LEOFOTOFluid Video Head - Aircraft Aluminium - Low Weight - Load Capacity: 4 kg - Perfect for the Demanding Videographer - BV-5

Been wanting to get this kind of tripod head to easily adjust my camera without dislodging from its plate. I love that it fits perfectly with my LX-225CT tripod, lightweight, and stable. Great buy!

I got this tripod head for a medium weight spotting scope. As with other Leofoto products I own, it is well made. The fixed spring counterbalance is too strong for my spotting scope but about right for my 600mm lens and camera. The pan lock is hard to set precisely, transitioning from no friction to a lot with a very small change in rotation. The pan joint rocks more than expected when tilt forces are applied to the head when the pan joint isn't locked. Although it pans and tilts smoothly, there is some play in the counterbalancing spring and the engagement of the locking forces that makes it annoying to make small positional adjustments. When you remove the force used to tilt it, it springs back significantly more than other tripod heads I own. To move to a new position, you have to move past where you want it to end up and anticipate how much it will spring back. I returned it and got a K&F FH-01 which is a little lighter, costs less, and doesn't have any of these issues.

I love Leofoto equipment. I now have several pieces from them and it's all well made, solid, functional with great attention to detail. Even their midrange equipment has a 'top of the line' feel to it. I have one of their carbon fiber tripods and it amazes me how it can be so light and portable, yet at the same time burly to the point of feeling indestructible. This item has a lot of the attention to detail I'm talking about--for example, the handle that can accommodate right and left handed users. My wife is left handed and I'm right handed and you'd be surprised how seldom they're accommodated by even high end equipment.This fluid head is the middle of the BV range which features very compact and low profile equipment. The BV-5 is the middle head in the series smaller than the BV-10 and larger than the tiny BV-1. The build quality is very good--made of aircraft grade aluminum that is black anodized to enhance the durability. Despite the size, it's a very functional head with a 90 degree to 75 degree tilt and 360 panning. This is obviously a 'personal preference' assessment, but I thought the panning was very smooth. I've read some posts on photography boards that suggested it isn't smooth enough but that's like the case with every piece of equipment ever made.I love the size and portability. It weighs barely over a pound and can support equipment weighing up to nine pounds. That covers a lot of ground. Very highly recommended!

Very smooth and easy movement for panning and tilting. I use it with the GoPro 11 and everything comes out in the video super fluid and smooth no jitters or hesitations.

Anything that can maximize its ease of use, quality while still being the absolute smallest footprint is just spectacular. I have used the followingMonacle, Sony A7R II, nikon D50,Attention to detail, engineering and the footprint shows a solid understanding of those that hate to carry gear.