SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head Announced

Camera accessory maker SmallRig has released a new lightweight fluid head for video shooters. Dubbed simply as ‘SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head 3457’, this new support will help smooth out panning motion without adding a lot of weight to your kit. Let’s take a closer look at what it can do.

Many hybrid stills/video camera shooters rely on support equipment that was originally intended for still photography.  Even though a photo head can support the weight of a hybrid camera like the Canon R5 C, they were only designed to keep the camera in one place. 

Once we add motion into the mix, a stills tension head or ball head becomes less than ideal. Without resistance to dampen and smooth out the operators movement, we end up with pans and tilts that start and end with a noticeable jerky motion.

Shooting techniques can eliminate some of the motion, but nothing is as good as proper fluid resistance and a pan bar in a video tripod head. This is exactly what the SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head offers at an affordable price.

SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head key features

• Load Capacity – 5 kg / 11 lbs
• Net Weight – 512 g / 18 oz
• Material – Aluminum allow
• Arca-Swiss Compatible Quick Release
• Adjustable Center of Gravity
• 360° Panoramic Panning Design
• Detachable Telescopic Handle
• 1/4″-20 Threaded Accessory Mounting Hole

The SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head is for video recording and photography. It features panoramic panning and is Arca-swiss QR system compatible, allowing it to work directly with optional Arca-Swiss camera cages.

Center of gravity adjustment

Users can adjust the SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head’s center of gravity back and forth by turning the side knob.  The QR Plate offers 100mm of adjustment range, and the fluid head offers an additional 70mm. This should be more than enough range to balance longer lenses.

360° panoramic panning design

Both the top and the bottom of the fluid head offer independent 360° panoramic rotation. This allows the you to adapt to complex video shooting environments, and shoot in portrait mode for stills.

Detachable telescopic handle & accessory mount

The head comes with a removable telescopic pan bar handle that supports 360° swivel. This allows shooters to continuously pan without touching the camera directly for greater consistency. It also easily collapses down to 140mm for storage on the go.

One 1/4″-20 threaded hole on the body of the tripod head accommodates a magic arm for a light, audio interface, monitor, or other accessories.

Competition

There are a lot of tripod head manufactures, and the competition from Manfrotto, Silk, Benro, and everyone in between is steep. Lots of tripod heads sell at just around the price point of SmallRig’s head. But the weight, compact design, and versatility of the SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video make it a compelling option for camera-people on the run.

The SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head is available to order now for $99.

Link: SmallRig

How do you like SmallRig’s camera support products? Which fluid head do you use for your hybrid camera shooting? Let us know in the comments below.