Tripods and heads are something that many photographers collect. I have a favourite set of legs and swap between a ball head and Yelangu gimbal all the time. Fotopro just sent me a pair of their new Eagle gimbal head sets complete with carbon fibre legs.
There are two sizes – the standard E-6H and the over-sized E-9H. The E-6H handles my Tamron 150-600 G2 perfectly while the E-9H is meant for the big primes (400 f/2.8 up to 800 f/5.6). I used the E-9H with my 150-600 for the Solar Eclipse.
The Eagle series is available as just the gimbal head or a kit with the head and carbon fibre legs. The legs are well built and feature twist locks and adjustable angle leg columns. Standard stuff – well built, stiff and fairly light. The E-9H is BIG – it holds almost 80 pounds/35kgs and extends to 64”/163cm high. E-6H is a little shorter (55”/140cm) and load capacity is 22lb.
The real gem of the legs is the platform – it has the ability to level the platform. It’s a feature I haven’t seen in a tripod in a few years and is perfect for precision work, such as panoramas (more on this later).
The gimbal head is one of the most adjustable and functional heads on the market. Extremely well built, the two heads are very similar. You have full 360° rotation that can be locked down. The machined aluminum main arm can be adjusted from 0° to 180°. You can mount your lens directly to it (as I have with my 150-600 G2) or add the height adjustable platform. This platform is perfect if you’re using a lighter lens, such as 100-400 or 70-300 and need to mount your camera on it.
You can watch my YouTube video for the Yelangu gimbal to learn how to balance your camera and lens on a gimbal head.
The entire system uses Arca-Swiss compatible plates, which meant I could mount my camera by it’s L-bracket. There is a plate included if you need one. The kit also comes in a handy carrying case.
So let’s talk about the hidden “feature” of this head that I love. It can double as a panorama head. I won’t call it a true pano head, as it doesn’t have all the scales so you can set it up precisely every single time. However, the centre column can be locked in between the clicked stops so you can centre your lens’ nodal point over the bubble level of the platform. That is why I love the levelling platform. Now my horizons will stay straight and I can shoot panos easier where I can keep everything lined up and minimize distortion. Stay tuned for next issue where I’ll detail how to calculate your nodal point and setup this head to work with that measurement.
I took two sets of images of the same location – one by centering my camera horizontally & rotating and the other by centering on the nodal point of my lens and shooting vertically. Compare the distortion on the edges of the two panos – in the clouds and especially the barn on the right. This is why setting your nodal point is so important.
My L bracket also let me attach my camera vertically or horizontally to the main column of the gimbal, so if you don’t have an L bracket, you’ll need to use the included platform.
The head is fluid damped everywhere, making movement very smooth. There is a panning handle included, which is ideal for video work. Aside from load capacity, the E-9H centre column can also be adjusted laterally over the centre of the head. It has a quick-release and a scale over 5cm to move the centre column left or right of centre – ideal for setting the correct nodal point depending on your camera and lens.
The large knobs should be very easy to use with gloves on, as will the push button release for the centre column angle.
One special safety feature won’t work with gloves – the release knobs for the two mounting platforms include an indented “lock” that you have to depress to be able to open the Arca receiver fully. This prevents you from accidentally opening the receiver and dropping your camera. That’s a really ingenious feature that adds to the attractiveness of this gimbal head.
If I already owned a good set of tripod legs or needed a gimbal head with benefits, I would throw a serious eye at the Eagle series. If you’re in the market for a setup geared towards panos and gimbal only shooting, the Eagle kit is a solid investment that should reward you for years to come.
About the Author – Will Prentice (www.capturaphoto.ca) is a professional photographer based out of Whitby, Ontario and Brand Specialist – Lighting for Amplis.
