Koji Nakano | Markins BV-HEAD
Theme
Wild Bird Photography | BV-HEAD
Photographer
Koji Nakano
Date
May 9th - May 15th, 2015
Location
Nagano
Device
Markins
Nikon
D810
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR
AF-S Teleconverter TC800-1.25E ED
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR
AF-S Teleconverter TC800-1.25E ED
Gitzo
G1349 MkII
Review
Koji Nakano
Born in 1972.
Specializes in photographing wild birds and airplanes, and has published work mainly in magazines and advertisements.
Travels around Japan and overseas in pursuit of two major themes: "Birdscape - Landscapes with birds" and "Jetscape - Landscapes with airplanes flying".
Recent publications include "Techniques for Photographing Wild Birds with a Digital Camera" (Seibundo Shinkosha) and "Plane Photography Techniques with a Digital Camera" (AstroArts).
Member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society
URL : www.strix-photography.com
In bird photography, a combination of a high-performance SLR camera and a large-aperture super telephoto lens is the norm.
My main lens, the Nikon 800mm F5.6, weighs about 4.5 kg, and with the camera body it weighs about 5.5 kg. Naturally, the tripod and head that support this heavy system must be prepared for their size and weight.
For both tripods and heads, the larger and heavier the better to prevent camera shake, but when shooting in the field where you have to carry all your equipment yourself, portability is also an important point to consider when choosing equipment.
There are few 3-way heads for general cameras that can withstand the weight of a super telephoto lens, and the current trend for video heads is too heavy for walking around and shooting all day. The tripod has been dramatically lightened by changing from aluminum to carbon, but the weight of the head, which requires a complex mechanism, cannot be reduced that much, and it is common sense that the weight cannot be reduced much in order to strengthen the fixing force. Therefore, choosing a head is very difficult, and I had given up on finding a head that would satisfy me in every respect.
That's when I came across the Markins Q20iQ-BK/BV-22. It is smaller than any head I have used so far, and is so light and compact that it weighs less than 800g. I was skeptical about whether such a small head could support a super telephoto lens, but I put an 800mm lens on it to check its operation, and I was surprised at how stable it was, which I didn't think was a ball head. Moreover, the friction can be adjusted by the tightening of the ball fixing knob, so even when you shake the camera to follow the bird's movement, you can continue to follow it with the appropriate stickiness like a video head. Moreover, if you tighten the ball fixing knob, it will stop exactly in that position, so there is little deviation in framing. With the angle of view of an 800mm super telephoto lens, even a slight deviation can greatly change the framing, so this fixing power is a big attraction.
What is particularly noteworthy is that even if you walk around carrying the tripod with the equipment set up, it does not loosen anywhere. When photographing birds in the mountains, you often walk around with the camera and lens set up so that you can respond immediately if a bird appears, but most tripod heads tend to loosen the camera attachment part at this time because they cannot withstand the weight and vibration of the equipment. However, the Markins Q20iQ-BK/BV-22 never loosened even when walking around and shooting all day.
My main lens, the Nikon 800mm F5.6, weighs about 4.5 kg, and with the camera body it weighs about 5.5 kg. Naturally, the tripod and head that support this heavy system must be prepared for their size and weight.
For both tripods and heads, the larger and heavier the better to prevent camera shake, but when shooting in the field where you have to carry all your equipment yourself, portability is also an important point to consider when choosing equipment.
There are few 3-way heads for general cameras that can withstand the weight of a super telephoto lens, and the current trend for video heads is too heavy for walking around and shooting all day. The tripod has been dramatically lightened by changing from aluminum to carbon, but the weight of the head, which requires a complex mechanism, cannot be reduced that much, and it is common sense that the weight cannot be reduced much in order to strengthen the fixing force. Therefore, choosing a head is very difficult, and I had given up on finding a head that would satisfy me in every respect.
That's when I came across the Markins Q20iQ-BK/BV-22. It is smaller than any head I have used so far, and is so light and compact that it weighs less than 800g. I was skeptical about whether such a small head could support a super telephoto lens, but I put an 800mm lens on it to check its operation, and I was surprised at how stable it was, which I didn't think was a ball head. Moreover, the friction can be adjusted by the tightening of the ball fixing knob, so even when you shake the camera to follow the bird's movement, you can continue to follow it with the appropriate stickiness like a video head. Moreover, if you tighten the ball fixing knob, it will stop exactly in that position, so there is little deviation in framing. With the angle of view of an 800mm super telephoto lens, even a slight deviation can greatly change the framing, so this fixing power is a big attraction.
What is particularly noteworthy is that even if you walk around carrying the tripod with the equipment set up, it does not loosen anywhere. When photographing birds in the mountains, you often walk around with the camera and lens set up so that you can respond immediately if a bird appears, but most tripod heads tend to loosen the camera attachment part at this time because they cannot withstand the weight and vibration of the equipment. However, the Markins Q20iQ-BK/BV-22 never loosened even when walking around and shooting all day.
Of course, when moving, you need to balance the weight by pointing the heavy lens downwards as shown in the photo on the right, otherwise the head itself will loosen and come off, so don't forget to check the tightening of each part from time to time. It's also important to always hold the straps of the camera and lens while moving to prevent the equipment from falling.
And the reason you don't feel tired at the end of a day's shooting is probably thanks to the lightness of the head itself. This head is lightweight and compact, and has excellent stopping power, so I think it's ideal for bird photography, where mobility is important.
And the reason you don't feel tired at the end of a day's shooting is probably thanks to the lightness of the head itself. This head is lightweight and compact, and has excellent stopping power, so I think it's ideal for bird photography, where mobility is important.
