Does anyone have any expirence with these? Are there any big diffrences between the 3063 and the 500 series heads? I've seen them and read up on them. I just wanted to see if anyone goes over one for the other and why.

I want to get one but not sure which one. I have a DVX-100. I just want some smooth pans.

Mark,

Can't comment about the 501 or the 505 but... I'm using a 503 with a GL2 (and associated Mic/Wireless Rcvr/XLR adpater) and it works great. Also used it last weekend with a Sony DSR 500 fully loaded to shoot a college football game and it worked pretty well despite being significantly overloaded.

Be sure to try them out yourself. I was a newbie and bought a Bogen 501 head on the written recommendations of others. I tried it out in the store, but I didn't try it with the camera.
Well, duh.
As compared to my cheapie tripod head, the 501 is smoother in pans but is stuttery in tilts. That disappointed me. Also, the
quick release sliding plate is better for balancing, but in my specialized application, I can no longer mount&unmount the camera from the head during taping as smoothly as before.

The 505 is the most expensive of the trio, but will provide the smoothest pans and tilts. In the same price range, I would recommend either of the Gitzo heads. Miller, Sachtler and Vinten are the major brands. If you can, try one of the major brands. It will give you a guide as to how smooth, smooth really is.

The Gitzo is a real sleeper and rarely gets mentioned here. I happened to try it only out of curiosity and was very impressed with the quality and performance vs. price.

I have a 501 and think it's a good value for the price. But recently I've been doing some shots at max telephoto zoom, and it can be very hard to get smooth movement. I agree with Gints, it can jerk as you tilt it. However, at the wide zoom setting I find the 501 is fine.

Will probably replace it with either a Gitzo or Miller soon. But these heads cost significantly more, so one would expect better results.

Thanks everyone for the help. I just ordered a 501.