First Look at the FLM GE63 Geared Head

[@DarrenJSpoonley]

Great review looks like a fantastic piece of kit. I’m glad you mentioned about the 13° challenge. Well done.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Thanks Darren! It brought a lot of precision in a small, compact package! Their other model, the GE73 with the 90 degree tilt would take care of any range of motion concerns for landscape photographers who do a lot of top down, or a lot of small scenes at awkward angles.

[@dexon555]

FLM is a great company that makes high quality products at a great price. ❤FLM.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Definitely! I've been using their tripods for several years now and amazing quality!

[@ciba20]

1566 CAD?!?!

[@dexon555]

@@ciba20 Check out the price on the equivalent head from Arca Swiss.

[@smokingxgunx]

I enjoyed the video. I changed to a Benro geared head a bit ago for the landscape photography and absolutely love it.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Glad you liked the video! Thanks for watching! I really like the precision you can get with a geared head. I've seen the Benro ones and similar styles, but haven't had a chance to play with one.

[@DonDickinson-o9o]

I changed from a ball head to a combination of an Acratech Levelling Base and Panoramic Head for the same reason... I got tired having to recompose every time I loosened the ball head, even if all I wanted to do was to make a vertical pan. I'd love to have a geared head.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

For sure! I lose and have to try to recreate so many compositions after loosening a ball head. I have a friend with a geared head on a leveling base setup and he loves it!

[@stevebauer8218]

Don, I’m using the same combination and it works great.

[@dexon555]

@@DonDickinson-o9o I mainly photograph portraits and still life. I have a tripod setup specific to each discipline. My still life tripod is an FLM CP34 with an FLM bowl style leveling base, and a geared head. My portrait tripod is a Manfrotto carbon fiber with a center column and a 55mm ball head from ProMedia gear. Completely different tools for different jobs.

[@DonDickinson-o9o]

@@dexon555 - I use my tripod 95% of the time for landscape photography. When I had my headshots business, a ball head didn't seem to irritate me in the slightest. 😃

[@dexon555]

@@DonDickinson-o9o Exactly! When precision counts a geared head is definitely the way to go.

[@FLMUSACanada]

Great overview, Jeffrey! You covered the main features nicely, how do you like the clamp? Let us know next video. We get some comments about price, and I understand. These are not ordinary heads, and these are not ordinary times either. Consider that the direct competitor to the GE63 is the Linhof Micro 3D, and the price may make more sense. Also, we (FLM Canada) are having our annual end-of-year sale, everything is at 10% off. The GE63 can be had for $995.00 (USD) including shipping until January 1.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Thank you! Funny you mention the clamp, while I was editing it was one of the items I realized I forgot to touch on! The clamp was rock solid, super smooth feel, and easy to get the camera attached in either landscape or portrait orientation with my L-Bracket. (I'm hoping for some cold snowy weather soon, so I can do a Cold Weather and Geared Heads video - I've had some folks ask about that). Thanks for the heads up on the current sale!

[@soffici1]

Hey Jeffrey! Thank you for this review. I recently switched from a Manfrotto geared head to a Manfrotto modified fluid head (look at Hudson Henry’s channel for details). The geared head weighed more than my tripod, it was unwieldy to use and wasn’t particularly rigid because of its cantilever design. On the plus side, the movement was silky smooth and you could go 90° in every direction. Of course, being Manfrotto, it had a proprietary top plate… The fluid head is so much nicer to use than that monster, and it’s also way lighter, more compact, and it can carry my 180-600 without even feeling it. Of course, you only have 2 axes of rotation (no roll, but with large lenses you usually have a collar to do that…), because everything has downsides. This thing here, however, seems to be as compact as a fluid head, but precise in movement as a geared head. It may be the best of both worlds You trade in range of movement for more precision. Will it be worth the trade?

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

I'll have to check out Hudson's channel to see the modified fluid head! I hear you on that proprietary top plate! Drive me crazy with Manfrotto stuff! This geared head is surprisingly light for what it is, and compact as well. We'll see how the trade in range of motion plays out with more use. For me I don't think it will be a big deal, but I do have friends who do way more top down or near top down compositions where looking at the GE73 Pro would be the option for them. Thanks for watching! Appreciate the comment!

[@DavidDowns61]

Use FLM tripods & Acratech heads but this is intriguing.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

It's a pretty cool geared head! Love how compact and light it is, while still getting precision!

[@andyvan5692]

AHA, that Ge73 is the one I thought this was, a facsimilia of the Arca Swiss C1 cube.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Yep - the GE73 is more similar to the C1 cube, with the 90 degree tilt feature.

[@andyvan5692]

@@JeffreyTadlockPhotography do you have any preference as to this, the C1 or the many Manfrotto offerings (400/410 heads); or is it just what camera you shoot, 35, MF or LF?

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

@@andyvan5692 I am not sure I have enough experience to declare a preference, still fairly new to geared heads. I will say, for long term use, I'd probably want the FLM GE73 Pro so I never had a chance to feel range of motion restricted. I haven't used the Arca Swiss C1, but I have used one of their P0 ball heads and I know they make quality gear, just like FLM. I have no quality concerns with the FLM, I just don't have a good point of hands on comparison between the FLM offering and the Arca Swiss offering. I have a Manfrotto style geared head on my lists of ones to try, but I've only seen them in pictures (and know they were quite popular with real estate guys at one point). Hope that helps!

[@SniperPhotography]

$1,963.00 in Australia.Not affordable here.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Yeah - that exchange rate isn't doing you any favors...

[@brianmckeever5280]

Love geared heads. Never did enjoy the floppy ball-head thing.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

I'm surprised it took me this long to try one out. The precision was so nice!

[@AmNeuberg]

WAS KANN ER, WAS. KOSTET ER & BRAUCHT MAN DEN ÜBERHAUPT; 3 Fragen, die man in einem Satz beantworten kann 😆

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

That info is all on the FLM website, most folks tuning into videos want to see more in-depth information about the product or type of product. The video also included chapters to allow easy skipping around (for example, for folks well versed in the differences between a ball head and geared head, easy to skip the the specs, infield demo, or conclusion).