Ries J250 Double tilt head

[Chad Shindel]

I am thinking of buying this head to use on gitzo 1325 tripod legs. The only problem for me is that it does not rotate (pan). I have looked through other similiar posts, but they are usually wanting to be able to level and rotate for shooting panoramas. I will not be shooting panoramas and do not need to be able to level my tripod. I level my camera and do not need to be able to pan while keeping the camera level. I simply want the ability to rotate the Ries J250 tripod head so that I don't have to rotate the whole tripod when I want to point the camera a little bit to the left or right. Therefore, I don't need an expensive "panning base". I just need a solid rotating base that can lock tight and have a Ries j250 head put on it. By the way, I am using a lightwieght Phillips compact 8x10. Any suggestions or words of wisdom? Thanks.

[Michael Kadillak]

I am thinking of buying this head to use on gitzo 1325 tripod legs. The only problem for me is that it does not rotate (pan).

All Ries heads "Pan" as necessary unless I am missing somethign here.

Unscrew the bolt under the base of the tripod mounting plate holding the tripod head in fixed position. Rotate the head to the desired position and screw it in to lock the head in the desired position.

Great company. Top notch products.

Cheers!

[Chad Shindel]

I understand what you are saying, but that really means remounting the tripod head which I usually have locked down tight. That method seems pretty impractical even though it is possible. And no, the Ries J250 Head does not have "pan" capabilities. It is meant to be used with a Ries tripod which has the "pan" ability, thus resulting in a head that doesn't need to "pan" when used with the manufacturers tripod, but I want to use it with a Gitzo non-panning tripod. Does anyone know of a good rotating (panning) base for what I need, or should I just look at a different head?

[Walter Calahan]

Get a Ries tripod for your Ries head to have the best of both worlds.

All my Ries heads rotate / pan on their Ries tripods.

Can't speak for the Gitzo.

[Michael Kadillak]

Might be cheaper to go with an older Linhof head or maybe an Arca B1 bal head that does have the pan feature.

If you have the resources, the combination tripod and head are fabulous. Mixing manufacturers has always been problematic for me.

[Jonathan Brewer]

If I'm understanding the problem correctly, I've already addressed this w/my Ries head and my Gitzo 1500. Ries modified my Gitzo with a screw coming up through the tripod to secure the the Ries head, they provided a flat disc which I assumed is made of delrin, which sits flat between the tripod and the Ries head, when you want to pan, you simply loosen the screw securing the camera/head a turn or 2, and pan to whatever position and lock it back down.

With the flat disc, the action is very smooth, and works perfectly.

[Chad Shindel]

"when you want to pan, you simply loosen the screw securing the camera/head a turn or 2"

Do you mean you loosen the screw securing the tripod to the head? Is this something that Ries is aware of and does on a regular basis?

Thanks

[scott_6029]

I purchased a bogen, I think, I will check, 'adapter' that has basically two plates and a 'ball' type element between that allows me to do exactly what you are looking to do. Move the head without moving the tripod and allows the legs to be in the right position, i.e, not one leg sticking between mine causing me to trip when I am behind the camera. I got it a photomark, Rod Klukas helped me out. I use a ries head on a gitzo tripod. The 'adapter' even has a level on it which is great as I don't have to really work the tripod legs as much to get the camera level. I remember paying around 75 bucks.

[Chad Shindel]

Scott,

It's a small world. I was also at photomark a couple of days ago speaking with Rod. I was looking at everything and hadn't really decided on the Ries, so I didn't talk with him about this specifically, but it appears as though I should have. I'm pretty sure I know what Bogen "leveler" you are talking about, but I wasn't aware that it was capable of rotating. I thought it could only tilt 15 degrees in any direction. So are you saying that it also has the ability to rotate (pan)? Does it do a full 360 degrees? Am i correct that it also tilts in any direction? Thanks for the insight Scott.

[John Powers]

Just curious. What is your objection to any one of the Ries leg sets for the J250? I use a Philips 8x10 on a J250 double tilt with the leg set that comes in a bag. I think it is a 600, but am not sure.

John Powers

[scott_6029]

Yes, and its fantastic as it has a small leveler on it too. It's great to position it between legs for close ups, or if you are shooting something close up on the ground. It really makes the reis / gitzo or 'other' manageable. Otherwise I was sharing yoru frustration with the lack of pan....or really positioning the camera with the legs.

[wfwhitaker]

Do you mean you loosen the screw securing the tripod to the head? Is this something that Ries is aware of and does on a regular basis?
Hey, it's not like it's illegal, you know. The pan function is not built into the head. You pan the head in relation to the tripod. The system works very well and can be truly appreciated when using large cameras. One thing the Ries tripods and heads have going for them is contact area. Big contact area -> stability and stability is what it's all about. The A-250 head has about 42 square inches of contact area. Where it meets the tripod there's slightly more that 28 square inches of contact area. And that part is metal-to-metal, so for our purposes there's no flex. When you loosen the head to pan, you're panning on that 28 sq. in. bearing surface. It sure beats picking up the tripod and turning it a few degrees. The stuff about wood damping vibrations and being easier to handle in the cold is nice, too. But holding the camera steady is the name of the game. This isn't an advertisement for Ries. Majestic and Saltzman and Houston Fearless do the same thing. The Ries remains comparatively transportable and there is something nice about wood.

[Oren Grad]

Do you mean you loosen the screw securing the tripod to the head? Is this something that Ries is aware of and does on a regular basis?


Chad, to follow up on Will's post and answer your question directly: yes, you loosen the screw securing the head to the tripod. It's designed that way. The reason it works well is that it takes only a fractional turn of the retaining screw to loosen the head and position it the way you want, but it takes many turns to release the head entirely. It's very difficult to do inadvertently - you have to really want to take the head off.

[CXC]

In my humble but experienced opinion Ries equipment is overkill for 8x10. I traded mine for a Gitzo 1325+1270M head after I dumped the 12x20. If at all possible, give Ries a trial-run before purchase; I don't know what their fabulous reputation is based on, exactly, but it sure isn't convenience or ease of use.

Ries is clearly the way to go for a 20-pound camera, or maybe if you need in excess of 3 feet of bellows extension. Otherwise, legs that lock and a more modern head design are the way to go.

[John Powers]

Ries is clearly the way to go for a 20-pound camera, or maybe if you need in excess of 3 feet of bellows extension. Otherwise, legs that lock and a more modern head design are the way to go.

Another opinion is that I have been very happy with a Ries J250 double tilt and 600 tripod for a couple of years. I have the larger head and tripod for a larger camera, but the lighter set has been serving my 8x10 Phillips needs well.

John Powers

[Jonathan Brewer]

Chad..............in answer to your question, the answer is yes, when shopping around for a Ries head, I asked them about adapting the Gitzo 1500 for use with one of their heads, and the issue of panning the head came up, they said ship them the Gitzo and they would come up with a plan, which is the one I described.

They modified the Gitzo so that the screw which secures the Ries head to the tripod comes from the direction of underneath and through the tripod to thread into the head, and yes, it's a very LONG screw(is there any other kind?), so there's no danger of uncoupling the setup accidently, and they provided a delrin disk, which seats between the tripod and head, which makes everything smooth.

Ries will work with you, whereas other businesses would not bother/refuse to take the time to modify your gear to fit theirs, Ries is small enough and they still have a heart, so you can talk to them about what you need, and Ries heads hold quite a more weight than what they're rated at.

I actually the the panning action, it's simple, quick, and there is no head as 'beefy' and stable as a Ries.

[Ken Schroeder]

I use a Ries J200 (the original without the side to side leveling feature) on a Zone VI "Lightweight" tripod. The combination is much more rigid with my Wisner 4x5 Technical Field Camera than the former Bogen 3047 head. i like the low center of gravity profile. The Ries head requires a little more thought in setup. However, the solidity is worth the estra effort. I make sure the tripod is leveled in setup. panning, if necessary, if done by loosening the knob beneath the tripod top which holds the Ries head to the tripod. No big deal, and very positive. It worked fine for my 8x0, also.