Why Photographers Should Consider a Fluid Head for Their Tripod

Most still shooters use a ball head mount on their tripod, but photographer Hudson Henry wants you to reconsider. As he explains in the video above, using a fluid head built primarily for videographers will give you a lot more versatility.

Henry’s first experience with a fluid head came during a documentary film shoot on Denali. In order to save weight, they travelled with only a single tripod head, which happened to be a fluid head, not a ball head. When he got back home to his ball head, he found himself missing the versatility and features that are only available on a fluid head mount.

In this video, Henry explains the differences between fluid and ball heads, debunks some myths about how big or pricey or complicated fluid heads are, and shows you how versatile his own relatively affordable setup with a $135 Manfrotto MVH500AH is compared to a ball head mount.

Read also: The Best Tripods

Check out the full video up top or read about Henry’s experience on his blog. If you’ve never considered a fluid head for your tripod, get ready to have your mind changed.