Gear driven heads from Arca-Swiss in order of expense. C1 Cube GP (geared panning) C1 Cube (manual panning) D4 GP (geared panning) D4 (manual panning) Monoball P0 Hybrid (manual panning) It's a monoball and a geared head! Core 75 Leveler (manual panning) Core 60 Leveler (manual panning)

hey Rich, i'm glad you touched this subject - it's a very important one! I can recommend a much better head for you though, a TRUE unicorn. It's KPS T5. It's a work of art, a true piece of wonder engineering. Imagine a head that's narrower but slightly taller than RRS BH-55, weighs more or less the same, but is also geared? It's so compact, it'll fit in a small lens compartment in your camera bag. Granted, it's not cheap, but you're absolutely getting your money's worth. It's also much cheaper than the finest geared heads out there, like Arca-Swiss C1 or D4. You should really check it out. I've been using it for over a year now with RRS Panning Head PC-LR and I can tell you, this combination is better than a slice of freshly baked bread. Cheers.

Thanks for all of the help Rich! I just ordered the Benro GD3WH 3-way geared head from your Adorama link above. I'll be sure to use your link for future purchases as well.

Excellent information! I really get a lot out of your videos. Thanks for conveying your knowledge to us!

Good advice, and I take it to heart because I've been following you for a while on KZfaq and your podcast, and you always steer me straight. I'm shooting mostly builder spec homes (unfurnished, new homes), HDR only, as a contractor for a larger RE photography company. It's good practice since I'm just getting started in photography. Sometimes I shoot up to 10 or 11 houses in a day, but averaging about 3 per day. But on those days where I have a lot of houses, my 61-year old body does not need any extra weight. I carry a very light Manfrotto Befree tripod with a small fluid video head. No gears. I use the camera's built-in display level, and usually find something vertical, like a door frame, window, or corner of a wall to line up one side of the frame to double check vertical. I'm sure that a geared head would be precise, but I'm precise now. How heavy is it? How long does it take to level - will it slow me down from what I do now, or speed me up? And when I'm cramming my camera into a corner , are those knobs going to get in the way? I may try to rent one - either the 405 or a Benro GD3WH - before I spend the money, just to answer these questions and make sure this is really going to up my game. I wore headphones to listen to this video and had no problem with the audio. Please don't take down this video.

Hey Rich! I'm the guy who was chatting with you about your tilt shift the other day. So many questions about that 17mm canon model, and I'm glad to hear a video about it is forthcoming. While I understand the benefits of shifting perspective, I'd really like to know about the sharpness and distortion of that lens as it compares to other common lenses used for real estate (I use the 16-35 2.8 Gmaster). I know that lightroom doesn't have a 17mm TS profile to correct distortion, but what I don't know is if there is a lot of distortion to correct. All in all, as you pointed out, the adobe programs make it pretty easy to do a "fake" tilt shift with whichever lens one wants to use, so spending that kind of coin on a non-native, manual lens is a tough sell unless its REALLY sharp and darn near perfect as far as distortion goes. Also, love the podcast! I took a trip recently and was listening to episodes the whole way on the plane.

I've just begun shooting real estate regularly, and have definitely started feeling like a geared head is the best option after working with a colleague's. I also shoot video interviews and need a second tripod/head setup for a second camera, and will be saving up for a geared head and tripod.

Thanks Rich! For me, balance is everything, everything is about a good relationship with the other. I have worked with listing photography for brokers for 12 years. I've had most of the best arsenal of photoelectric equipment (a lot of money invested) - and nowadays it is simple the most attractive to me. I works with 2 stable Nikon D610. One with wide angle and one with 50mm. Simple with stable stand (Manfrotto) that also fits in my camera bag, a simple manual flash (JY680A). The experience has created me good routines for photography and editing. All these pieces harmonize and create good balance. These days I think the work is very fun, maybe more than ever. It works well and in a good balance.

Thanks, again, Rich! As I mentioned to you before, I went with the 405 based on your earlier recommendation, and I love it. But I wanted to share why I opted for the 405 over the D4. My research indicated that the D4 could struggle holdings its line with really long/heavy lens. Now, I also will use this head with my 150-600mm beast. So, based on that factor I went with the 405 which holds my long lens with no effort at all. Perhaps other's have a different view/experience. But I wanted to share my thoughts on that little aspect. Cheers!

Let's just cut to the chase. The D4 is the best by far, and if you mess around with other gear heads you're likely to end up going with the D4 eventually. Here's a tip: Adorama and B&H sell 3 different versions of the D4. One with the Arca "Fliplock" clamp and another with the Arca "Classic" screw clamp, each for about $1150. They sell a version with an Arca "Monoball" clamp for $850. Other than the clamp, it's identical to the others. Buy that one, send it to Precision Camera, and have them put on the clamp of your choice for $20 + the cost of the clamp, warranty remains intact. Even if you eventually sell it, used ones sell for 90% of the retail price on eBay, and they only come up for sale rarely.

Hey Rich! Have you experienced any problems with autofocus when using Canon EF lenses on the Sony? Or do you only use Sony or manual focus Canons on it? We tried out the A7r3 with the Sigma MC-11 adapter and it was great for my architecture work, but it had problems with autofocus on Canon EF lenses when shooting portraits.

Very informative! Would love to see a video on how you frame a shot to make sure things look symmetrical.

Thanks always good info.

Rich, which RRS clamp do you use on your 405? I know you use the conversion plate. Will the RRS clamp with a single centered screw work with that plate? I have the RRS B2-AS-II and just bought a 405. Thanks.

Hi rich am about to purchase the Sunway Foto GH-PRO Geared head. It is a clone of the Arca but half the price but like the Arca, is all metal and like the Arca machined beautifully.

Hi Rich! I am planning to get the D4+RRS clamp later this month. 2 questions! Can you make a vertical composition without an L-bracket? Can you see the RRS bubble level on the clamp with a Nikon DSLR attached? (I have a D750 with battery grip). Thanks!

When did “funner” become a word?

how do you think the benro geared head compares to the Arca Swiss d4?

Hi Rich, have you done the TS video yet since of this video?

What's your feeling on the need for dual cards? To me they are worth it to avoid BS - what's your thoughts?

anybody know the difference between the Arca Swiss D4 and the D4m?

I'm looking into getting a better tripod and stumbled onto the Ifootage TC7. If you have a chance, would you mind taking a look at it and let me know what you think? I'd mainly use it for landscapes, but would like to try to get some real estate photography jobs when I can.

It is impossible to be productive without an investment in capital, e.g. tools.

I would NOT shoot a RE job without a geared head. Period, end of story.