Gitzo G-2272M Rationnelle Magnesium 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head with Quick Release - Supports 12.2 lb (6 kg)

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

There are bubbles to indicate you the levels, but one is under your camera....

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

Very sturdy head, good for panning, or any planned shot. I used it mainly for macros and close ups, I can adjust its angles by milimeters on one axis easily, and its knobs position make it easy to do without messing with every other axis.

I guess that when you get a 3 way pan/tilt with 3 big knobs you expect it to be heavy and clunky, so when I want to go out and shoot anything fast, I just take my tripod with a ballhead anyway.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

Purchased this head along with a soon to arrive GH3750 Off Center Ball Head instead of the Arca Swiss Z-1. I initially wanted an all-in-one head but for what I shoot, the two Gitzo heads will serve me better. I shoot a lot of architecture and after experimenting a little with a ball head (which drove me crazy), I knew a 3-way Pan/Tilt head was the way to go. My old Gitzo 3-way head was sticking but heck, it is like 15+ years old.
I really love the new handles! These triangular handles make it much easier to tighten and loosen and are easier on the hands than the older style hard plastic knobs. The low profile head is nice for lower center of gravity but I think the handle placement is not as intuitive as my older style head...not a deal breaker. The quick release system is new versus my old style and it works fine. I was at first horrified because after mounting my Canon on the head, I found I could not tighten the little black handle to tighten down the QR plate. I thought I was going to have to remove the battery in order to have the space to turn the handle. I then discovered the black handle is spring loaded so you can pull it out a little distance in order to make the turns necessary to tighten down the QR plate...Whew! Thank god Gitzo is a professional outfit!
I do have to say however, that the quirkiness in shooting in portrait orientation is weird and is going to put some people off. Read Duncan's review as he explained the issue perfectly. Basically, you have to take the camera off the tripod and remount it while turning the camera orientation 90 degrees. Because the QR plate is square, it is possible to do this. Then it is possible to shoot in the portrait orientation and be able to tilt up & down. I still think it is really really really weird for a company like Gitzo to have done it this way but oh, well it works. Maybe they think everybody should be mounting their camera to a "L" bracket which would make reorienting the camera unnecessary. Google "L" bracket if you don't know what I am referring to. You are still able to just loosen the handle and tilt the camera to shoot in the portrait orientation...you just can't tilt up or down. Also, when you do remount the camera to shoot in portrait orientation, the handles are in non-traditional positions but again, not a deal breaker, at least not a deal breaker for me.
The head is solid, the movements are smooth and I really like the feel. I am pairing this head with a Gitzo Explorer and they work awesome together. Some people said that it wasn't smooth enough for video but it is not a video head. The QR plate only has a notch for a quarter or screwdriver to tighten it and I wish it had a little flip up ring to grab like my older larger Gitzo QR plates had but I guess maybe there wasn't enough room. Again, a minor deal.
There are a lot of complaints about "creep" when shooting in the portrait position and that no amount of torque would keep the camera solid. (I guess still a lot of HDR going on) I took those reviewer complaints to heart and figured I would have to make a user modification to keep the camera solid. This is my solution. The bottom plate with the serial # on it on my Canon anyway, will unscrew. It is just a plate, no electronics underneath and it is thick enough to screw a hole through and have the secondary anti-rotation pin on the QR plate engage that new hole that is drilled into the metal serial # plate. The hole has to be measured and drilled precisely and I would take it to a machine shop. Canon should really have a secondary hole in the bottom of their cameras to engage anti-rotation pins but that's another rant and one meant for Canon. So, that and the weirdness in shooting in portrait orientation is the reason for only 4 stars out of 5 stars but I can live with both those things. Gitzo's are really great and if you are serious about your images...you really can't go wrong.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

I own two G-2272M heads and use only them for both digital and field 4x5. Having experimented with ball heads, I find I can precisely control one axis at a time far more easily and accurately on a tilt-pan head.These Gizto heads are light, smooth, and very secure. I've tried heads as secure but much heavier, heads which loosen suddenly so that fine adjustments are difficult, lighter heads which slip as you tighten. The G-2272M solves all those problems in a very low profile which keeps the camera close to the tripod legs for great stability.I particularyly like the safety latch on the QD plate. Loosening the lock lever is not enugh to release my expensive Canon 5DII with 300mm lens for an accidental fall onto pavement. To slide the QD plate out of the head you press in a convenient safety button so your action is fast and simple but deliberate and controled.The only down side is that this very flexible head can do more than you might realize. It is not obvious from the product photo how simple it is to shoot in portrait orientation with a square Gitzo quick detach plate. The standard Gitzo picture shows the long lever on top to adjust lens inclination. In this position, when you flip the right lever up to portrait position, there is no way to adjust forward lens inclination. The solution is trivial. Because the standard Gitzo QD plate is square, you can mount your camera at 0 - 90 - 180 - 270 degrees relative to the head.To shoot landscape or portrait at the flip of the lever, clip in your camera with the square QD base rotated 90 degrees clockwise from how it is shown the Gitzo picture. Now use the top piviot for lateral tilt, which can then be flipped over to the right in portrait position. The middle pivot thus becomes lens inclination and I swap the long lever into that socket for best control. With this one user adjustment the 2272M is the best head I've every used.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

I own the mountaineer 6X Carbon fiber travel tripod, and this was a great add on for it. Works great for shooting video in the field and keeping it light for travel. The only real complaint is the design. I feel like there is too many handles, but each one controls a different axis giving you more control over your moves. wish it had better drag.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

I was so disappointed in this head. Even with only 4.5 lbs of camera+lens on it, it felt front heavy, as though the lens were going to pull the whole this down. The most disappointing and frustrating thing is that you cannot tilt it when the camera is in portrait orientation! I take lots of portrait oriented images (as opposed to landscape) and have found that this head is useless. It's going back.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

Very fluid movement. Great for spotting scopes.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

This is a compromise head. This head is not a heavy duty video head with very smooth pan and tilt. This head is not a quick on target ball head. This head does an OK job of panning and tilting for personal video work (with my D7000). This head does an OK for panoramic shots. This head is light enough for packing around all day, but is still fairly heavy.

There are a few quirks. Look at how you plan on mounting your camera. I had to change the handles around and mount it at a different angle than expected to do tall shots and ….. The quick detach is not like Manfrotto.

This head is the compromise head when you want to be able to do everything ok, but nothing exceptional. This is my primary head. Because I am carrying my gear all the time, doing a little video, a little panoramic, a few this and a few that. It is the best head for my purpose I have found.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

I purchased this just before going on a week long photo workshop and was very glad that I had purchased it as it has given me more precise control for panos and macro work.

So far I have not had any complaints with it and I have now been using it for 3 weeks.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

All axes of this head move very smoothly with no hesitating or skipping whatsoever. Need to shift by just half a degree? no problem.
The grips are easy to operate and require little effort but are still very firm when you need them to be.

Comments about Gitzo G2272M Magnesium Pan Head:

My use - landscapes and close-ups.
What's great - The quick-release plate can be inserted in any of four orientations. The size and feel, grip and tensioning, of the knobs.
What's not so great - it did not ship with a "cool" Gitzo fabric bag.