BOGEN 3047 DELUXE 3-WAY PAN HEAD FOR TRIPOD

Rating:
Summary: Very solid 3-way head
Review: In using this for a few months, I have found it to be very solid, and apparently indestructible piece of equipment.

I use it with the 3021BPRO tripod.

The motion of the joints has a well oiled soggy quality. The hand grips have a smooth but not redundant release curve, which means ease in finetuning alignment - there is about a quarter turn between "wide open" and "clamped tight" within which controlled adjustment is comfortable. The material and diameter of the grips is also above par - not squishy soft, but not rock hard, and thick and long enough for an easy grip.

The quick-release locking mechanism works nicely, with a sturdy snap when the camera is inserted, absolutely no jiggle when shut, and a comfortable dual-lever release. This mechanism is a tiny bit cumbersome when the head is tilted for portrait shooting, and has an infrequent quirk of snapping "shut" if banged around some without camera or plate in place - which will confuse you for a second the first time it happens and you try to snap in the camera.

As you can see in the manual available here, both 3/8" and 1/4" attachment screws are provided.

Both the front and side tilts go 30 degrees in one direction (back and right) and 90 in the other (front and left). If you want the opposite tilt, just snap the camera in facing the other way.

Thinking about this just now, this head (most/all? heads, really) is heavily biased for right-handers - so this may be something to think through if you are left-handed.

I have mentioned how solid this head is, and it bears repeating. I often put it down head-first (this is how it wants to be put down, being the heaviest part of the assembly) and routinely snatch the head with tripod off the floor by one of the hand grips, and while I'm sure this is counterindicated in a manual somewhere, it has never felt like this was straining the mechanism in any way. The edges and surfaces of the joints themselves are well finished, so if you need to carry it by the head a little bit, this is comfortable enough, with no sharp bits to get snagged on. For any extended carrying, you will almost certainly want to have the whole thing on at least a strap.


If you travel, and intend to check your tripod with this head attached, or just carry it in a bag, be aware that it -is- considerably bigger than it -looks- -- I have a "Large" Hakuba bag, and this head just barely fits, and only when adjusted to a very awkward angle to minimize the protrusion of the hand grips. You could, of course, just be smarter and take the grips off for travel. (Just don't toss the retaining screws in place initially.)


On a functional downside, the front/back spirit level is obscured (underneath the head & camera) when the head is tilted for portrait shooting, so if this is important, you will want to fiddle with it before tilting the camera sideways, which is counterintuitive and hence a problem.

Another minor gripe is the hexagonal plate - mounting it exactly straight on the camera is always a little bit of a challenge. This is not unique to this particular head, but I always find myself second-guessing and squinting when attaching it to the camera. Bogen makes what they call an "architectural plate" which fits this head and has a little lip to align the back of the camera exactly with the plate, but I have not looked at this any further because it hasn't been enough of a problem.

Hypothetically, the only reasons I could have for replacing this head in everyday use would be exacting geared movement, or a lighter weight, but both of those would come at a higher price than they are currently worth to me.