PFRE-Logo-white-bg
Reading
blue-triangle-element

Articles

PFRE is the original online resource for real estate and interior photographers. Since 2006, it has been a community hub where like-minded professionals from around the world gather to share information with a common goal of improving their work and advancing their business. With thousands of articles, covering hundreds of topics, PFRE offers the most robust collection of educational material in our field. The history of real estate photography has been documented within these pages.
All Articles
blue-triangle-element

Latest

Image banner for the February 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month Winner Art Ibewuike, with a featured image of his winning photo titled "Living Room or Family Room""

Congratulations to Art Ibewuike, February 2024 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Living Room or Family Room". Art Ibewuike - #895 Paul-Dan Dragoman - #898 Peter Wingfield - #900 Here's what Art has to say: Thank you so much for ...

Contest
blue-triangle-element

OVERVIEW

For over a decade, photographers from around the world have participated in PFRE’s monthly photography contests, culminating in the year-end crowning of PFRE’s Photographer of the Year. With a new theme each month and commentary offered by some of the finest real estate & interior photographers anywhere, these contests offer a fun, competitive environment with rich learning opportunities. 

Contest Rules
blue-triangle-element

CURRENT CONTESTS

View / Submit
blue-triangle-element

PAST CONTESTS

View Archive
Resources
blue-triangle-element

Resources

PFRE prides itself on the depth and breadth of the information and professional development resources it makes available to our community. Our goal is to help real estate and interior photographers be successful while bringing the community together and elevating the industry as a whole.
blue-triangle-element

Conference News

No items found

8 Best Video Tripod Heads [2024 Review]

In: 
Published: 07/03/2023

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

While shooting real estate videos, you don’t want the limitations in a standard still photo tripod head. Rather, you want a high-quality tripod head with a smooth pan and tilt, one that is optimized for video applications. In this review, I will help you identify the best tripod head for video. 

My Top Video Tripod Head Reviews

A tripod head for shooting professional-looking videos will have smooth tilt and pan movements and a pan bar for precise control.

Below, I focus on the best tripod head for video.

Manfrotto Nitrotech 

The Manfrotto Nitrotech is an exceptionally designed fluid video head that is versatile and suitable for application on varying projects by content creators. 

It features a flat base design with a thread of â…œ-16 inches, allowing you to easily move it between monopods, tripods, sliders, and other compatible supporting gear. 

Unlike the other tripod heads in my list, the piston counterbalance uses Nitrogen gas, which enhances the consistent counterbalance adjustment. This continuous adjustment results in a better performance than the stepped adjustment in Benro S8. 

The advanced technology enhances the drag performance, enhancing judder-free and smooth tilt and pan movement. 

The Manfrotto Nitrotech improves flexibility by incorporating a side-lock mechanism on the camera plate system, facilitating safer and quicker mounting of the camera load and camera plate. However, it’s the heaviest on my list, making it less suitable for carrying in a camera bag or backpack. 

Benro S8

The Benro S8 is a versatile video head that you can move efficiently between the monopods, sliders, tripods, and other compatible supporting gear. 

It comes with independent tilt and pan locks, allowing you to adjust them individually for better tilt and pan control. The Benro S8 has a full 360 degrees pan range and +90 degrees to -70 degrees tilt range. 

Unlike the Manfrotto 502, it features 7+0 counterbalance steps which allow you to precisely adjust the counterbalance on the side using a knob. Benro S8 features high-quality construction, with some parts made of aluminum and other parts made of magnesium, contributing to its sturdy and portable nature. 

It incorporates a pan bar that can be attached to a rosette adapter on the right or left side making it convenient for both right and left-handed users. With a maximum load capacity of 8.8 pounds, it can hold the camera gear less reliably than the Manfrotto 502.

Vanguard VEO 2

The Vanguard VEO 2 is impressively compact as you can fold the handle down when not in use, facilitating storage or carrying in a camera bag. It features a quick-release plate, enhancing effortless swapping between tripod and handheld shooting. 

With a weight of 0.6 pounds, it’s the most lightweight on my list and most convenient for carrying in a backpack without exhaustion. It is equipped with a bubble level, which helps you level your horizontal tilt whenever you want. 

Despite the small weight, it can hold a camera gear of up to 8.8 pounds, like the Benro S4. Besides, it features a separate locking mechanism for the pan, which allows the head to achieve a 360 degrees rotation. 

However, the Vanguard VEO 2 uses a 2-way tilt and pan, which makes the shooting experience less impressive compared to the fluid heads featured by the other tripod heads in my list.

Manfrotto 502

The Manfrotto 502 is designed to excellently implement cinematic moves, making it ideal for professional video shooting. It features a range of 3.7 inches balance plate which enhances the correction in case of uneven payloads resulting from DSLR rig configurations or matte boxes. 

The bridging technology enhances intuitive pan friction control and makes the setting up straightforward. Also, this technology helps to protect against knocks. It features independent tilt and pan locks while facilitating drag for both of them, making them selectable from the minimum to the maximum level in a continuous range. 

Typically, this helps you operate the head in a smooth and confident manner using the pan bar. It comes with an impressive load capacity of 15.4 pounds, making it more reliable for heavy DSLRs than the Benro S4. 

Besides, to enhance the balance, Manfrotto 502 supports a counterbalance weight of around 8.8 pounds. However, with a weight of 3.74 pounds, it’s heavier than the Sirui AM-5V and unsuitable for use with tripods that have a lower weight rating.

Sirui AM-5V

The Sirui AM-5V employs a fluid system that helps produce impressively smooth tilts and pans for compact video cameras and DSLRs. It comes with independent tilt and pan locks, allowing you to independently control the tilt and the pan for enhanced flexibility and a better shooting experience. 

Unlike the Manfrotto Nitrotech, it uses an internal counterbalance equipped with a spring assist to facilitate smooth tilts when using heavy cameras. The Sirui AM-5V features a balancing plate that enables both the backward and forward movement to enhance camera balance when attached to the head. 

Thanks to the head dual safety lock mechanism, the camera, and the plate can’t fall off after loosening the primary locking system. This protects the camera gear from getting detached accidentally.

Typically, if you want to completely release the plate, you will need to press the two release buttons. However, the maximum load capacity of 6.6 pounds is not suitable for heavy camera gear, unlike the Manfrotto 502.

Benro S4

The Benro S4 features a high-quality construction of magnesium alloy, making it lightweight and sturdy. The flat base comes with a â…œ inches mounting thread, which is compatible with many monopods, sliders, half ball adapters, tripods and other support gear. 

Like the Manfrotto 502, it comes with an independent locking mechanism for both the tilt and the pan, making it effective in controlling the tilt and pan independently for a better shooting experience. 

Also, it features a tilt drag locking lever that allows you to set the controlling tension and then fully lock the rear to the front tilt axis. 

It comes with a quick-release plate for enhancing the attachment and detachment of cameras, particularly important when frequently switching between handheld and tripod shooting. It includes an interchangeable pan bar for enhanced angular adjustment, further facilitating user control. 

However, the 1.5 pounds weight is not proportionate to the maximum load capacity of 8.8 pounds and may compromise its reliability and durability. 

Manfrotto MVH400AHUS

The Manfrotto MVH400AHUS design makes it suitable for a wide array of video shooting circumstances. It features a compact and minimalistic design which makes it ideal for carrying in a backpack or carrying case. 

It comes with a â…œ-16 inches mounting thread, which makes it compatible with most DSLRs. Also, the flat base is 40mm wide, making it a better suit for the monopods and compact video tripods with the equivalent 40mm base. 

Like the Benro S8, it comes with two separate knobs for tilt and pan control, which enhances the drag-controlling experience. Although it comes with a pan bar, you can remove it to further improve portability. 

With a maximum load capacity of 8.8 pounds, it can securely hold heavier DSLRs than Sirui AM-5V. Even so, it weighs 1.4 pounds, making it the most lightweight on my list, and best for carrying. However, it’s not suitable for camera gear that has a base larger than 40mm.

Manfrotto MVH500AH 

The Manfrotto MVH500AH is a versatile video head that can support multiple tripods and external accessories. It comes with a side lock mounting mechanism that blends an effortless release functionality with the sliding base plate mechanism for balance adjustment. 

The sliding base plate is longer than the standard one, which helps to offer an added balancing length. With a maximum load capacity of 11 pounds, it is able to securely hold a heavier camera gear than the Manfrotto Nitrotech. 

It comes with a loaded spring that has a pre-set counterbalance of 5.3 pounds, which helps maintain the weight balance for better stability. 

Despite the impressive payload, it weighs 2.05 pounds which is 3.24 pounds lighter than the Benro S8, making it ideal for traveling and carrying around in a carrying case. However, unlike the Manfrotto 502, it lacks friction control for an enhanced panning experience.

Features to Consider in the Best Video Tripod Head

Even if you're using an advanced tripod or your camera comes with an image stabilization system, you might not capture high-quality videos if you're using the wrong tripod head. 

The following features help you choose a tripod head with a smooth pan and tilt that will allow you to capture stable and smooth videos. Furthermore, the following table highlights the key features you should consider in the tripod head.

Comparing Video Tripod Heads

Tripod HeadLock MechanismWeight (Pounds)Dimensions (Inches)
Manfrotto 502 Tilt and pan3.7415.7 x 5.8 x 8.5
Benro S8 Tilt and pan5.295.9 x 5 x 5
Manfrotto Nitrotech Side lock6.059.45 x 9.45 x 5.9
Sirui AM-5V Tilt and pan2.25.12 x 3.54 x 10.83
Benro S4 Tilt and pan1.53.9 x 3 x 3
Vanguard VEO 2 Tilt and pan0.66 x 2.5 x 3
Manfrotto MVH400AHUS Tilt and pan1.51.1 x 1.1 x 54.9
Manfrotto MVH500AH Side lock2.055.8 x 5.8 x 14

Type of the Tripod Head

The main reason you might consider using a tripod to shoot videos instead of shooting handheld is to prevent the unsteadiness of the hands that makes the resulting video shaky. However, the tripod head should allow you to move the camera flexibly and maintain your subject in the frame just like you would when shooting handheld. 

When it comes to tripod heads, there are varying designs, with some specifically designed for videos and others for photos. When it comes to tripod heads for video, you will mostly be working with either a pan-and-tilt design, a ball head design, or a fluid head design. 

Generally, a fluid head such as the Manfrotto Nitrotech offers the smoothest movement ideal for videos. This allows you to tilt and pan your videos without causing unexpected movements.

Size and Weight

Usually, tripod heads from different brands and models have different designs, sizes, and weights. In most cases, you will want to match the weight of your tripod head with the overall weight of the tripod and the camera gear you will be mounting.

This makes the overall setup more stabilized and steady. For instance, if you have a lightweight camera such as a mirrorless micro-four-thirds camera, you can go for a lightweight lens such as the Vanguard VEO 2. 

Maximum Payload

Like the tripod, the head has the maximum weight it can hold. Usually, exceeding this weight increases the chances of the head not holding the weight of the camera gear and accidentally tilting or even breaking. 

Although you can try to match the maximum payload of the tripod with the weight of the camera gear, it's advisable to go for a tripod head with a higher maximum payload, such as the Manfrotto 502. 

This gives you the flexibility of using a heavier camera or lens or attaching an additional accessory, such as a flashlight, without exceeding the maximum payload. Keep in mind that the tripod also has its maximum payload, and the camera gear plus the tripod head should not exceed this weight. 

Quick Release Plate

The quick-release plate is generally a plate at the base of the tripod head that allows you to attach the camera to the tripod faster and more conveniently. Usually, these plates allow you to screw the camera to the tripod head normally and then provide a quick-action lock mechanism for attaching the head to the tripod. 

If you are shooting moving subjects, you might need to frequently swap between shooting handheld and using a tripod. In such cases, it's advisable to go for a tripod head that features a quick-release plate, such as the Vanguard VEO 2. 

That means you only need to go through the tedious process of attaching the camera to the tripod head once, and then you can easily attach or detach the camera from the tripod.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Head Is Better Between a Ball Head and a Tilt Head?

Typically, a ball head is better than a tilt head. For instance, if you want to shoot videos from an area with a lot of movement, you will need to use the ball head for you to enhance the flexibility of following the moving subjects.

What Is a Pistol Grip Tripod Head?

The pistol grip head is designed with the same control degree as the ball head tripod heads. Normally, the pistol grip head is more flexible to adjust because of the full-handed grip mechanism. The pistol grip head can also come as a joystick style giving you precise one-handed control.

Does Tripod Weight Affect the Stability of the Video?

Yes, a heavier video tripod is better because it offers more stability than light tripods by lowering the center of gravity. Generally, the weight ratio of the tripod against that of the camera affects the stability. For instance, a tripod that weighs 4 pounds mounted with a 15 pounds camera is likely to topple over.

Conclusion

Tripod head

Even if you may want to equip yourself with a high-quality tripod video head, the many options in the market may confuse you. Although the best tripod head depends on the shooting conditions, any option from the above list will suit your videography needs.

Vendors

Rela Logo
CS6 PSE Logo
HD Photo Hub Logo
FullFrame Logo

Learning Topics

.
magnifiercrossmenucross-circle