Leofoto BV-1R - Excellent video tripod head for a mirrorless camera
Leofoto BV-1R - Excellent video tripod head for a mirrorless camera
As a photographer, do you also often shoot supplementary videos with your mirrorless camera for social media? Then you probably know that it is difficult to make nice smooth and stable camera movements with a standard ball head. This is why you need the BV-1R video head, because when you're out and about you want to carry as little weight as possible. This compact lightweight video head is easy to take with you and use on the go.
What is the difference between a ball head and a video head?
Often compact tripods come with a standard ball head. A ball head has a ball that allows the camera to be rotated in any direction. This type of tripod head is particularly suitable for taking photos or shooting without camera movement. If you want to shoot videos with your mirrorless camera or compact DSLR, it is better to choose a video head.
"In addition, you can adjust the friction of the fluid damping."
This is because the advantage of a video head is that they come with a control arm that makes it easier to create nice smooth camera movements. In addition, you can adjust the friction of the fluid damping, which determines the speed of camera tilt. Smooth camera movements are necessary if you want to edit a professional video from the video footage.
When do you use a video head?
A video head is usually mounted on a tripod. This keeps your camera steady and allows you to easily rotate and tilt the camera with the video head. This is important for creating stable and professional-looking video footage.
A video head is therefore often used in situations such as when filming interviews, events or other types of shooting where the camera needs to be moved to follow the action. They are also useful for capturing panoramic or time-lapses, as the camera must then be rotated or tilted smoothly and precisely over a period of time.
On these 5 points, the BV-1R scores well
When you head into the mountains to shoot beautiful footage, you naturally want a compact, lightweight video head. The Leofoto BV-1R is a great solution for this. This compact Fluid damping video head has two panorama plates for 360° rotation. The wing nuts run pleasantly and are large enough to loosen and tighten them even with gloves on, and the long control arm makes it easy to make slow tracking movements. There are also five other points that make the BV-1R score highly.
Compatibility: You can combine the BV-1R with any tripod with a 3/8-inch tripod screw. This makes the BV-1R the ideal lightweight tripod head to use on compact tripods with, for example, a levelling base. In addition, it is Arca-Swiss compatible.
Versatile: The BV-1R fluid head can tilt up to 90° forwards and 75° backwards. Moreover, its two different panorama plates allow it to rotate 360° on its axis. The fine degree scale on the 46 mm wide base plate helps a lot when making panoramas.
Carrying capacity: The BV-1R weighs just 433g and has a load capacity of up to 3kg static weight. This is a nice load capacity for such a compact video head and is excellent for carrying mirrorless cameras or compact DSLRs. It is even sufficient to equip the camera with an additional accessory such as an external monitor.
Fluid damping: The fluid damping of the head prevents jerky images. The degree of friction is adjustable with a large user-friendly dial. This is important for creating professional-quality video images.
Quick release plate: The included NP-60 quick release plate is 60mm long and allows you to easily attach and detach the camera to the video head. This is useful if you keep taking the camera off the tripod when you change locations.
In addition, Leofoto heads also come with a 10-year warranty. This is especially important if you were to encounter problems with your video head.
3 tips for using a video head
Here are three tips to get you started to get better shots when you start filming with a tripod and a video head.
- Make sure the video head is securely mounted on the tripod. If there are anti-twist screws on your tripod plate to prevent the head from rotating, make use of these. This will prevent the head from unwanted loosening when you rotate the camera with the control arm.
- Adjust the friction correctly to achieve the best smooth movements. For example, more friction makes tilting heavier, which is suitable for slow movements from top to bottom, for example.
- Experiment with different camera positions and movements to find the best angle and shot for your images. An unexpected angle can sometimes yield great results. It also gives you more choice of images when editing your video.
Other Leofoto video head options
If you think the Leofoto BV-1R is too small, there are other options for different size video heads with an Arca-Swiss plate, from small to large: BV-5, BV-10 and BV-15. These video heads each have a long control arm. With the control arm, you can easily follow a moving subject. The arm can be placed on either the left or right side of the video head. Shaky images are prevented by the head's fluid damping. These easy-to-use video heads can be combined with any tripod with a 3/8-inch tripod screw.
The larger video heads have Arca-Swiss quick-coupling plates with both a 1/4" tripod screw and a video pin. There is also the BV-30M video head that has a Manfrotto quick coupling plate.