Acratech Panoramic & Tilt Head with QR, 25 lbs Load Capacity

This product supports, with other Acratech gear, my telepromptr. There really is no finer manufacturer of pan and tilt heads. Even the big names are B players compared to Acratech!

I wasn't sure if I would like this head. It was expensive and not an all-around head. Best for landscapes but I bought it to use with my 200-500 telephoto lens. It turned out to be not as useful for the purpose that I bought it for because it had some difficulty holding the heavy long lens. This head is advertised as a long lens head. One this that it is great at though is landscapes and creating multiple photos for panoramas. I almost sent it back because although I do like to shoot landscapes, it was a lot of money for something I might only occasionally use. But the more that I used it the more that I liked the idea of just a two axis head. I was never overly fond of ballheads and my Wimberley gimbal head was a little too bulky for carrying around and not good for all-around use. Gimbal heads cannot mount short lenses on just the camera body. There are designed for long lenses with a tripod foot.I now love the fact that the Acratech head is so well machined from aircraft aluminium which makes it strong and lightweight and has great features built into their heads. I own other Acratech products and they are all very well made. The best thing that I like is the fact that when you loosen the head to move it around, the camera and lens does not have a tendency to flop over like with a loosened ballhead. The two axis (left/right & up/down) cab be adjusted to work almost as well as a gimbal for wildlife and is the best for landscapes and panoramas. I decided to keep it and it's my main tripod head now. I have it mounted on my Gitzo class-3 tripod with an Acratech leveling base. PERFECT!

At this point, I am using it like a ball head. I thought I made a mistake buying it at first because I am used to the flexibility of a ball head. I didn’t buy the leveler, so to make it level, I have to spend more time adjusting the tripod legs. Now that I am getting used to it, I have to say this is pretty solid and locks the camera at the angle you set it. I make time lapse videos, so drift is a big no-no for me.

I ordered this to replace my ball-head, because I wanted something that was sturdier for panorama photo sets. In addition, I bought a leveling-head tripod (IFOOTAGE Gazelle Uprise TC5 Carbon Fiber 4-Section Tripod), and I wanted to be able to see the leveling bubble. This fit the bill! Because the center section is clear (no ball), it works perfectly, and is much steadier than a ball-head. It's not as adjustable as a ball-head (only moves in two planes, not three), but that has not been a problem (I just switch the camera on the clamp plate). Works well, easily, does the job!

I bought this off a recommendation from a professional photographer and I could not be more happy with it. I did some Pano shooting this last weekend (Finally) and the ease that this tripod head made for leveling, and setting up my pano shot was amazing. The smoothness of the head and pivot points was impressive. The base and side adjusters have incremental markings that help with planning just how you will set up and shoot your desired pano. I highly recommend this head if you are into Panoramic Photography.

The Acratech Panoramic & Tilt Head is a vastly overpriced product. The packaging is incredibly cheap and unimpressive, consisting of a poorly designed cardboard box that appears to have been put together in an amateurish manner. Furthermore, the tension control is non-existent and serves no real purpose, it is just a lock or unlock mechanism. This tilt head is not worth $500 after sales tax, it does not measure up to other products in its price range. In my opinion, there are much better options available in the market.

good product

Worth every penny spent. Ease to use very precise construction. Very sturdy but not heavy