Would the Bogen 501 fluid head work well with a small Sony Handycam? The camcorder I have now is a Sony Digital 8 Handycam, so I want my fluid head to work well with that. But there's a chance I'll be using somewhat larger cameras (DVX or similar) on the tripod.

Has anyone had good luck with the 501 and a light camera?

Should work ok for you. I have one I have been using for the past year. Just takes a little practice to get good pans. If you are panning at 10x or above forget it. My next jump up will be the bogan 516 head that has much improved performance.

Regards,

Mark

My advice, would be for you to learn to hold the tripod down when you pan. I have to use a heavy hand to get decent pans from my 501.