VANGUARDAlta GH-300T Magnesium Alloy Tripod Grip Head

I purchased this to replace the mounting attachment on my tripod to use with a spotting scope. I use the scope for bird watching, often needing to be able to move the scope quickly to find or follow birds as they move. The attachment that came with the tripod was hard to use - never have been a fan of the lever system. More importantly, the mounting connection that came with the tripod could not support the weight of the scope, resulting in it dropping to the ground. This attachment is secure - the screw-in bolt holds the mounting place in place and it does not budge. The action of the grip mechanism and smooth flow of the head make it super easy to move the scope to where I need to look, and to follow birds as they fly. Wish I had had this mount from the very beginning - would not have a chip in the scope glass that I have now.

This is a very heavy duty tripod head. I was hoping it would be my Holy Grail Tripod head for my spotting scope but, alas, it is not! It's close but not perfect. It took me quite awhile to figure out that I could keep it locked down but adjust the tension knob on the top to still move it around but doing it that way kind of defeats the purpose of the handle and it is not a very smooth doing it that way. I really wish it had a trigger that you could squeeze to move it around but also have a tension knob to control how easy it is to move it around when pressing the trigger. When you are scanning for birds or wildlife you need to keep one finger on the focus knobs which means you only have one hand to move the tripod head around with. When you see something you want to study you then want the ability to quickly lock the tripod down so it doesn't move anymore. I cannot seem to find a tripod head that works that way. I'll keep looking but continue to use this one until I find a replacement that works the way I want it to work.

Overall a great product. My only dissatisfaction is that the *ve up angle is limited. It was a significant shortcoming when I was shooting the recent lunar eclipse. The moon was straight overhead and had to turn the pistol sideways to point straight up. Another suggestion is to also include the shutter cable for newer Nikon cameras. Useful tool and sound investment for any versatile photographer who love to add perspective to thevideo and still photography.

I used it on a vanguard tripod that has the 1/4-20 stud. I found in multiple places it says it come with a bushing 1/4-20 to 3/8-16 adapter in a hardware packet. Mine did not include any hardware. I was able to buy the bushing need to adapt it to my tripod. It works very well. I do fill like there is some room to improve the design. The way it has the thumb lock and the tension adjustment is not very intuitive. A grip squeeze with a adjustable knob for tension would be so much more understandable.It’s not light weight your not going use it back packing.After you get used to the goofy grip you’ll be fine with the stability of itIt’s very sturdy, it will probably last a life time.

This Tripod pistol grip is a lot better than what I expected. The minute you lift the box you will notice how heavy duty this is, I’m sure this will hold a heavy weight camera/lens combination, the locking mechanism is very strong.But the only flaw is the area were the wire connects, I have seen reviews were people have broken the connector because the palm of your hand will put pressure there. ( see pictures )The solution is to get a $5.00 90 degree connector, this might prevent from breaking so easy.look it up as MyCableMart 2.5mm Right Angle Adapter, Male/Female Stereo TRS (3 Connector)

I bought this tripod head because it was a pistol grip with arca compatible quick release and panoramic rotation capabilities. As far as supporting my camera setup goes, it works quite well and I will be using it for the foreseeable future on my primary tripod. However, compared to other tripod heads I've used in the past, there are some limitations. First, this tripod severely limits vertical tilting in its default orientation. Ballheads I've used in the past also restrict tilting to some extent, but not nearly as much as this head does. This tripod head does provide two notches that allow 90 degree tilt forward or sideways (for portrait camera orientation) but, unlike other ballheads (which usually only have one notch), the position of the notches cannot be rotated. As a result, the camera cannot be pointed at subjects much above itself, such as birds in the sky, tops of buildings, etc. without using the panoramic rotation system to put the camera at an unusual angle relative to the grip.Additionally the quick release system works okay with the provided plate, but seems to be a little shallow for other plates and it is not as easy as it should be to attach or remove them from the tripod head. This is inconvenient as the main reason for purchasing this head was to use with an L-bracket. Also, the rubber pads on the quick release plate were not attached properly and fell off. (The head was purchased used through Amazon Warehouse, but everything else about it seemed like new and normal.)None of these problems are dealbreakers, but they keep this from being an ideal tripod head and would likely be more frustrating if this was purchased at full retail price.

Ok, let's get the negatives out of the way. This might not always be conventional. Aiming down is easy but aiming upwards might pose a problem. But even with something like that, with the right tripod, like the Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 263AB 100 Aluminum Tripod with Alta BH-100 Ball Head and Multi-Angle Center I got to go with it, no problem! I did order a different connector so that the wire won't be directly in my way by the bottom of the grip. Otherwise, THIS IS A GREAT DEVICE TO USE!!! And yes, I like that it's actually a grip and fits comfortably in the hand. It is very responsive and the 1/2 press on the shutter button fires auto-focus just as fast as if I was pressing on the actual camera. I'm using a Nikon D810 with it and am in love. As well as with the tripod. Both are great pieces of gear to have!!!