Lightest fluid head for travelling?
 

The G2180 with carbon sticks is my favorite for hiking/backpacking. The only thing missing is a bubble level. Windy days can be a challenge, too. I'll be waiting to see your review.

Best,
Peter

I have several of those spare Manfrotto/Bogen Bubble Levels let`s see where to attach it...

T

Lightest fluid head for travelling?
 

How big is that bubble level? The G2180 head is so small that it leaves a 12mm ring of empty space around it on my 75mm bowl mount. There are also levels that fit onto a camera's hot shoe, although I prefer it on the tripod.

Best wishes,
Peter

Peter, do you know on which thread does that Gitzo head fit? I mean if it is possible to attach it to manfotto/bogen half bowls too...

The bubble level is about 10mm in diametre.

Thanks,
T

Yes, it very certainly attaches to the Manfrotto half bowls as that is what I use, too.

Best wishes,
Peter
______________________
http://www.parkfilms.com

Toenis,

Based on your suggestion I bought one of the little Manfrotto/Bogen Bubble Levels, too. There is indeed room to mount it directly on a Manfrotto tripod. However, I chose to glue it onto a small (and cheap) hot shoe adapter which I then put on the unused hot shoe of my camera. That leaves me the flexibility to swap fluid heads without having to detach the level from the tripod plate.

Best wishes,
Peter
______________________
http://www.parkfilms.com

About lightest Gitzo G2180 fluid head
 

Peter, is the clicking sound normal with Gitzo G2180 head?
I mean when I engage the counter balance system it sort of clicks at the extreme angles.

My first impressions are that it is much more solid than the Manfrotto 701RC2/501/503 and of course the ergonomics are just fantastic when compared to those traditional heads.

When I get used to the counter balance system I`ll be much more satisfied than with the 701RC2 head.

Cheers,
T

Toenis,

Mine also clicks in one spot, near the end of an extreme down-tilt where the camera is pointed down. It doesn't do that when tilting up. It is interesting that you have this, too, as I wasn't sure what to make of it. I decided to ignore it since in all other ways this head is better than the alternatives that I have seen and it affects very few shots. Yes, I agree the click(s) are a limitation.

I wonder if Gitzo can fix this, or is it inherent in the design? Even though I live in a large city (Los Angeles), there are no stores here that carry the G2180, so I haven't been able to compare mine with any other examples.

Otherwise everything functions very well. The only limitation of the G2180 that I have found is the flip side of one of its strengths: the low mass. While the head is nicely designed and constructed, getting a smooth pan at 20X is not so easy because the light weight head doesn't dampen any of my errors. Have you had any experience with this?

One great benefit of this head is that I carry my tripod around with me more. It's so light that I no longer hesitate to bring it along.

Best wishes,
Peter
______________________
http://www.parkfilms.com

I think the counterbalance system is excellent, now that I have figured out how to use it. The instructions could have been a little clearer, but the system works very well.

Best wishes,
Peter
______________________
http://www.parkfilms.com