Acratech Panoramic & Tilt Head with QR, 25 lbs Load Capacity

I wasn't sure if I would like this head. It was expensive and not an all-around head. Best for landscapes but I bought it to use with my 200-500 telephoto lens. It turned out to be not as useful for the purpose that I bought it for because it had some difficulty holding the heavy long lens. This head is advertised as a long lens head. One this that it is great at though is landscapes and creating multiple photos for panoramas. I almost sent it back because although I do like to shoot landscapes, it was a lot of money for something I might only occasionally use. But the more that I used it the more that I liked the idea of just a two axis head. I was never overly fond of ballheads and my Wimberley gimbal head was a little too bulky for carrying around and not good for all-around use. Gimbal heads cannot mount short lenses on just the camera body. There are designed for long lenses with a tripod foot.I now love the fact that the Acratech head is so well machined from aircraft aluminium which makes it strong and lightweight and has great features built into their heads. I own other Acratech products and they are all very well made. The best thing that I like is the fact that when you loosen the head to move it around, the camera and lens does not have a tendency to flop over like with a loosened ballhead. The two axis (left/right & up/down) cab be adjusted to work almost as well as a gimbal for wildlife and is the best for landscapes and panoramas. I decided to keep it and it's my main tripod head now. I have it mounted on my Gitzo class-3 tripod with an Acratech leveling base. PERFECT!

Worth every penny spent. Ease to use very precise construction. Very sturdy but not heavy

This is a great tripod head. The thing weighs almost nothing but can hold a full frame with large lens. It is a perfect panoramic stitching lens. The only thing missing is indexed stops so you’ll have to pay attention to your angles. I added a 90mm offset to better position the parallax for wide angle stitching.

At this point, I am using it like a ball head. I thought I made a mistake buying it at first because I am used to the flexibility of a ball head. I didn’t buy the leveler, so to make it level, I have to spend more time adjusting the tripod legs. Now that I am getting used to it, I have to say this is pretty solid and locks the camera at the angle you set it. I make time lapse videos, so drift is a big no-no for me.

This is just an awesome tripod head. The quality is top notch and the functionality is wonderful. This is my go to head for landscape photography and panos. It's not cheap but have you seen what it costs to get a Really Right Stuff pano head? Buy this one instead and you won't be disappointed.

The Acratech Panoramic & Tilt Head is a vastly overpriced product. The packaging is incredibly cheap and unimpressive, consisting of a poorly designed cardboard box that appears to have been put together in an amateurish manner. Furthermore, the tension control is non-existent and serves no real purpose, it is just a lock or unlock mechanism. This tilt head is not worth $500 after sales tax, it does not measure up to other products in its price range. In my opinion, there are much better options available in the market.

This product supports, with other Acratech gear, my telepromptr. There really is no finer manufacturer of pan and tilt heads. Even the big names are B players compared to Acratech!

good product