Gitzo GHFG1 Fluid Gimbal Head

£400/$500

www.manfrotto.co.uk this head has a magnesium body and aluminium rails, along with tactile locking knobs. At 1.35kg, this is one of the lighter heads, yet it’s capable of supporting 8kg. But Gitzo’s trump card is its fluid cartridge technology built into the base. The idea is that at slow panning speeds the fluid resistance dampens vibrations and gives you more controllable movement. But when you need to whip pan to quickly switch subjects, the fluid system automatically disengages, giving minimal resistance.

In our testing in the field, however, panning felt stiff, regardless of how quickly you pan, while the tilt axis was similarly unresponsive. It’s not jerky, and you can find the additional resistance useful for tracking. but still disappointing.

VERDICT Pros: Superb build; relatively light; supports a wide range of lens sizes Disappointing dampening Maybe we got a faulty example, but Gitzo’s gimbal didn’t quite live up to our expectations Cons: We say: