New studio product: Edelkron FlexTilt Head 2

[Mike Buckley]

Dan's comment about his tripod being placed on the table reminds me that this head is designed to stand on its own on a table or shelf. So long as the camera is reasonably above the main part of the head, it won't tip over. I wouldn't use it that way but it's easy to see that someone making a video might find it useful to do rather than placing the head on a tripod.

[Mike Buckley]

This is a summary review of the Edelkrone FlexTilt Head 2. If you would like to see the details and sample photos upon which this summary is based, begin with post #25 in this thread. The summary is based on my impressions of using the head in various situations in nine of the last eleven days.

Stability
This was by far my biggest concern before purchasing the head and I am thrilled to report that it is certainly stable enough to meet my current desktop photography needs. I have never done focus stacking, so once I do, that will perhaps be the ultimate test of stability.

Flexibility
The primary advantage of this head over other heads is that it allows the camera system to be moved forward or backward, horizontally left or right 340 degrees, straight up or down, tilted upward or downward, or any combination of those movements. It is so much easier and enjoyable to fine tune the height of the camera using this head rather than adjusting the tripod's column.

The tension in the joints that control those movements can easily be adjusted to meet the user's needs using Allen wrenches supplied with the head. This makes it possible to strike the ideal balance between having the tension loose enough that the camera system can be moved with sufficient ease and tight enough that it will be held in place once the desired framing has been achieved.

Technique
It's best to hold the camera with both hands when moving it. Doing so applies pressure evenly throughout the head and camera system.

Rather than trying to move the camera system directly straight up or down, use a rocking motion that begins with pushing the camera forward and in a downward tilt even if you ultimately want to move the camera up. Follow up that first motion by rocking the camera in whatever upward or downward direction you then want to move the camera.

Add Weight to the Tripod
If your tripod moves when changing the position of the camera, hang something sufficiently heavy on the tripod. I added two sandbags weighing a total of 15 pounds to my rather lightweight tripod.

Remove the Battery Grip
The joint that connects the camera body and battery grip has a noticeable give on my system when moving the camera. I feared damage would be done to that joint, so I removed the battery grip. As a result, moving the camera and head became much easier and natural.

Add a Ball Head
It is not possible using the FlexTilt head on its own to place the camera in a vertical orientation or to use a "Dutch tilt." Both problems are solved by placing a ball head between the FlexTilt head and the camera. Two small pieces of hardware provided with the FlexTilt head make it possible to do that. It may also be possible to use an L-plate in conjunction with the FlexTilt head to quickly move the camera into a vertical orientation ideally centered above the head, but I have not looked into that.

EDIT: When using an aggressive downward tilt, the camera stays in place better when the FlexTilt head is used with the ball head than without it. When keeping the FlexTilit and ball heads over the center of the tripod, the weight of the ball head serves as an additional counterweight behind the camera, preventing it from moving.

Hysteresis
Hysteresis is the situation that when moving the camera to a new position, the head automatically rebounds slightly in the direction of its prior position. Anyone who has used a ball head has experienced this. The same thing happens when using the FlexTilt head. The difference is that when using a ball head, you have to compensate for the hysteresis while at the same time tightening the head, hoping you don't accidentally move it to an unwanted position. When using the FlexTilt head, you only have to compensate. Much, much easier.

Cost and Availability
This recently released product costs $150 (free shipping within America). Unlike when I ordered it on the first day orders were being publicly taken, Edelkrone is now advertising that it is readily available.

[Manfred M]

Hysteresis
Hysteresis is the situation that when moving the camera to a new position, the head automatically rebounds slightly in the direction of its prior position. Anyone who has used a ball head has experienced this. The same thing happens when using the FlexTilt head. The difference is that when using a ball head, you have to compensate for the hysteresis while at the same time tightening the head. When using the FlexTilt head, you only have to compensate. Much, much easier.

This is where a geared head comes into its own. The hysteresis effect (from gear lash) is extremely small and really not noticeable.

The problem with that solution is cost as even the least expensive ones are not cheap. The moment you look away from Manfrotto, the prices become astronomical. I know someone who uses the Arca-Swiss version and it cost around $US 1500.

https://www.manfrotto.us/junior-geared-head

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks for mentioning that, Manfred. I have now added cost and availability information to the bottom of my review.

[Mike Buckley]

This is a bad photo but it does show one of the unit's uses, albeit an extreme position I would rarely use. If I had not had the Edelkrone FlexTilt head attached to the tripod, I would have had to have moved the tripod closer to the subject and I would have had to have lowered the camera by adjusting the tripod's legs. Instead, I simply moved the camera forward and lower.

I used this setup to capture a photo and it worked fine.

[Mike Buckley]

I have mentioned that tension in the joints that control the unit's movements can easily be adjusted to meet the user's needs using Allen wrenches supplied with the head. I have now been using the unit regularly for about three months and this week sensed that the joints might have loosened somewhat. I became convinced of that yesterday when the unit wouldn't properly hold my camera system in place when my lightest and shortest lens was being used. So, for the first time since initially setting the tension the way I like it, I tightened it again. Now that I have done that, all is well and good again.