Canisdirus

Besides...if you like doing pan shots... a fluid head is way better than a ball.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I do a ton of stitched panoramas and never felt the need to use a fluid head, though for smooth panning of a bird in flight it might make sense. I use a gimbal, a ball head, and for close quarters stitched panos I use a zero parallax pano head.

Canisdirus

I have used them all, as you have too more than likely.
There is simply more precision in a fluid head...and if you need to shoot some quick video...it's there ready to go.

I won't use anything else. Panning, BIF, portraits, landscape...wildlife...it does it all. Just get a good one with a sturdy light tripod (of course).

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

They serve different purposes and are rather expensive!

The TA-2U Leveling Base is used to quickly level the entire head and camera. It installs under the ballhead or other head you use on your tripod. This can be handy with certain situations. I have Gitzo leveling platforms on two tripods that I use with gimbal heads and large telephotos. Leveling platforms are also popular for video tripods. If you move your tripod fairly often and need it to quickly be reasonably level (gimbal, video, etc.), a leveling platform is very helpful by speeding up the process. It's much quicker than fumbling around adjusting leg lengths, only to have to repeat the process when you move again in a few minutes. But if your work for each shot is more slow and deliberate, such as shooting panoramas, so long as your tripod has a bubble level, it might be just as easy to adjust leg length.

I couldn't find any info on this particular leveling base, but they typically add about 1 lb. to the weight of a tripod. More to carry around.

The TA-2U has more range of movement than most. They claim 40º of movement with the TA-2U. The other levelers that RRS offers have ranges of 30º and 15º. This is probably more typical of other brands, too. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd trust a tripod setup that required 40º of leveling adjustment! It would be very unstable and I'd adjust leg lengths to reduce how much fine-tune leveling was needed.

It appears because this RRS TA 2U has an Arca-compatible slot, it might be possible to use by itself to directly mount a camera and lens. To use it with a tripod head appears to require fitting a "lens plate" to the bottom of the head (an additional cost), but that would allow it to be quickly swapped out with other, similarly-equipped heads.

At $345 the RRS TA-2U Leveling Base is about the most expensive one I've ever seen. I thought the Gitzo were pricey. (Now about $245, I paid quite a bit less years ago.) Granted, the RRS Leveling Platform is a little bit more complex than most. Other leveling platforms cost $70 to $150. Even RRS sells simpler, less expensive ones.

There are two basic types of leveling platforms: Those like the TA-2U that are designed to work with a tripod that has a center column. The other type is designed for use with tripods that don't have a center column and provide a handle underneath that's used to loosen, adjust, then relock the leveling action. The RRS TA-3 are examples of this latter type (three versions with different lengths of handles, $195-$225).

The Panning Clamp PC-LR installs on top of a ballhead (or other tripod head) to allow a precise panning movement. It doesn't provide any correction for leveling. Loosening it simply provides the horizontal panning axis and might be a helpful tool for photographers doing multi-shot panoramas. At $255, you might check what your current tripod head provides in the way of precision panning axis, before adding one of these that does essentially the same thing. In order to fit the PS-LR to it, a tripod head needs to have an Arca-compatible platform. In fact, the PS-LR uses Arca-style fittings top and bottom.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I have both, and with the limited range of adjustment of a leveling base, I often find myself in a situation that requires leg adjustments. I use my leveling base as part of a zero parallax head. Sorry for the out of focus image - wasn't paying attention to the smartphone when I took it. But at least the textured wall was in perfect focus.

IMG_20180802_144202 by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

IMG_20180802_144015 by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

And this is a sample stitched pano (three rows by 5 columns - 15 images in all) I took using my ball head alone without a leveling base.

_DSC2139-NIKON D800-3064517-(01-11-17)-Pano by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

And the very slightly cropped final product:

_DSC2139-NIKON D800-3064517-(01-11-17)-Pano-Edit by Gene Lugo, on Flickr

In my experience, if I am working on a somewhat level surface and moving about, the leveling base+pano head can save some time. But on uneven terrain, I am just as fast if not faster with the ball head and camera azimuth setup.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I don't need precision other than for shooting video, and the viscous fluid does make for buttery smooth pans. I don't like lugging a substantial fluid head around in the field, and since I don't do video anymore, I felt no need to hold onto it. I had a Manfrotto 608, which had the nitrogen filled counterbalance piston, but it's load capacity was only 17 lbs, and my camera and lens (D810, battery grip and 600mmF4) was too close in total load so it was not a combination I used often. With video, the gear was a bit lighter - and it was not an issue.

What are you referring to when you talk about precision?

In my studio I used to have a geared three way pan head, an original Arca-Swiss C-1 - which was super stable and extremely precise as far as camera positioning was concerned. It sat on top of a Cambo UST camera stand. With it's 85 lb load capacity, I could put any camera I owned on it, but most of the time my Sinar P lived on it. It had helicoid brass gears, which made the tilting mechanism smooth but it they did wear and if knocked about, could get notched, something I learned the hard way. Also the original model only had a lever clamp which was fine if you used Arca and exact duplicate plates and mounts - I had Precision in Chicago swap it out for a screw clamp. There is no head that I know of that had the ability to make minute and fussy adjustments like it. Not even a fluid head, and of course the fluid head is limited to two axes of motion.

oregonfrank Loc: Astoria, Oregon

Alan, with regard to the RRS Panning Clamp PC-LR you state that: “It doesn’t provide any correction for leveling.”. That is correct but incomplete. The Panning Clamp is usually not attached to a tripod by itself. When attached to a ballhead it can be leveled via adjustment of the ballhead, which then gives a level plane for panning. If the panning clamp replaces the ballhead clamp, that would provide for a simpler and lighter configuration than having a leveling base under a ballhead. Your thoughts? Frank

Canisdirus

My Man fluid also has a limit of 17.6 lbs...but that's more than enough for most wildlife photography.
I don't know how much your Nikon 600 weighs but the Sony one is less than 7 lbs. Add your Nikon D810 (2.5lbs)...you're still handling the weight pretty easily.
For 300 bucks...the Manfrotto 502AH will handle 22lbs. I sure am not carrying that much gear around outside. At least not that much all at one time on the tripod.

I use the Prompter HD-300 fluid head for indoor work, which holds 30 lbs of gear.

By precision I just mean...it's smooth and just not for video.
When I am panning for BIF, I have found the fluid head to be superior to my gimbal for still photography as well.
The head helps panning the BIF perfectly the same across the entire pan...where a gimbal can not be controlled as evenly by our hands.
I also keep the birds in the frame easier once I get them initially.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

The 600mm F4 AF-S II weighed 10.5 lbs, so the camera+lens+battery grip was 13 lbs. Too close for comfort. I like the panning head for birds, but I now use a much lighter solution which is tripod free. I found that keeping very small and nervous birds hard to keep in frame at close distances - as well as dragonflies and other critters. So I ditched the hardware and went with a Sigma 150-600 Sport which is far lighter and more manageable hand-held, at least for my purposes. I can actually go hiking with it, and within 2-3 seconds bring the camera to my eye to take a picture, instead of taking a few minutes remove the camera and tripod from my bag, set up the tripod, head, camera etc - and miss the shot - which often happened.

I wouldn't characterize smooth panning as precision - but I do get what you mean with the ease of use provided by fluid panning. To me precision is being able to precisely position a camera and lens EXACTLY where I want it and lock it, and if I needed to adjust it by a degree or two, be able to do that as well - without the camera repositioning itself. I relied on my Arca-Swiss C1 for that.

As far as hand-held panning is concerned, it requires a lot of practice - and the more one does it, the better one gets. It's all about muscle memory, and studying the movements of the subject, and being able to predict trajectories. Freeing myself of the tripod and it's limited range of movement, legs to trip over, etc has significantly improved things for me. Most of my birding friends also use their gear hand held, for exactly the same reasons. And the newer stuff, as you have noted, is considerably lighter than ever before.

Canisdirus

Lol...so I looked up your Arca C1. That looks very sweet...but without a doubt...my wife would kill me if I bought that :D. But yes, that's the serious remedy ticket.

I get what you say about muscle memory. I used to always shoot with a gimbal, and you get a feel for it.

But once I experienced that fluid buffer...I could not go back.

No, a fluid head sure isn't going to win out for precision leveling against an $1800.00 device.

If we throw enough money at the problem...it does go away.

But I can adjust the FH easily and it does lock solid every time. Never any sag.