are you planning to buy one of these?
@@RadCameraMan así es?...que tal es en los paneos y el tilt...me lo recomiendas?...es para una cámara ligera.
which one? Ulanzi U-190 or SmallRig 3457? I prefer the Ulanzi one with the exception that its pan and tilt drag is too strong for small cameras and fast movements. Hence I am using the SmallRig one more because the pan and tilt drag is much looser which is what I want. However it is worth mentioning that the Ulanzi one has counter weight balance which the SmallRig one lacks. So when using the smallrig video head you have to keep locking it or keep holding it steady at the desired tilt level.
❤
Thanks 👍
@@RadCameraMan loved your review and bought Ulanzi immediately after the video
Was looking for what you showed and clearly displayed
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Thanks a lot! Id go with ulanzi. Why? R5 is heavy and...the price from china is 32$ vs 84 for smallrig
Lmao
Makes sense 👍
First!!!
😂