K&F CONCEPT 3-Way Geared Tripod Head, Millimeter Micro-Adjustment, Full CNC Aluminum Alloy Tripod Head, Maximum Load Capacity of 13.2lbs/6kg for Star Shooting, Commercial Photography, etc.

If you're doing product, architectural, or any other photography where you need precise movements, you need a geared head. I've been using one of the low-tier industry standards for a while now, but needed another one, so I decided to try this one out. Build Quality. Overall build quality is nice. It's pretty much all aluminum, even the knobs. Which could be both good and bad. Good, b/c there's no rubber to deteriorate over time. Bad if you end up denting/scratching it and develop sharp burrs. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Fit and finish is nice and clean. Movements. Movement is firm. You need a strong grip to turn the knobs, but is very similar to my old one. One thing I don't like is there is a little bit of looseness if you switch directions, then after that it gets to the consistent full firm twist. The macro adjust knobs (orange) allow you to make large movements quickly. Works fine, but also requires a firm twist. Also, the sharp points tend to dig into your fingers while holding it open. Those could be sloped a little softer, like my older one. A 4-star twist knob would also be great like my old one, as you're not hunting for the grip point to twist it. This K&F Concept one only has 2-star twist knobs (the orange knobs). Weight. These aren't as lightweight as ballheads. But for geared heads, this is LIGHT at 1.95 lbs (31oz / 886g) with a claimed 13-lb load capacity. For comparison, my old geared head comes in at 2.76 lbs, w/ a claimed load capacity of 11 lbs. So big value there. I tested it w/ a large format 4x5 camera that comes near the 13-lb limit. The K&F geared head holds it pretty well. Only thing is the plate might twist if you force it hard enough for such a large camera. The tool-free thumb screw isn't enough to really lock it in. But there's a slot in the thumbscrew so you can really synch in down w/ a coin. Base Plate. Speaking of the base plate, there's two mini screws on the bottom side to help prevent your camera from sliding off when you loosen the plate to remove. Another bonus is that it has a slot on either side to secure one end of your camera or hand strap. Arca Swiss compatible so you can keep switching it to different mounting points w/o changing out the base plate. Only other thing I could see improved is the base of the geared head, or attachment point onto your tripod. It's a smooth base. See it side by side w/ my old geared head, which has indents so your tripod can lock in anti-twisting security screws. I can't speak for the longevity of it yet. I noticed other reviewers comment on it breaking after some time. Time will tell. All in all, the K&F Concept geared head is a great value for what you get. It contends just as well with others at this tier, at a lower cost.

This is one of the nicest non-fluid tripod heads I've used before. It's completely metal and built really solidly, and its really strong and holds the weight of my S5 with a 300mm lens with no problems. Paired with a nice pair of tripod legs this is super stable. The geared angle adjustments are really nice and give super fine degree precision, and there's a bubble level built in. The arca swiss plate mount is well built and super convenient. There are knobs that release the gears so you can quickly adjust the angle manually, but these are super tight on mine and I can't quite turn them far enough to release 2 of the 3 axises. But, the up and down one releases easily and that's probably the only one I would use. This is great for architecture and astrophotography!

I have been a long time fan of the K&F line of photo accessories. My primary tripod, a clamp-on ball head mount and a number of filters are part of my regular kit. I have been doing some maker projects recently. Building electronics for my ham radio activity, and a number of Lego builds (think Notre Dame cathedral). I like to keep of photographic record of my work. I also enjoy photographing the night sky. I need a solid camera platform for that. Using a standard ball-head mount on the tripod to do this makes it difficult to ensure a standard point of view and a solid platform from session to session. Well enter the K&F Concept 3-way geared tripod head. If you’re photographing buildings, maker projects; doing architectural photography or photographing outdoor scenes you should take a look at this geared head. The geared head is all metal, and beautifully designed. Built like a tank! Each control point provides a rapid release so you can make quick gross changes to your settings. Once you get close there are indexed knobs for fine adjustment. The knobs move smoothly and once you position them, they are not going to sag or move on you. I often find that with a ball-head mount, you get it set where you want it, tighten the clamp and let go of the head and it moves!! Maybe not much, but it does move. That will not happen here. Once and done. There are two bubble levels for you to do your initial tripod setup. The head Includes removable 1/4" Arca-Swiss quick-release plate for your camera and can hold a total weight of 13.2 lbs/6kg. The unit itself weighs in at a little over 1.8 lbs/800g. This unit is designed for use on a professional tripod and is outfitted with a 3/8 inch screw hole for mounting. The head comes with an instruction manual. You can find a number of videos online that will help you get familiar with the geared head if you have not used it before. This K&F 3-way geared tripod head is an outstanding piece of kit and I expect it to get a lot of work. If you already know that you need more control than the standard ball-head mount provides, or you want to expand your photo horizons the K&F 3-geared head mount is just what you need.

Maybe I received a dud, but this thing is rough. The knobs were so stiff that the machined metal cut into my hands, making them bleed... on a shoot. That being said it is a solid piece of gear, and once it starts moving, it is works, but my only regret was missing the return/refund window. The good news is that I now have a very attractive paper weight

I really am enjoying using the tripod head for architectural photography. Using it makes aligning my verticals and horizontals significantly accurate and I spend less time in Photoshop fixing my perspectives. It also makes on-axis shots easier. The levels on my Canon make this head easy to use. The gears are in a natural and intuitive placement. After a while of use, my hands know where to find the knobs. The fast release dials make it easy to get a rough adjustment then you use the fine tuning knobs get a precision adjustment. It is at least two pounds lighter than my Manfrotto Pan-Tilt head. I didn't think I cared too much about weight until things got a lot lighter. The build quality seems solid and durable, but light. I have it pared with a K&F carbon fiber tripod and the combo is light, sturdy, and easy to carry. I take multiple exposures and merge them together and I've notices less movement between shots when the images are aligned in Photoshop, even when I need to touch my camera to make adjustments. The only thing I didn't like is the Arca-Swiss mount is rather useless. I purchased a 3 Legged Thing mount to replace the one that comes with the unit. It does not have enough grip to secure a heavier camera. In horizontal mode the camera drifts down quite easily making it useless and possibly dangerous to use. I highly recommend getting a better tripod plate. This tripod is for precision movements and locking things down. It is not well suited for video or where you don't need precision or panning. For that you would want a pan-tilt tripod head. It is suited for architecture and macro photography where you want more accurate adjustments. This head is probably the best geared head under $500 that I was able to find.

Excellent tripod head for taking precise shots at any angle and being in perfect control of all directionality. The bubble levels help get everything back to center efficiently and the customizability of the angles you can shoot at on this are amazing. The 3 way head is extremely sturdy, but it is larger than a standard head which isn't a problem. The versatility and solidity of the 3 way head makes it a great value to how functional it is.

Most outstanding 3-axis geared head. Fully aluminum, including the knobs. There is zero play, you cannot budge your camera's position with force. Motion is dampened, so you won't fly past the target. Even when disengaging a gear for a huge axis swing, the camera will not move without applying pressure. Very fine control and huge axis articulation. The weight capacity is awesome, it permits me to mount my camera with a heavy teleconverter to a rod rig to support the lens, with a huge ARRI dovetail. No worries about excess wear on the gears. To obtain more than 5° of positive tilt, you will need to mount it to a ball head if using a video head or an extra wide camera head on your tripod. Of course, you can tilt the head, but for astrophotography you'll want to set the head to level so you can use the elevation markers to hone in on targets.

When I first received this geared head tripod mount, I was amazed at how solid it felt and how easy it was to begin using it. There is a small learning curve when it comes to remembering which knob controls which axis, but after that it's simple. The only notable down side of this head is its size, and specifically related to travel. The solution I've come up with is to remove it from the tripod and then wrap it with socks and then some clothing, but it does consume significant volume... Why the three stars? Well, in the 18 months I've owned it, it's actually had very light use. I've used it a handful of times for architectural shoots, and twice for night sky work. That's why I was completely dumbfounded when the knob that controls the forward/backward pitch (up/down) stopped working - and then actually unscrewed. For a bit, I could use the macro adjuster to free move the axis so my camera was level, but then the locking function stopped working and it was near impossible to work. I called their customer support number this morning, pleasantly a human answered the line without endless voice prompts of pressing one number or another. After collecting some of my information and learning of the issue, he asked me to take a video of the issue and send it in to them. I'll keep this review updated with the status of the issue.

Great for real estate hdr photography. Allows you to align walls easily. Great feel and quality build. Easily installs onto tripod.

Handig in gebruik, stabiel uitermate geschikt voor macro-, stilleven-, landschap- en panoramafotografie

The horizontal axis would stop turning. My guess the internal gears are plastic and were faulty

Perfecta o casi. Se trabaja de maravilla con ella. Es robusta, pero ligera a la vez. No tiene nada de holgura (no como Manfrotto) y muy precisa a la hora de ajustar. Le pongo una pega, Los desbloqueos rápidos son un poco duros y poco ergonómicos. Por lo demás muy recomendada.

Great for Astro and for Panoramic photography. Well built, robust unit that is not to heavy. Very easy to adjust I have used it with both my DLSR and with my Dwarf 3 scope. It is so easy to make fine adjustments and it fits neatly onto either of my K&F tripods. A great buy, well worth it.