MRHooker2u Loc: Kingston, WA

I am looking to purchase the Sunwayfoto GH-PRO II 3-Way geared tripod head. In the specs it mentions the max load of the tripod head is 4kg or 8.8 lbs. It seems that many of the smaller ball heads on the market have a max load bordering on 20 lbs. with the larger ball heads doubling or tripling this load.
I would like to know if anyone has experience with or knowledge of the GH-PRO II and if it is sturdy enough to support a DSLR mounted with a Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens. All the reviews and videos I have viewed show the GH-PRO II geared head mounted with a DSLR and a standard lens. The information I am interested in is whether the GH-PRO II can support the Tamron zoom lens, especially in its extended position. Thanks in advance for your help with this!

Orphoto Loc: Oregon

I can't answer your question directly. However, specs as to maximum carrying loads are highly suspect. Rely more on these user replies than what the manufacturers promulgate.

MJPerini

A DSLR with a very large lens , that extends and changes the center of gravity is a very challenging load for ANY tripod head. Most tripod head load capacities are optimistic , and at best indicative of static load capacity.
When you have a lens extended, it acts as a lever on the tripod head. This means you need a multiple of the camera and lens weight in 'capacity'
I am sure the head will hold your camera, but the question is will it be rigid enough for the real world on a windy day.
I would look at a beefier non geared head. (BTW it is unusual to use long tele's on geared heads) Geared heads are great for the studio, Architecture or anywhere slow precise positioning is most important. (That's why they are shown with smaller lenses)
I do not know the head you are talking about, Sunway is a Chinese company that makes lots of products, I own one piece of their gear, a leveling platform. Not bad not great. But the weight rating should set off alarm bells if you cannot try it in person.

I do not know how you intend to use that combination, but thought it would be worth thinking about.
Good Luck

User ID

Manufacturers ratings dont mean much. 20lb according to what industry standard ? None ? Cuz there is none ?

I agree that a geared head doesnt seem quite appropriate for a long lens. I have a geared head, basically for "studio". I cannot imagine using it for distant active subjects.

Despite a lack of standards, it seems perfectly reasonable that a geared head would have a much lighter load rating than some similarly sturdy nongeared head. Both types can likely support equal loads when locked down, but when aiming the camera, the force on the internal gearing must be considered vs other types of heads where the force is on your own bones and muscles.

I have several sturdy heads and no clue about their supposed load ratings. The go-to is an Arca Swiss large ball. If that were my only head I would be 100% OK.

One universal piece of tripod head advice: Do not rely on the head to tilt over to "portrait" format. That just messes up everything. Use a proper L-bracket.

Photonerd5

I just bought the geared head in question. The workmanship seems superb especially considering the modest price. I don't have any lenses as heavy as the one you want to use, but when I placed my Nikon d850 with the latest Nikon F 70-200mm 2.8 lens on this head with a strong tripod underneath I could get a modest displacement with an unbalanced condition when the camera (not the lens) was supported and I tapped the lens. With support moved to a balanced condition on the first third of the lens, this modest displacement was diminished and a small bit may be attributable to a tiny flex in my tripod. In light of the fact that the lens you plan to use is heaver, my experiment is only suggestive. But I suspect that if you use a timer or a remote shutter release (like a cable), you should be OK. ln contrast to my Arca Swiss D model geared head, you can't turn off the gearing to move a camera on this head quickly, but I am quite pleased with this purchase as it if a good fit with my light travel tripod. Since I only photograph landscapes, I don't need quick camera movements. Hope this helps.

User ID

If I read you right there is no bypassing the geared movement ? That would render it a verrrry niche purpose head, nearly hopeless, meaning "excessively tedious", for general photographic applications. I certainly would never buy such a narrowly specialized head.

Basil_O Loc: Minneapolis, MN

I have an older Manfrotto geared head that I used for the eclipse. It held a tamron 150-600 and my Sony A77ii. It made it really easy to track the movement of the sun. So there is a use for a geared head and a long lens.

PhotoMono123 Loc: Houston, Texas

The best head for a 600mm is a gimbal mount. It allows you to quickly swing left and right and up and down without any adjustments. Just aim your camera and shoot.

Photonerd5

I agree with the above comment that a gimbal head mostly would be best for a long telephoto.

What helps keep the cost down for the Sunwayphoto head is that two fold out cranks are supplied on the wheels that control movements. These foldout cranks (and comparatively frictionless gears) let one move the camera fairly quickly with this head although not as quickly as movements using the more advanced, but quite expensive geared heads.

I stand my ground that the Sunwayphoto head is a good deal and might well be better than the heads costing $350 or more although it isn't as good as the Arca Swiss D model heads that now start at $900 or $1000.

Cheers

Basil_O Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Yes and no. When small, precise movements are needed a geared head is wonderful. I have a gimbal as well and chose the geared head instead for the eclipse. The Sunway Photo head looks like a really good economy choice.

Dim Flash Loc: Canton, Michigan

I use a Benro GD3WH geared head on a Oben tripod. I mounted my Canon 90D with battery grip and a Canon 100-400 lens. The geared head handled the weight with no issues.

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

Go ahead and buy it from a company that allows returns and exchanges. Try it out with your kit and photo techniques. Why rely on others opinions? My likes are not your likes.

User ID

Acoarst that makes sense, which puts it waaaay outside of UHH Sacred Tradition.

Your approach is just too "Real World".

Basil Loc: New Mexico

I own the Sunwayfoto GH-PROii+. The "plus" version differs from the original GH-PROii that you (OP) mentioned in that the "+" version has an additional geared adjustment in the top portion of the head to allow for micro-adjustments in the panning movement at the top of the head. Of course you can still pan from either the base or the upper head with the non-+ version, but it's nice to have that extra geared knob at the top for small panning adjustments. Other than that it is the same as the non-+ version with the same max load. I could not find the + version on BH nor Amazon, but got mine at Adorama. If you're considering the GH-PROii, you might want to also look at the + version. It's a little bit more money ($55 more at Adorama) but I think that extra geared adjustment for the panning motion is worth it.

Now, as to the question of whether it would work with a "DSLR" (unspecified weight) and a Tamron 150-600. The advertising on Adorama says load capacity up to 10 lbs (I know the published specs says 8.0 lbs). I can only tell you that I have used it with my R5 with a Sigma 150-600 attached and it seems to handle that set up with no issues, even when the lens is fully zoomed out. (I mount it on the lens foot not the camera to keep the CG a bit closer to center) I'll attach a picture of this setup. My combo, with an EF-RF adapter on the lens and ProMediaGear L-bracket attached, weights about 6.2 lbs, which is within the 10lbs advertised max load (and even within the 8.8 max load in the spec sheet). I would suggest that you look at the weight of your specific camera and lens combo. If it is within the advertised weight I'd think you should be ok, but as others have suggested, you might want to make sure you can return it if not completely happy.

Now, that said, I would suggest that a geared head is probably not the best choice for a large zoom lens. Yes, I have used it, but honestly I prefer using my gimbal or a sturdy ball head with my big Sigma lens. I really purchased the gear head for landscapes with much smaller lenses. Yes, I have had the larger lens on the GH-PROii+ and didn't have any particular issues, but I'd really be concerned about the long term effect on the wear and tear on the gears.

I hope this helps.