Takanori Sugawara | BV-HEAD

I've been using SLR cameras since the days of film, but in recent years I've been using Micro Four Thirds format mirrorless cameras exclusively. The angle of view is twice the focal length of the lens, which is a great advantage when chasing small birds. However, while telephoto lenses have their advantages, they are also more susceptible to camera shake.

For over 10 years, I've been using a 1.2kg video head on a tripod with a 32mm pipe diameter. The total weight is over 7kg. However, with the recent reduction in the weight of cameras and lenses, I needed to find something with a lighter chassis. Needless to say, lightweight equipment gives you more freedom in your fieldwork. Around that time, a photographer I knew recommended the Markins BV-HEAD. It's a small head, but its specs of a load capacity of 50kg are eye-catching.

I immediately tried putting on the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 90-250mm F2.8, the heaviest piece of equipment I have. Although the lens weighs over 3kg, it moves freely when I loosen the knob, and stops smoothly where I want it when I tighten it a little. I was surprised that when I adjusted the balance, it stopped without having to tighten the knob too much. It's also perfect for bird photography, which requires quick composition.

What surprised me even more was that it can be used not only with heavy lenses, but also with lightweight equipment without any problems. With a typical large tripod head, it is often stiff and difficult to handle when light equipment is placed on it. On the other hand, the BV-HEAD can handle a variety of weights of equipment by using friction control effectively. This allows you to chase flying birds.

It is true that the image stabilization performance of both lenses and cameras is improving day by day. If it is only for the purpose of preventing blurring, it may seem that the need for a tripod is decreasing year by year. Of course, it is true that handheld shooting also has its advantages.

However, we must not forget that a tripod or head also plays a role in stabilizing the composition. It is necessary to pay attention to every corner of the screen and obtain a more complete shot. After switching to a mirrorless camera, I exclusively used handheld for a while, but recently I have been using a tripod more frequently because I feel that the number of shots that are not as detailed as the ease of shooting handheld has increased.

This may be similar to the feeling that people have when they moved from film to digital and said that "the weight of each shot has become lighter." Sometimes it is necessary to go back to basics and spend time on each shutter click.

In addition, there are great benefits to using the BV-HEAD on long-term reporting trips where various shooting conditions are expected.

Let me introduce an example of a shoot I did in Europe for a month and a half starting in March. Bird photography is often thought of as a super telephoto lens, but in some places you can observe birds right in front of you without them being scared, so in those cases I make frequent use of wide-angle lenses to capture the environment. Of course, I also want to shoot landscapes. For that reason, I prepared a total of 10 lenses, from the longest at 500mm to the shortest at 8.5mm fisheye lens, so that I can handle all kinds of situations.

This trip was not driven by car, and the main means of transportation was limited to public transportation. The accompanying equipment also needed to be able to handle all of these situations. It is possible to use just one tripod, but the same cannot be said for a tripod head. With telephoto lenses, ball heads that tilt sideways are difficult to use due to their weight, whereas when shooting with wide-angle or standard lenses, it is extremely important to keep the image level, so a ball head that allows you to decide the tilt is more effective. However, the Markins BV-HEAD is lighter than a single video head and can be used with telephoto lenses as well as wide-angle and standard lenses. The fact that you can switch from the BV-HEAD to a ball head in just a few seconds is a major advantage when photographing wild birds, which requires quick decisions and preparations.
The temperature also varied greatly, from minus 15 degrees to 20 degrees. I was surprised that I could always operate it with the same feel, even while wearing gloves. Because it is not a video head, the image is a little jerky when, for example, chasing a duck swimming slowly on the surface of the water, but this is greatly improved by using a pan stick. Also, if the bird you are shooting is flying at a certain speed or faster, you can chase it without any problems by loosening the pan.

As I am working with living creatures, I want to be grateful to them for allowing me to take their photographs. Since they have allowed me to do so, I want to make the most of the opportunity and leave behind more complete photographs.

As I expected, the Markins head helped me in many ways throughout this trip. Thanks to it, I was able to leave behind many satisfying photographs, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to show them off. In other words, I can confidently recommend it to anyone looking for a good, compact head. I look forward to going on another trip with the Markins in the future.