Jeremy Denny ( In Focus London Wetland Centre shop)
It was a day for first impressions. My usual kit is a Pentax K10D,
a Sigma 50-500mm telephoto zoom lens mounted on a Velbon FHD-51Q head.
So the 52Q head shows a considerable difference in cost and construction
design and materials – but is it any good?
The other difference on this day of testing for me, was that recently
for fun, I have been buying some 30year old large objective Pentax prime
lenses. The one I was trying out was an F4 300mm Takumar SMC, a delight
to use and in bright light almost as fast to focus as my very modern
AF zoom.
First impressions of the FHD-52Q is that it is very usable. Once you
remember which is which, the coaxial tensioning screws are easy to find
and use, and the ability to set it for left and right hand operation
are a plus.
A couple of comments- the pan movement never became really easy however
much I backed off the tensioning screws, this may of course loosen with
use. The tilt tension had to be quite stiff to overcome the weight
and balance of the camera and telephoto lens (while on the FDH-51Q the
quick release platform can be adjusted to help with weight balance).
If it proves to be durable then this new Fluid head from Velbon is a
good buy and certainly good value.
A few comments from Richard Campey ( in focus – Norfolk )
My immediate concern was how could a tripod head this light (under 500gms) provide a stable base for scopes using high magnifications, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Like Jeremy I found the pan and tilt screws easy to use and tried the head out with a lightweight Kowa scope and then a heavier Nikon ED82. The head was, of course, best with the 60mm Kowa and indeed with this was great to use providing a really lightweight kit (in conjunction with the Delta Carbon Fibre lags). Yes it struggled with the heavier 82mm scope but that’s only to be expected..
At 480 gms this is a lightweight tripod head. The quick release plate
has a video pin which is extremely useful for scopes with the second
locating hole in their base, as it helps to stop the scope from unscrewing
itself when being carried. The locking knob for Panning is cleverly
located within the Tilt locking knob and this allows you to focus the
telescope with one hand and have precise movement of the pan and tilt
with the other.
If you bear in mind the price of the head then in my opinion it represents
good value for money and an answer to lightening the load.