FLM Tripod Heads. Anyone with experience?

[gphoto]

I recently was introduced to these ball heads and was interested in them primarily because of their tilt lock function where a lever on the head locks the head into just turning on one plane. This seems like it would be the best of both worlds, with the flexibility and compactness of a ball head, and the functionality of a standard two axis head. I primarily shoot 4x5 for portrait work so the fore and aft tilt is used constantly but usually once I've set the horizontal level it stays there for the remainder of the shoot.

No local dealer carries these so I wanted to see if anyone had tried them and what their opinions were.

Thanks for any help.

Giles

gilesclement.com

[Bob Salomon]

Go look at the heads on the Leica tripods at a Leica dealer. They are FLM products.

[gphoto]

We don't have a Leica dealer in Nashville.

[bob carnie]

I believe Ari deals them and he is a member here...I am sure he will pop on this thread.

[Bob Salomon]

We don't have a Leica dealer in Nashville.

It says that your location is Portland, OR. Sorry

[Alan Gales]

Here is FLM Canada's website. http://www.flmcanada.com

Call Ari at the phone # at the top of the home page. He is the North American distributer of FLM products. He is also a fellow member of this forum and also APUG. He is a really nice guy (I've met him) and of course very knowledgable about FLM products. Ari will be happy to help you with any questions you have.

[gphoto]

Thanks Alan, I'll give him a call

[Peter De Smidt]

I've used one of the ball heads for a few weeks. They are very well built, and they function well.

[Robert Opheim]

A friend bought one from Ari and really likes it. They are really well built. I have looked at them with lust!

[cowanw]

Between my wife and I. we have three of these. The feature does indeed work very well, and allows the ball head to move only on the vertical access. What was not quite as obvious to me originally was that for the movement to be perpendicular to the level surface you have the tripod on, everything else must be level. This is no different than a three way pan tilt head but for me that was initially more intuitive with the arms of the pan tilt head sticking out.
Anyway with any of these heads, if you do not take the time to level them, the tilt will move on an oblique through your scene. Which may be exactly what you want. If that is not what I want, then I will start with the camera dropped into the tilt groove and then turn on the tilt lock function; that guarantees up and down at right angles to the plane of the head.
If you do not level everything and start with side tilt, say for a horizon, then, setting the tilt lock function turns the head into a 2 way head, Pan and tilt.
There are videos on the FLM Canada web site.
All in all it works as it says it does and does that well.