Looking for the perfect tripod head for bird and landscape photography- Flexshooter Pro Review
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Choosing the right tripod head is almost as important as choosing the right tripod. While Gimbal Heads are often used in bird and general wildlife photography, I found them a bit heavy and bulky to carry around. Additionally, they are not designed to be used for landscape photography. Ballheads on the other hand were not really suitable for supporting a 600/4 super tele lens. This meant I often used to carry two tripod heads around. The Flexshooter Pro (Black Edition) promises to be an all-in-one solution, combining both ball head and gimbal. But is it really good to use? Or do you need to make too many compromises?
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One advantage of this type of head for me over a gymbal is that my view is not blocked by all the metal of a gimbal. I find that this better peripheral vision means that I miss fewer shots, particularly if I am in a hide with limited view of the subject. For birds in flight it makes acquiring the subject much easier in the stage between spotting the bird and getting my eye to the viewer on the camera.
That’s a good point, I never thought about it
Fantastic review! Thank you!
I've been using the Flexshooter Mini for nine months with a Sony A7riv and a Sony 200-600 and love it.
Thank you 😊
Well, all the years of playing with alternatives and I'd forgotten this is out there. Thank you for a very balanced and trustworthy review.
Thanks
Thanks for sharing. Your review was very thorough. The head is a very interesting alternative for a light weight set up. 👍
Thanks for your comment 😊
Thanks for the review. I feel like this is one of the only reviews on Flex Shooter that was unbiased and gave really good pros and cons. It feels like most people who do videos on this ballhead are so desperate to prove that this is better than a gimbal they only talk about the things they like and not any of the drawbacks.
Thanks for your kind words!
Thanks. Excellent and balanced review.
Thanks!
Nicely done. A good review.
Thanks 😊
Good video and review! I’ve just got mine and my intention buying this hybrid ball head is to down size and weight. If I’m shooting inside a hide, I’d normally use my video heads (FSB8 or ACE XL). IMO fluid heads are the best for wildlife shooting as they offer flexibilities in both great stability when using slow shutter speeds and smooth panning action when tracking fast moving subjects.
Thanks! Yes, I heard often that the FSB8 must be top of the line for smooth movements. Enjoy your day 😊
interesting review, as this looks on first sight a similar head to the Arca-Swiss D4-M head, with the movements you describe.
I do not know that one but I will have a look
Nice move entering the English language space!
Let's focus to the topic:
- There is no perfect tripod head, is there?
- my lifetime best purchase was a Sachtler Fluid Video Head. But it is only for stationary use, carrying around is a pain. This head (and the tripod) made it around the world several times, both are basically new and the value is higher than it was when I purchased. The experience in use is beyond all and every gimbals not to mention other heads.
Thank you for the review!
Thanks for your comment, Peter. I‘m afraid my biggest issues with Sachtler heads would indeed be the weight. I have no doubt though that they offer a very nice experience
Finding the perfect, all round set up was a chore… but managed to achieve it… apart from the weight; though it was a bit costly.
Having said that; once in position, it can effortlessly be used to track wildlife or easily be set for any type of panorama shot.
That loosening knob at the bottom is just to level with the level bubble the upper section that has a spring and mechanism and gradual tightening and everything you need. Once you lock that level Bubble Level you don't mess with that lower knob and it's not for using during shooting. I've never had my camera and lens attached to the flexshooter when I had that leveling lever loosened completely. The silver knob also adjusts tension to go forward and backward up and down not just side to side. If you loosen the silver knob a bit with the camera and lens on it you can feel which direction the flex shooter Works forward and backwards. That is front and backwards. Then you can go side to side and up and down just like a gimbal but without quite as much range but most people don't need that with a huge lens. It appears that you are not understanding the proper way to use the flex shooter. Maybe you should watch some of the videos by Arthur Morris and others.
To what section of the video are you referring to? For using the ball head function you need to loosen the lower knob. Otherwise of course, I only work with the silver knob
Good review, the head seems a bit pricey though? I would miss the ability to adjust the height of the camera using the gimbal, that extra 20 or so centimetres has been crucial in some instances, and is far easier than messing around the legs, especially where there are skittish wildlife nearby
Yes, I agree. As many accessories it’s rather expensive. But at least so far I‘m happy with it 😊 You have a good point about the height adjustment!
This is why I still use a tripod with a center column.
Nice review. I m also thinking to purchase one. Which one do you use with the 600 f4 ? The light or the pro version? Thank you
Thanks! I have the Pro version (not the „extreme“ though)
Thank you
How do you lock this so that it only pans horizontally? It seemed to me from that segment of your program that after you used that silver screw the camera+lens combo still could tilt up and down.
Yes, it can still tilt up and down. But not sideways
@@FabianFoppNaturephotography but that is the opposite of what I asked! The whole point of the flex system, it seems, is that you get a gimbal and a ball head. What you are saying is that there is no way to tighten down this thing so that one is able to pan horizontally with one's rig NOT tilting up and down.
No, you can pan horizontally. But it can not *tilt* to the left and right
@@FabianFoppNaturephotography ah I see. So, there really is no way that the Flex Shooter can be "locked" so that only the horizontal is loose and available for moving (i.e. like the typical gimbal head)?
No, I don’t think so
Fabian como se llama este gimbal . Gracias Fabian
It is not a gimbal, but rather a hybrid head. It‘s called flexshooter pro
Die Teile hat wohl jeder YT zum "testen" gekriegt. Aber jeder spricht gut davon.
Nö, habe das zu 100% selbst gezahlt. Ich wurde auch nicht dafür kontaktiert, ich habe es einfach gekauft und wollte nachher meine Erfahrungen teilen
@@FabianFoppNaturephotography ahhh ok. Jemand anderes wurde von der Firma angeschrieben und hat beide getestet. Trotzdem gute Teile und ein guter Test. :)
Looks same as the Uniqball.
yes, I‘m not sure if it’s even the same group of people
The creator of the Flex Shooter was once with Uniqball but I heard there was a falling out. Regardless, there are improvements to the flex shooter over the uniqball. Uniqball does not have the spring assist system that gives the flex shooter its "gimbal" capabilities, and uniqball's mounting tension screw is on the front of the ballhead, so much harder to access. Basically, Uniqball is a ballhead with a built in leveling plate, while flex shooter is that plus the spring tension "gimbal" behaviors and more ergonomic.