Gitzo GH1780QR Series 1 Magnesium Center Ball Head with Quick Release, Load Capacity 22.05 lbs.

2012-05-06T21:00:00

Great design and strength to weight ration

STEPHEN W.

2011-09-04T21:00:00

I find this ball head to be light weight for its capacity which is important when hiking and the three built-in levels are very convenient. However, Gitzo uses a mounting system that is not Arca compatible, so you'll need adapters for focusing rails, right angle camera brackets, telephoto mounts etc.

Roger B.

2011-02-06T19:00:00

I am looking for a head without problem , every disappointing , i have vilbon , Manfrotto ,and tow gittzo this and the big one , i complain to my friends about all of them , i found all Quick Release Plate are bad design ( bulky , or sharp , not full tighten )one time hit my head while moving ander tripod ! so i dont like the Quick Release Plate and Release Clamp , yesterday ny friend show me his tripod and ball head , he have really the best in the market it's reallyrightstuff tripod system , while photographing together my gitzo Release Clamp screw lose and i don't have l key in the field , I am really angry

Sultan A.

2010-01-25T19:00:00

High quality product

Larry

2010-01-14T19:00:00

Mostly during the night.

tlf c.

2009-09-30T21:00:00

I mostly use this for landscape/outdoor shooting. I use a long shutter speed when shooting waterfalls and both a sturdy tripod as well as tripod head help accomplish this goal. I received the Gitzo GH1780QR ball head several days ago and have gone out on several daytime hikes with it. What follows are some initial thoughts of the tripod head. The head itself has three spirit bubbles for proper horizontal/vertical alignment. Two of the bubbles duplicate effort, measuring whether the horizon is even or not. A third bubble in the housing that connects to the ball helps to correct for proper tilt angles. One feature I enjoyed on this head that I did not have on the other is the avalability of an independent panorama control. The ball head sits on top of a plate that turns left and right, allowing for trouble-free panorama image-taking possibilities. There is a separate tightening control that will allow you to lock the camera in place after you setup shot-after-shot for a panorama. I don't shoot sports much, but I would assume it would be good for shooting action shots as well given the smooth panning action. The tightening control for the ballhead comes in the form of a very well-built (feels very heavy duty) knob. Clockwise turn tightens the tension and hold the camera very well in place and a counter clockwise turn frees the ballhead to reposition for a new shot. The quick release is well-built, and sticks very well to the camera body, though I did have to use a screwdriver to turn the screw and tighten the plate against the camera body. I attached the plate and tightened initially with only my fingers, put the camera into vertical orientation with the 70 - 200, and the camera body rotated down from the plate's grip. Tightening the plate against the body removed that problem. I have not owned this long enough to say whether or not the tightened plate will get loose over time or not, but thus far, it has been very secure. The head is very light and I do question whether it can hold 22 lbs. as advertised -- It's sort of a moot point as I've paired this head with the Gitzo GT1541 1 series travel legs which Gitzo rates at 15 lbs. Overall however, based on how I shoot and what I shoot with, this should be plenty. The one thing I wish this head did have is the friction control knob within the ballhead tightening knob that the 2870 head has. Realistically though, it's a minor nuance. I'm extremely happy with this head. I'll also be posting a review of the 1541 legs for anyone who might be interested.

Stroodle88

2009-05-03T21:00:00

I use this head on Gitzo legs and I like it. However, when I put my Nikon D700 and a 200mm lens on it, it's around 4.5-5lbs, and that weight seems to compress the rubber top of this head (and the rubbery bottom of the camera) just enough so that when you're precisely lining something up, when you let go of the camera it will sag like 1/4 a frame. This can be annoying, and means you have to guess how much higher to aim the lens as you tighten down the head before letting go so it can "settle" into position. Once it settles, it's rock solid and will stay there forever. Lighter camera/lens combos are rock solid and stay exactly where you point the camera from the start, so it's really just an issue with heavier combos - particularly when you don't use a tripod collar on the lens to center the weight better. It also occasionally comes unscrewed from the legs when I'm in the field and manipulating it a lot between each shot. This is a annoying, but I guess I just need to tighten it better.... It would be nice if there were some kind of "lock" so it wouldn't come loose when you don't want it to.

Steve S.

2009-02-19T19:00:00

This product does the job it was designed to do well...the camera is locked in place and secure with nothing to worry about. From a design perspective, however, the knobs are bulky and always seem to get in the way. I usually reach for the wrong knob which to me means that they are not placed in a manner where a user is most likely to reach. May just need some getting used to. But for the price, its hard to beat.

C-Man