Thanks so much for that comment. It makes my day. :-)

I"m so glad to hear that Tarlak. They rock don't they?

Hudson Henry ho yes so much !!

Thanks so much Dave! That means a lot.

@@HudsonHenryPhoto- Cheers mate.

So glad to hear that Martin. Thanks for the feedback. It really makes my week.

I used to do exactly that with film, but I find I so rarely need that with the dynamic range in modern sensors. Occasionally I bracket and check my histogram for highlights and shadows (3-5 images, two stops apart) but that's about it.

Too cool. 500AH and others?

To say a ballhead is faster is laughable. It takes about 1 second to level a good fluid head, then every composition you're after is simple and level. Every adjustment with the ballhead requires releveling. It's ridiculous if you've used a fluid head you'll hate it. Trust me. People blindly use ballheads because they don't know better. There's zero advantage.

Hudson Henry Photography makes sense to me!! Thank you for the reply 👍

Yep! I've converted a bunch of folks now and that's the consistent theme... I know I feel the same way. Ball heads are so frustrating if you've used a good fluid head.

It sure is for me! :)

:-) There are more updated Fluid head vids in my feed too. thanks for the feedback

Hey Dave, It's reflexive for me. Like checking the arca knob when I attach to the head. I have only found it loose a couple of times though. This video is quite old though. These days I'm using a newer set of legs (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nLGalsuosrnZZ40.html) that are lighter, cheaper and I think even better made that have a safety catch to keep the head in even if the system loosens. It's all in my links. www.hudsonhenry.com/atslinks

If it's bright, you're shooting backlit birds in flight and the results look way underexposed, then go for spot, but I find that the matrix metering is so good now that I rarely leave it. It's smart enough to know what's important in the scene 9 times out of 10. For fast subjects though I generally flip to shutter priority not aperture. aperture is for changing light when depth of field is my creative concern. With fast motion, blur is more my concern generally.

Thanks Hudson...makes sense! @@HudsonHenryPhoto

Fluid viscosity does change in weather, one disadvantage of the 500 head is the drag is fixed and as such will change resistance in weather. It won't freeze per say, but increase in drag. The 502 does have variable drag to compensate, but the head itself is much larger and heavier. In many cases it's just not worth the size and weight for this feature, especially as a hybrid video/photo head

Hey Bob, in the description I have these links on every vid: www.hudsonhenry.com/atslinks/ If you would consider using my links I'd highly appreciate it. Thanks!

500 all day long. The 502 is really big and bulky. It's overkill unless you have a really big video rig. The 500AH is light, small and perfect for DSLRs and Mirrorless. It's what it's made for. I've used it with my 400mm and a doubler with no problems.

@@HudsonHenryPhoto thank you!

Everyone has different needs for sure. I personally can't imagine not having an L-bracket on my camera. Since the film days, it's the first thing I order as I get a new body. I must say though, I set mine on the table just fine with L-brackets. Never had a problem with that. I'd rather carry more gear to make my compositions simple to adjust and rock solid. Other's are minimalist. No way is right or wrong. Fluid heads do all have tilt action though. It's just designed to stay perfectly level and tilt the frame down and up (Not to the side). I can't see how you'd design a fluid head to tilt the camera vertical while still panning and tilting your composition in a level fashion. It seems much simpler to use an L-bracket. I personally never tilted the Ball Heads I used to their side either. It always felt way too off balance that way. I kept them up in a more stable easy to work with position and used L-brackets to go vertical then too.

@@HudsonHenryPhoto I am using an FSB 4 head. I haven't found a single L bracket that doesn't mean that the lens hits the table top. L bracket off and lens sits clear. Old or cheaper heads have a third adjustment. I miss that in pro gear. I wouldn't entertain a ball head at all. The whole L bracket mod though rases the camera a full 2 cm and adds weight. I have been doing this for some time. The complaint I have is that for the sake of 1 screw we add 2 and all the extra baggage. As we accept this we allow it to continue.

It's actually a lot more than that. The old 3 axis video heads have to have a single arm coming up to top platform on just one side. To create a smooth tilting fluid system that way would be much more complex, especially if it has to hinge under the fluid separate from the lower panning fluid section. It's by design also going to be less stable for the same weight. I think you have to pick 3 axis or fluid head. I really don't understand what you mean by the lens hitting the table top. I tend to rest my cameras on the base and lens edge no matter what type of camera and lens I'm using. L-bracket or none. Aside: I have an FSB-6 I love to use in the studio too. Great head!

@@HudsonHenryPhoto Yes with the Sachtler plate my lens doesn't touch the table. No need to "gently rest the lens" No the heads I am talking about don't have anything more than a bolt and lock screw. The bolt is in the hing that holds the quick release plate. This design is not going to interfere with the "fluid" at all. It essentially is just a hinged clamp. It doesn't matter, the work around is ok, just means a touch more hassle and weight. It is just a shame that cheap heads do something very well that no quality head thinks we want and then we end up adding weight to make a less stable connection so that we can do what the head makers think we never use. See why I am annoyed? I am not annoyed at you, but at manufacturers. I actually appreciate your suggestions, but I think KZfaq videos influence manufacturers an awful lot, so I just wish that every time someone talks about work arounds that they also say what would be better. This way the world would get much better rather than repeating history over and over and over.

Check out my latest video for an elegant new solution. The manfrotto 500 takes the same plates as the sachtler by the way. I switch them back and forth all the time. Thanks for the kind words my friend. :)

I had a magic ball 20 years ago. I think I still have it in a box somewhere. I found it the most awkward ball head I've owned. It's nearly impossible to mount a good arca clamp to, let alone a leveling clamp for panos. The magic ball looks cool and costs a lot, but it's not a good head. Try a kirk, arca Swiss or RRS BH55 if you must use a ball head, but from experience I can tell you no ball head compares to the much cheaper and way easier to use manfrotto 500ah fluid head I show here. You'll never go back.

@@HudsonHenryPhoto most ball heads don't have the freedom of movement found in magicball. for my photography magicball is the way to go.

@@agostonberko suit yourself. An L bracket let's much better heads get the angles you like though without getting way out off balance out to the side like the magic ball and with much better connection points.

@@HudsonHenryPhoto your setup is huge in weight & poor in portability. and you can't even take a shot in an inclined angle, because the lower ball mount is limiting you after +/-15% sideways... even with L-bracket is not sufficient imho. not universal in my view at all. maybe for you this works and you should try the nitrotech piston version if thats the case, but to recommend fluid head is general for stills photography is misleading. depends on your preferences & willingness to carry the chosen gear setup with you or maybe not... magicball free has 5kg load capacity which is plenty & can be used much easier even on a monopod... try that with a fluid head. for panorama of course you win.

@@agostonberko For monopod a simple angle head is ample. No ball needed. You're funny. My light fluid head setup is 5 lbs total, my heavy is 7 pounds. The magic ball is ancient and was a bad idea then, but if it works for you fine my friend. I've had hundreds of photographers switch to fluid heads and not a single complaint. Nearly 2/3rd of my workshop participants are on them and many many thanks come in via email and social. You can disagree if you wish, but for landscape there's nothing more versatile or better. The 500AH in this video (my heavier setup) is exactly the same weight as a RRS BH55 and takes no more room on the side of my pack. Not sure how you figure I can't angle down. With the head level it will tilt 90 degrees to point straight down. Funny comment, but maybe you just need to actually try one. ;-)