The SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head 3457

[@321mogul]

Something that this review and many others missed is that you can adjust tension of primary pan and stiffness of tilt by inserting the allan key into a the tripod screw hole. Seams most people never notice and think the locking levers are only tension adjustment.this is a great feature and something amazing for a 100 dollar product. Another common complaint is the locking levers hit eachother... the top pan lever, handle lever, and tilt lever all have built in pull out disengage allowing effortless repositioning on the fly with 0 tools.

[@Bassmunchkin1]

Excellent tips, many thanks for this great info and much appreciated 👍

[@Bassmunchkin1]

My SmallRig Lightweight Fluid Video Head 3457 arrived yesterday, but there's no allan key opening inside the tripod screw hole, its just a machine finished surface inside.

[@danielkovacs1172]

Thank you for your comment. It would have been a deal breaker if the levers keep hitting each other. God bless you!!

[@321mogul]

​@@danielkovacs1172 Glad I could help, the small rig website is rather lacking in there description/ instructions, at least in English. Have been using this tripod head as my primary with an absolute brick of a camera, a Fugi GFX 50r for over a year now and its held up great. Supports a truly surprising amount of weight when tightened up. I have a Pentax 645 120mm macro on a helicoid adapter on my brick camera at the moment and no issues.

[@amitdutta8768]

@@321mogul Glad to know you have used heavier weights on this head. I am planning to buy this head and will be mounting Nikon D500 and 200-500mm, with a combined weight of 3.15 kg. Do you think this head is sturdy enough to hold it ?

[@JoshMusicandVideos]

It's funny, I was literally thinking, "Could I possibly attach a peak design arca swiss plate at the bottom of the head with a 3/8 adapter?" and then you proceed to do exactly what I was thinking 😂 Love to see the thought process being similar, it must be easy leveling off your shot with such a light weight setup

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

It's a very handy option that is so fast to take on and off and adjust.

[@JaroslavBengl]

Arca Swiss Mount to put it on the Peak Design tripod is genius idea! Thanks so much! 😀👍🏻

[@dcwyang]

Attaching it to the PD tripod is brilliant! Solved the issue where the ballhead doesn't come with an independent leveling mechanism!

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Yes indeed. That’s what always annoys me about fluid heads. Having to adjust the legs!

[@dcwyang]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa having also the PD tripod, I just placed an order for this smallRig video ballhead, thanks to your short 'n sweet review!

[@BangPhoto]

I did the same as well and am getting the head today. Such a great tip provided by Andrew @@dcwyang

[@k1k13004]

finally someone shows the pan test :) thanks

[@frankfeng2701]

Great review. I'd love to get one for my monopod for wedding videography. The Manfrotto one is overkill for mirrorless camera setup and also takes too long to even attach the plate.

[@EmeraldAudiovisual]

The PD tripod in that combination is just brilliant.

Many thanks for this review. I also got the Smallrig head for my A7IV, using as you do the peak design travel tripod and Peak design plates. It works fine with the Sigma 150-600 Sports.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

That’s handy to know thank you!

[@corrbox2]

TY for your quick and to the point review with all the information is a very specific manor. Well done! 👀🎥 👍

[@CappuccinoLife]

Very nice and simple video Andrew, thank you! I'll buy it!

[@markwiemels]

Nicely done.

[@bg1hvc]

Hi Andrew, thank you so much for the detail information of this video head, i think this is a good design product, if Smallrig put a bubble level on the panning part, it will more friendly for both video and photo work.

[@gcprost]

Thanks for doing this. I have professional fluid heads but I don’t have anything that is suitable for travel. Up until now most of these small video heads weren’t really worth it. I would dial up the shutter speed and do it hand held.

[@mere_mort4l]

The pan lock screw needs to be tightened really hard to actually lock

[@AlfaMedtech]

You deserve a lot more subscribers! Keep up the good work

[@MarkusSenior]

Great Video. Thanks. I was just about to order a Manfrotto head for on the go... looks like this new one is worth looking into it :-) Cheers from LA.

[@QuinnLandry1648]

Great review. Buying mine now. Thank you

[@billyoung9538]

It's a bit hard to judge how well this head works, because there is evidence other forms of stabilization might be at work in this video. Most notably there is image warping and tearing near the edges (the tree close to the end was where I noticed it the most during the pan) I'm not sure if this is EIS or from a post stabilization, but in either case it means we are likely not looking at just the heads movements alone.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

You are correct in your assessment. These small heads are no replacement for a large fluid head but are helpful in places where mobility is important.

[@billyoung9538]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa I was in the process of looking at some other reviews, and was coming to that same conclusion. I have two old Wefeng WF-717AH (well 1 is a Fancier FT-717AH) I got years ago for around $45-$55 at the time. Since then it's gone through many other companies and is now part of E-Image and is the EI-717A and cost around $58 now, but they are my absolute favorite budget fluid head. Sadly they don't use a standard Manfroto or Arca style plates, but there was an after market Arca kit for them (doesn't seem to be available anymore) that I have on the two of mine. I was hoping SmallRig had finally made something that might be a small and worthy replacement for these, but this doesn't seem like it.

[@TahaJawashi]

Thank you very much Andrew, I was thinking of buying one of these, and your review showed me just the things I wanted to know!

[@markshirley01]

Thanks Andrew this looks a very neat little head.

[@ColeyCLogan]

Like the details & discription of parts, nice footage.

[@photo-markus]

The only concern for me would be the 5 kg load. Would it be stable with Let's say: Nikon Z8(Smallrig L-bracket)+Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 S+ A big mic+ a neo3 Rotolight. Not sure if that exceds 5 kg...What about Z8+a 24-70 f/2.8?

[@andrewhowe4266]

I have been looking for something like this for years for a hybrid photo/video setup. The downside with most video heads for photography is they lack a portrait mode and the plates run front to back. You can get portrait mode by putting on an L plate but then the camera is pointing in the wrong direction. I have experimented with adding a 360 mount on to solve this but Smallrig's built-in solution looks a lot more compact and portable.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

With the cage, portrait orientation just needs a plate added on one side. I'm not sure if that covers it for you.

[@321mogul]

Agreed bought this for stills with my gfx 50r. the built in balancing is brilliant for a big camera and being arca swiss, and having top pan allows effortless switch to verticle orientation. Brilliant little thing for still photography.

[@vakharia]

I am trying to understand how you have solved this using the 3457, but being a beginner, cannot visualise this yet. Care to elaborate or point me to some link?

[@madedigital]

this paired with a peak design tripod will be my dream setup

[@GarryBurgess]

Wow, I have the MVH500AH, and I love it, but don't like the weight, which sort of defeats the purpose of a my 190 carbon fibre tripod. I'd like something lighter because the new iPhone photography capability has changed everything and I love small and lightweight. But I'm still using the MVH500AH with my Manfrotto CF tripod, but looking at the Peak design, maybe with a small fluid head on it. Right now I never take the fluid head off, and just suffer out the heavy weight, although I would say that it's very very stable. My Jobo iPhone clamp has an arca Swiss head, so it would fit nicely on the smallrig 3457. This video really made my day. Thanks for putting out great information. I subscribed. Somehow I knew that you were from Canada right away, although I'm much further west.

[@Hiah.l]

Looks like a perfect fit for Peak Design tripod with Universal adapter

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Yes it definitely is. I prefer not to switch the heads all the time so I just use a arca Swiss plate.

[@kihestad]

Great review! Thanks 😊

[@Bassmunchkin1]

I've just received this head and overall I'm very happy. BUT when it comes to the mount slide lock, I'm am completely worried that this will not hold the slide in place unless I only attach a very light weight body only. I have an R6 MKII and will either use one of my 3 RF lenses - 15 to 35, 24 to 105 or 100 to 500. Even with just my R6 MKII body, I'm finding that the mount slide lock when turned until it touches the body with the "lock" symbol (as tight as it can go), that with a bit of finger pressure, I can still slide the mount either way. So there's no way I'm going to be using this head as I have completely no confidence in keeping my gear safe, how did you find this yourself. Maybe not trying to slide the mount and just going on faith that it would stay put, would of meant that I didn't think about this. When I get/find an allan key small enough to try and remove/adjust the lock lever, maybe it will lock nice and tight, but with all of the levers being so small for my mid size fingers, I'm also finding that my finger and thumb is taking a beating, so I might just bin the head and look for a more friendly adjustment one.

[@henryvantevlr]

Hi nice video. Does it have a variable Tension value to Adjust the tension on the Pan and Tilt without just locking On and Off?

[@gavinmaloney6773]

Great video! Love mine!

[@tahr-delta]

Thank you for the helpful video! Are you still using the SmallRig fluid head plus Peak Design travel tripod combination? I am considering exactly for this setup myself. Thanks!

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I don’t use tripods a lot but when I do, this is still the setup for me.

[@claudiociseria]

Hi! Does the pan has friction or not? It doesn’t seem too fluid. What do you think?

[@PowerSource301]

Now I understand. Thanks for the Review.

[@bobblakley3004]

Thanks Andrew. I’ve been looking at this Smallrig head and your review was helpful. Interesting thought on using it with the PD travel tripod as I have one of those as well. I have 2 quick questions for you if you see this: 1. I’m looking for something I can use for video and stills. Do you think the pan / tilt locking on this is suitable for still photos, specifically locking it down firm for long exposures? 2. What is the longest lens you have used with this? There are times when I might need to use it with a 400mm 2.8.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I have used it for stills but prefer a ball head for that purpose. I tend to use this head when travelling very light. A 400mm F2.8 would be tough to keep in place with that weight.

[@shengyuanhsuphotography7255]

very clear explanation!!

[@jdar-design-motion]

Could you let me know what 1/4 to 3/8 adopter you are using? Thanks!

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I just use the generic ones that are on Amazon

[@jdar-design-motion]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa Thanks. I found that the pan has very little resistance, almost too easy to pan, which makes it somewhat difficult to slow pans. Curious if you have a similar problem.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

@@jdar-design-motion it does pan easily for sure. This is definitely geared towards portability compared to larger units.

[@jamescohen]

1. Would this be good for a Monopod? And 2. what weight is it rated for, as I have a Sigma with a Ninja and Cine lenses + 2 Sony PF batteries (Might have the wrong designation for the batteries). Will it take the weight?

[@Sol-In-Seoul]

What Smallrig tripod would you pair this with? It’s for studio use, not mobile, but I want a small footprint. Price not an option, want good quality.

[@hellomynameismikey]

I just received mine but have noticed a lot of the levers get in the way of one another. For example the tilt lever interferes with the locking lever. It is very odd that they designed these to collide with each other when functioning.

[@BranRistic]

You should be able to use the Allan key to change the start/lock position of one of the levers to remedy that, works on other situations..

[@321mogul]

The top pan lock tilt lock and tele handle lock all have pull out disengage to reposition wherever you want without any tools effortlessly, awesome design feature that most reviews of this product and many users utterly fail to notice.

[@hellomynameismikey]

@@321mogul yep I figured that out too. This thing is actually awesome.

[@jamesprecious1035]

Andrew, Where did you source the ArcaSwiss adaptor for the bottom of the fluid head. I looked on SmallRigs site and did not see it? Thanks.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I have a few different ones but my favourite are by Peak Design. Very trim.

[@tba1879]

Is there a SmallRig pan-tilt that would work well for stills?

[@zhiyangtsai972]

Thanks for the video!

[@raylewis6399]

Great review. Thanks alot 👍🏽

[@Manawaralam]

I am just wondering if the mount as durable as other heaver head?

[@audiejohnposadas9556]

Awesome video. Can you also link to the Arca Swiss plate that you used the 3/8 screw that mounts to your PD tripod? Thanks!

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

This is a newer version. I’m not sure if the exact one I used in the video is still available. ca.peakdesign.com/products/standard-plate-v3?_pos=1&_sid=723a2d377&_ss=r

[@audiejohnposadas9556]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa Gotcha, thanks! So it's just the regular standard PD plate and you just swapped the screw to a 3/8 screw?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

@@audiejohnposadas9556 Yes exactly that.

[@JohnGaylerPhoto]

Great review - Can you remove the top panning plate and use it to add panning directly on the PD tripod? If so that's even more of a bargain!

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Do you mean without using the Arca Swiss plate? If so, yes but you have to use the PD universal tripod adapter to allow you to screw it directly on.

[@JohnGaylerPhoto]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa Not quite, I'm asking if the top panning clamp can be removed and used to allow panning with the inverted ball head of your PD tripod? That is a valuable addition. Also, can you remove the top panning plate and use the SmallRig head panning from the bottom, making the head smaller and lighter?

[@GereldTheCat]

@@JohnGaylerPhoto I have this setup. From my use, I have not found an easy way to remove the top panning portion. Looks like it might be possible if you're adventurous enough to remove a few hidden hex screws (you're gonna need a smaller hex key to get them out). One thing I have found, though, is that the plate that comes with this head does not play nice with the PD ball head. So even if the top panning portion is removable, I don't have much faith that it would fit alone on the ball head.

[@PPSCV]

@@GereldTheCat Thanks for the reply. You are correct, the top plate is not Arca Swiss - a missed opportunity to create a dynamite combination of function and value in my opinion.

[@MrCreepySam]

Do you think this could handle the Sony 200-600gm lens? 👀

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I haven’t tried anything even close. You could probably get away with using it but it wouldn’t be ideal.

[@enidrajm]

Thanks for the review showcasing its use in the field. A question for you: can you control the amount of tilt drag by slightly tightening the tilt lock?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

To some extent yes but not like what you will find on larger heads. It can take a little trial and error to get the shot as smooth as you like.

[@amitdutta8768]

Thanks Adrew for the review. I have Nikon D500 + 200-500mm, totaling 3.150 kg. Do you think this head is sturdy enough to hold it ?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I would definitely use something more heavy duty for that sized lens.

[@amitdutta8768]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa Thanks Andrew for confirming.

[@nasirawan7552]

Hi Andrew, Thanks a lot for this wonderful review. I am sure this might resolve my issue😍 I need your guidance about an old tripod that I want to use for small video interview recordings. Previously I buy a base plate small rig 1674 to attach my Sony A74 Cage/Rig but missing something because I don't know how to attach/connect the camera cage, base plate n stand together. Should I buy this Fluide head? it can be mounted on my old tripod but what would be the best solution for rig attachment ? or any other good product or idea. Basically, I wanna make a good functional rig combination for A7IV Rig. Thanks

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

There are many ways to attach a camera to a tripod and it will depend on what tripod you have. Most tripods have a removable head of some kind and this head should screw right onto it. Then you just need an arca swiss plate to screw into the camera. I do like the A7IV cage because the base is already made to work with any arca swiss tripod.

[@flipout50]

Thanks for this. How smooth are the pan and tilt motions? Can you increase and decrease the resistance?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Both are quite smooth if you loosen the locks all the way. You can’t vary the tension like on some of the larger fluid heads.

[@321mogul]

You absolutely CAN vary the tension separately from the locks.. Insert the allan key into the hole on bottom for mounting to tripod and you can adjust tension on both primary pan and tilt. The lock keys are just lock keys. Seams most peeps totally miss this

[@theoldhenk7531]

Great review, but you didn't really discuss build quality. Is the 3457 all aluminum, or is it at all plasticky? And does the fluid resistance feel as good as the 500AH?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

It’s all metal so no issues with build quality. Due to the size and weight difference, it’s definitely not as smooth as the 500AH so it can take a few tries to get things very smooth. This is more about portability than anything else.

[@BackpackeRom]

does it have a portrait option?

[@321mogul]

Yes absolutely one reason I love this head verticle no issue!!! with the top pan you use tilt to go 90 forward then use the top pan and you can shoot verticle straight up, down whatever effortlessly while still being able to spin all the way around with primary pan. This makes it best vid head for stills I've ever seen on top of good for video.

[@ChristianStrevy]

Thanks for this! When you lock the pan, do you notice that it nudges the frame at all? This is a problem I have with a lot of other lightweight fluid heads.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I'm not sure I know what you mean. Do you have an example of what this looks like?

[@ChristianStrevy]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa Ah sorry! On my current tripod head, I will compose my frame just so, but when I go to lock the pan, the tightening of the pan knob actually adjusts the pan a degree or two and my composition will be off just slightly from what I composed pre-pan-lock

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

@@ChristianStrevy I just gave it a try by panning and locking 5 times and by having a very precise point that I could watch for the effect. Assuming I’m doing it the same way you do, I don’t see anything like that. I tightened the panning knob extra hard to see if I could make it happen and didn’t have any movement at all.

[@ChristianStrevy]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa Thanks so much! Good to hear!

[@alexanderh4324]

I purchased this fluid head but found that I cannot lock the tilt mechanism because the "mount slide lock" prevents rotation of the tilt lock "knob". I see this issue your video as well. Have you managed to lock the tilt on your copy?

[@BranRistic]

You should be able to use the Allan key to change the start/lock position of one of the levers to remedy that, works on other situations..

[@Altohamy]

How it is compared to avella

[@michik8102]

Danke aus Deutschland

[@special66dog]

Nice set up! I was looking for a good video tripod head fluid Drag Pan Head for my Peak design tripod. Does the Peak Design plate fit and hold well on the top?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Assuming you're using a camera similar in weight to mine, it's a very solid hold with the plate and the standard PD ball head. If you need something more permanent, you can use the PD Universal Head Adapter and then screw the Fluid Head directly onto that. ca.peakdesign.com/products/universal-head-adapter

[@scb2scb2]

@@AndrewVanBeekOttawa i have that one but i prefer to solve it like this. i link in one of my videos since i didn't make a sepr. review but i hacked a $30 neewer panoplate for the peakdesign : kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnrRYXqfedefZ6M

[@GereldTheCat]

I also have this setup, and the PD plate holds on the top very well! I also love how this head seamlessly blends in to the design of the PD tripod.

[@scb2scb2]

@@GereldTheCat agreed you can even leave 1 of the security pins in (left) so you can the extra protection of the camera not being able to slide out. Oops sorry i mean in combination with the smallrig l-bracket (3660).

[@prapanchulapinyo757]

Any recommend on tripod?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

If you mean a recommendation for a tripod, I personally love my Peak Design but it’s quite expensive.

[@W.i.l.l._Nguyen]

are you in Ottawa?

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

Yes sir!

[@biswas01]

Haha, Beavertail season!!!

[@kernzilla]

This could be a “me-problem” but watched 4-5 videos on this head, and no one is showing any raw footage pan/tilting in all directions to see how it performs. For some reason, no one is discussing the pros/cons of the fluidity and usability of this head. It’s a novel design and I’m compelled to add it to my kit, but seems no one has a proper test on it. So bizarre to go though all the effort of filming/editing, and not include the literal reason someone would watch the video. Maybe I need to read between the lines here? Not a bash to your content here m8, think I’m just getting easily frustrated with YT/creators these days. Everything seems to be some type of “collab” and no one wants to lose their sponsor deal. Would just be nice to see objective pros and cons, if someone is going to take all the time/effort to product content for the community.

[@AndrewVanBeekOttawa]

I have a pan and tilt example near the start but yes, I could have spent more time on it. It’s not as smooth as a larger head and is primarily good for portability, not heavy-duty film making. I find it adequate with that in mind. No sponsors on my channel.

[@thetiredtourist3927]

The panning unfortunately does not allow you to adjust drag setting... it's either locked or completely unlocked. If you try to tighten the pan... it sticks.