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- Presentation
- Functionalities / Fonctions
- Conclusion
1 Presentation
Thanks to Degreef & Partner , I could test the Leofoto PG-1 Pendular head (549 euros)
Pendular heads are mean to support long telephoto lens and allow to smoothly tilt & pan your setup
Grâce à Degreef & Partner , j’ai pu tester la tête pendulaire Leofoto PG-1 (549 euros)
Les têtes pendulaires sont faites pour supporter les gros téléobjectifs et vous permettre une facilité et une précision de mouvements dans les 2 axes (vertical et horizontal)
1.1 Specifications
- Price : 549 euros
- Weight : 1000g
- Width : 76mm
- Length : 200mm
- Supported weight : 25kg
- 10 years warranty
- Mounting hole for magic arm
- Bubble level
- 100mm Arca Swiss plate provided
Globally the whole set is of very high quality, it is surprisingly light and solid thanks to its extruded design in Aluminium
There are 2 main large knobs to control the pan and tilt movements. You can control the fluidity of the movement by locking more or less the knobs
A 3rd smaller knob allow to adjust the height of main plate over 90mm height and a 4th smaller knob allow to adjust forward/backwards the provided Arca Swiss plate (100mm) to balance your setup
There are engraved marks for the rotation (0-360°), for the height (0-90mm) of the main plate and for the position of the Arca Swiss plate (-20mm to +20mm)
- Prix : 549 euros
- Poids : 1000g
- Largeur: 76mm
- Longueur : 200m
- Poids supporté : 25kg
- 10 ans de garantie
- Emplacement pour fixer un bras magique
- Niveau à bulle
- Plaque Arca Swiss de 100mm fournie
La tête pendulaire PG-1 de Leofoto est fabriquée en aluminium aéronautique fraisé extrêmement résistant tout en ne pesant que 1 kg grâce à son corps perforé . Malgré sa légèreté, cette tête pivotante robuste peut transporter jusqu’à 25 kg de matériel !
La qualité de construction est très bonne et la conception est très ergonomique
Deux gros boutons contrôlent le mouvement horizontal et vertical. Selon le niveau de fermeture, les mouvement seront plus ou moins fluide
Des repères gradués de 0-360 degrés pour l’horizontale , de 0-90mm pour la vertical et de -20/+20mm pour le plateau Arca Swiss sont disponibles
Deux autres boutons plus petit permettent d’ajuster la hauteur du plateau principale sur 90mm et la position avant/arrière de la plaque Arca Swiss afin d’équilibrer le boitier + objectif sur la tête pendulaire
2 Functionalities / Fonctionalités
2.1 Basic Operations / Fonctions de bases
- Level your tripod + head
- Put the camera+lens on the Arca Swiss plate
- Balance it forward/backward on the main support plate so that it is stable with the tilt movement unlocked, lock the plate
- Adjust height on the main plate if needed
- Start to use with more or less friction on the pan and tilt axis
The movement can vary from very fluid with no resistance at all , to smooth movement with small of more pressure , to a locked position
I tested the head with my Sony A7RIV equipped with a Sony 200-600mm Zoom
Compared to my previous Benro pendular head GH3 , it is day and night , the Leofoto is much more solid & has smoother movements, while being almost 2 times lighter !
Utilisation
- Faites le niveau de votre trépied + tête pendulaire
- Fixer l’ensemble boitier + objectif sur la plaque Arca Swiss
- Equilibrer avant/arrière sur le support principal jusqu’a ce que le boitier reste stable avec le movement d’inclinaison (tilt) déverrouillé, fixer le plateau Arca Swiss
- Ajuster la hauteur du plateau principal si requis
- Régler la friction horizontale et verticale selon vos besoins
Les mouvements horizontaux et verticaux peuvent être réglés grâce aux deux gros boutons de réglages de très fluides à, peu , moyennement, ou fortement amortis ou fixe
J’ai effectué mes essais avec un SonyA7RIV muni du zoom Sony 200-600mm
Comparé à ma tête pendulaire précédente une Benro GH-3 , c’est le jour et la nuit : La Leofoto est beaucoup plus solide, a des mouvement plus doux et plus ajustables et un poids divisé par presque 2
3 Conclusion
The Leofoto PG-1 is not a cheap pendular head (549 euros) , but it is fantastic to use: it is light, robust, has smooth movements and has a beautiful design with extruded holes
Compared to my previous Benro GH-3 pendular head , I have much more pleasure using the Leofoto one has it provides me with much more precision and confort in my usage
In addition we have several holes to fix a magic arm if we want to !
Highly recommended !
3 Conclusion
La tête pendulaire Leofoto PG-1 n’est certes pas bon marché (549 euros) , mais elle est un vrai régal à utiliser: légère, robuste, avec des mouvements fluides ou amortis et un très beau design aérien
Comparé à ma tête pendulaire précédente un Benro GH-3 , j’ai beaucoup plus de plaisir à utiliser celle de Leofoto qui fournit beaucoup plus de précision et de confort à l’utilisation.
Cerise sur le gateau des trous pour fixer un bras magique sont dispo !
A recommander sans hésitation
Categories: Accessories, Tripod
Hi Marc,
as a Sony Alpha photographer, I read your reviews and recommendations with great interest particularly since they provide information that I don’t find at all anywhere else (like what lenses are suitable for the A7R IV and which are not).
I have a special question regarding a head for the FE 600mm F4: you mentioned that you tested both the Manfrotto Nitrotech 608 Fluid Head as well as the Leofoto PG-1 Pendular head. Which one would you prefer overall for this lens (with an attached body of course) ?
Best regards,
Achim Dittrich
For photo I would take the leofoto pg-1 , manfrotto nitro tech is more suited for video work
Thanks!
How would you compare it to Wimberley WH-200 ?
I see on you video that PG-1 requires a lot of turning to tighten unlike Wimberley which you can tighten in 1 turn or less.
there is indeed a lot of flexibility in level of dampening you want so several turns required
Hi Marc, Thanks for the review. I found this page through youtube. I’m about to purchase the PG-1.
1. Does both top and side knob allow you to change the drag (heavy or light) depending on how tight you turn? If you screw tighter, does it cause heavier drag and is it still smooth (like for video use)? Sometimes, tighter means it doesn’t move smoothly and is jerky.
2. On the side arm, it allows the cradle (base plate, camera) to go up and down. If loosen the lever (smaller knob #3), does it allow the cradle to move up all the way and take the whole thing out? I ask because RRS makes a arca swiss compatible lever release base plate and I may want to use it instead.
Thanks.
Kien
for 1 yes , for 2 I don’t think so but I don’t have the PG1 with me anymore so can’t confirm
Hi Marc, resending as my other comment may not have gone through.
On the PG-1, does the knob #3 when loosen allow you to take out the cradle with the base plate? RRS sells a cradle that has lever quick release and I am thinking to use that instead.
Thanks.
I don’t have the PG1 with me anymore , I don’t remember, but I think no . so can’t do re test right now , will tell you If I get it again
I had again the pg-1 yes the knob allow to completely remove the cradle
Pay attention if you use another on the stop mechanism there is a big screw on the vertical slider on which the cradle slide which serve as a stop the cradle itself has a horizontal silver bar in the continuity of the knob of the cradle that hit the big screw as a stop safety measure when sliding down
Hi Ktchua,
I too have bought the same RRS cradle with quick release as I had ordered a PMG Katana Jr. to use it with. Unfortunately, Hermes Parcels UK lost my item and I had to settle with the Leofoto PG-1. I can confirm that this does not work with the RRS cradle as the plate you would attach it too, for some reason, is NOT Arca compatible, but leofotos own slightly different standard. Hope that’s helpful.