SmalRig has announced its new PH8 Professional Fluid Head (buy here). Designed for video shooters, it’s small enough for compact mirrorless shooters but beefy enough that you can stick big broadcast cameras on it, too.
It offers six different adjustment levels for your counterbalance setting to prevent it from tilting up or down when not locked off. A 4-step hydraulic damping system provides smooth motion as you adjust your shooting angle.
SmallRig PH8 – Compact & Lightweight
The SmallRig PH8 weighs a mere 1.8kg. This might sound a little beefy compared to something like the Manfrotto Befree Live head (buy here). In fact, it weighs more than the entire Manfroto Befree Live tripod (buy here). Even the aluminium version. (buy here).
But the SmallRig PH8 is in a totally different class to Manfrotto’s Befree Live. The better comparison, on paper, would be to heads like the Manfrotto Nitrotech 608 (buy here) or perhaps the Vinten Vision Blue (buy here). Both of these are heavier, and both are more expensive with the latter being more than double the price of the SmallRigh PH8.
Assuming it keeps up with the capabilities and ease of use of those heavier and more expensive heads, it should prove to be quite a popular fluid head.
Wide compatibility
The SmallRig PH8 is obviously only part of the equation. It’s just the head itself. You’ll still need to buy a set of legs to put them on. Any tripod legs with a standard 75mm bowl on the top should work perfectly. And even if your legs have a 100mm bowl, there are a number of adapters on the market to let you use 75mm heads with 100mm legs.
On top of the head is a standard Manfrotto PL video quick-release plate. So, if like me, you keep plates attached to all your cameras, you can swap them in and out with ease without having to buy a whole bunch of new plates.
As with pretty much all fluid video heads, there’s a handle to let you pan and tilt the camera. The SmallRig PH8 handle is telescopic, so you can make it larger or smaller depending on your camera setup and needs. It can also be mounted to either the left or the right side of the camera, for maximum versatility.
SmallRig PH8 Specs
Bowl Diameter75mm
Tilt range+90º to -60º
Counterbalance Payload1-8kg
Counterbalance6-Step adjustment
Tilt Control4-Step adjustment
Pan Control4-Step adjustment
Product Dimensions (w/o handle)205 x 140 x 140mm
Handle dimensions250 x 50 x 50mm
Product weight1,730g
Working Height14cm
MaterialsAluminium Alloy, Stainless Steel, Silicone
Price and Availability
The SmallRig PH8 fluid video tripod head is available to buy now for $499 and has begun shipping.
