Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Review
Camera accessories come and go but there are certainly some pieces of equipment that you become so intimately familiar with that you wouldn’t even look at something else. Such is the case with your camera body, your post-production tools, and for those of us that use a tripod…your tripod head. I have been using the same ball head for years now and I know its strengths and weaknesses, I know what to expect from it, I know how to adjust it, and it has done me well over the years. However, when I saw a prototype of the GH-100 at PMA this year I just knew it was something different.
Overview
There are a handful of pistol grip heads on the market today but most of them are pretty low quality units without much in the way of features. The Vanguard GH-100 has a handful of advantages over these other units, and most other squeeze-type ball heads as well.
First off, the ball system itself is has to different slotted sections giving you a lot of front-to-back tilting ability as well as the ability to flip very quickly between portrait and landscape mode.
Secondly, the bracket connector can also rotate 360 degrees around a labeled head for accurate positioning. Tension for the head rotation and ball locking is handled by two different knobs that allow for very secure positioning that stays right were you put it without any release sagging.
What is very unique is that the silver collar in front of the pistol grip handle retracts and allows the pistol grip handle to rotate 360 degrees giving you a lot of flexibility in exactly how you want to use the handle.
Features
- Dual-locking quick shoe mechanism
- 72-click point panorama
- 360-degree horizontal movement and 90-angle tilt
Specs
| Swivel: | 360deg. |
| Tilt: | +35 to -90deg., +25 to -90deg. |
| Extended height: | 180mm / 7.125″ |
| Maximum loading capacity: | 6kg / 13.2lbs |
| Weight: | 0.75kg / 1.65lbs |
Usage
My initial impression was quite with the only issue being that I needed to crank down mounting plate onto the camera pretty hard if I was using a heavy lens and the design of the mounting plate makes it a little difficult my my giant sausage fingers to get to the screw handle. Once its tightened down securely, there are no other issues with it.
I’m not sure how helpful the bubble level inside the mounting section really is but if you do need to make sure the entire platform is level at least it is there and you can get a good level, drop the camera on and you are ready to go.
The main tightening knob on the back rotates about 260 degrees to adjust the tension but you will rarely need more than the last 90 degrees to come from loose to locked down. The lever on the side for the rotating head has 90 degrees of travel but you will only use the last 5 degrees or so to lock it down or loosen it up. These aren’t problems by any means, its just an observation.
To rotate the handle I can reach forward with my top two fingers and grasp the lock ring from the top and bottom and pull it back, rotate the handle to the new position and release the lock ring. This takes a little practice, but once you get it down you can manipulate the handle pretty easily.
Results
As I said before, replacing something like your tripod head is not something you do on a whim. While I have replaced tripod legs three times, I have still been using the same ball head on each set of legs. It had it’s quirks, but I knew them inside and out. After getting the GH-100 from Vanguard I decided to really give it an honest trial and use it exclusively for a month or so and see if I could get as comfortable with it as my long time head from the past. To be honest, it felt pretty awkward at first. If I was to make any design change it would be for the front-back tilt slot to be on the opposite side from where it is but this is a trivial change. The GH-100 handle feels a little “plasticy†but very very solid at the same time. Had the entire handle been made from metal it would have added significantly to the weight.
Well, its been a couple months since I got it and the GH-100 is still sitting atop my tripod. I am under no obligation to use it nor would I do so simply because Vanguard is a sponsor of CameraDojo.com, I actually have come to really prefer it over my old head and if you see me at any shooting event with my tripod handy you will see the GH-100 mounted on top.
I feel I have more control with the GH-100, it flips nicely from landscape to portrait and you can even get some fairly fluid panning and tilting by adjusting the tension and a little practice. Sure, it wont ever be as smooth as a true fluid head but its better than any other traditional still head in a pinch.
Score Card
| Features: | 5 |
| Setup: | 5 |
| Usage: | 5 |
| Value: | 5 |
| Results: | 5 |
Website: Vanguardworld.com
Purchase now for $99.99 on Amazon.com
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Kerry, are you recommending the Vangard over the Manfrotto ball head? If yes, can you give a short explanation, please?
For how "I" shoot and the work that "I" do, I am preferring the Vanguard over the Manfrotto. The Manfrotto design would sometimes get in the way of how I wanted to shoot something and the Vanguard is flexible enough to always be able to get the position I want. No one product is going to be perfect for everyone but I can honestly say my Manfrotto has been sitting on the desk since I got the GH-100.
Awesome, I want it and went to the website to scope out additional details and there was one big question left unanswered: does it work with their Multi-Angle Central Column (MACC) System?
I use it with mine all the time. Because I can adjust the handle on the GH100 it can always be positioned to not be in the way.
Done! Purchased and I'm excited. I only found this site a week ago and I'm hooked. Many thanks for the good work.
I was very close to ordering this head but I am now leaning toward to more conventional ballheads. I am concerned that it will be awkward to look through the viewfinder and simultaneously adjust the head position. Let me explan in more detail…. In the video on the vanguard site, the head is shown with a long Canon L lens that has a tripod mount. This "pushes" the camera (and viewfinder) back to be approx above the grip. This seems to work fine but my concern is for when I am not using a tripod mounting ring. With the head attached to the camera, the back of the camera (and viewfinder) will be significantly in front of the grip. In this configuration, it looks like it would be awkward to have my eye on the viewfinder and simultaneously be making adjustments with the grip.
From your review, is my concern valid?
I dont think its a problem because the camera body can rotate 360 degrees and the handle can rotate as well making it fairly simple to find a comfortable position to shoot with. I have use it with a 70-300 and I have never had an issue myself.
Thanks for the quick reply! Trying to look at this from all perspectives, are there any advantages you see to a std ball head (such as Vanguard's SBH-250) versus the GH-100.
This is what I came up with as an advantage for the SBH-250:
- slightly less expensive
- more compact, fits in the tripod carrying case (i'm assuming there is no way that the GH-100 will fit into a typical tripod carrying case)
- weighs less
- higher weight capacity (should only be applicable for people who have humungous lenses, right?)
In my case, I do not think these are significant advantages to offset the GH-100's flexibility. I'm considering having two tripods. The larger (Vangard 263) would have the GH-100 grip. The smaller (maybe a tiny SLIK Sprint Mini II or maybe the Slik 330) would be for travel and could almost always be strapped to my backpack. I'd dump SLIK's ball head and replace with one of the smaller Vanguard heads. This way, i'd have the same QR plates on both tripods. I'm assuming that the GH-100 uses the same QR plate as the SBH heads.
I think my biggest question is whether to pair the Vangard 263AT with the GH-100 or the SBH-250 head.
I think it depends on what you are doing. I don't use a tripod very often so having two of them is not an option for me. I have really been enjoying the GH-100 for what I do. When I travel I take it off the legs and both can be thrown in my suitecase.
Would you pick the Vanguard gh-100 over the Manfrotto 322RC2? What is the best pistol grip for the money?
I personally own both and shot with the 322RC2 for several years. Since I have got the GH100 I have not put the 322RC2 back on my tripod. I feel I have more control, more flexibility, and can get what I want faster with the GH100.
I saw your review, thought about it, visited Amazon to read reviews, thought some more and remembered what a pain my head on my manfrotto. Then I thought about my carbon fiber Sunpak and the limits of the ball head on it.
Bought the Vanguard and can hardly wait for it to arrive!
I guess my only question is whether or not to go the GH-100 over the SBH ball-head series (like the SBH-250 for example), given the fact that I shoot with heavy lenses. Specifically the Sigma 50-500mm 2kg lens, and the Canon 100-400mm 1.5kg lens; these, together coupled with the Canon 7D weighing in at 1kg with its BG-E7 0.5kg battery grip. My heaviest combination combing to, let’s just say 4-5kg max…. would this weight even bother the max recommended load of the GH-100 head of 6kg? How close it too close? I’m just hoping that I can crank up the tension at the end of the pistol to ensure concrete grip to avoid any type of movement or sliding over extended periods of time with those long lens’ extended to their full. Then my only other concern is the shoe plate, being the small size it actually is, and the minimal grip on its surface, how well would it would handle the larger lenses? I also notice the shoe plate is just a single screw thread into the base of the camera or lens mount, it doesn’t come with the double tighten type….. hmmm… decisions…. decisions….
If you are mounting to the lens I cant imagine you will have a problem because the balance would be good. If you are mounting to the body the lens will be pretty heavy but you can really crank down the tension and I think it would handle it easily.
All of the reviews I've read concern using the pistol grip with a tripod. It does though look like this would be a more ergonomically efficient 'ballhead' replacement for a monopod. Has anyone tried this or have thoughts on the suitability of the gh-100 for use on a monopod?
It is quite suitable for use with a monopod, I just dont use a monopod myself so I didn't mention it.
I have been looking it up all over the Internet & haven't found an answer, even on the Vanguard website.
Will this GH-100 fit on the Vanguard Alta+ 263AP i already own?
Thanks a million in advance.
If you can remove the panhead from the legs than yes.
I am looking for a tripod AND a monopod.
I like the GH-100 and am thinking of paring it with the VANGUARD ALTA PRO 264AT.
My question is what monopod/head will accept the Quick Shoe QS-65GH for GH-100 Ball Head.
If I want to change from tripod to monpod in a hurry I do not want to have to attach a new quick release
Nothing else usings the same quick shoe that I am aware of.
Hi,
Does any one knows, is it possible to use Vanguard ballhead with Manfrotto tripods?
Yes you can
Is it compatible with the head Vanguard vt-950?
No it is not
It is quite suitable for use with a monopod, I just dont use a monopod myself so I didn't mention it.