SmallRig recently announced its new PH8 Professional Fluid Head and you can also get it in the form of a kit called the AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit.
The SmallRig AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit consists of the PH8 Professional Fluid Head, a variation of the FreeBlazer Heavy-Duty Carbon Fiber Tripod (75mm Bowl), ground spreaders, mid-spreaders, and a carry bag.
The carry bag is decent enough and it’s nice that it is included in the kit.
I am going to review this product in the same way I review any product. It doesn’t matter how much it costs, who makes it, or where it comes from. Every product gets reviewed in the exact same independent way.
Overview
The SmallRig PH8 Professional Fluid Head as being targeted as a good alternative solution to more expensive 75mm bowl fluid heads that are on the market. It features an adjustable 6-step counterbalance system and 4-Step drag mechanism.
Key features
- Professional Tripod 75mm Ball Fluid Head
- Manfrotto Snap-In Quick Release Plate
- 360° Panning, +90/-60° Tilting
- 6-Step Counterbalance, 4-Step Drag
- Adjustable Pan Bar, 17.6 lb Maximum Load
- Weighs only 4 lb
The payload capacity of the Professional Fluid Head PH8 is claimed to be up to 8kg / 17.6lb.
This is the 2nd SmallRig Tripod I have reviewed
I reviewed the SmallRig Heavy-Duty Fluid Head Tripod last year on the site.
I found the SmallRig Heavy-Duty Fluid Head Tripod to be a good solution for a second camera when you need a locked-off shot. While the legs were good, the head wasn’t the best, but that didn’t come as any big surprise.
While you can use it and get reasonably decent results with a heavier camera package such as a small to a mid-sized digital cinema camera, it isn’t as good when using a mirrorless hybrid.
The build quality and value for money was incredible, considering what you get for $159 USD. I didn’t for one moment think this tripod was going to rival options that cost considerably more money. The legs alone are worth the $159 USD and you could just ditch the included head and use your own 75mm bowl head.
I am amazed that SmallRig is able to sell a complete 75mm bowl tripod system for less than $160 USD. Sure, it is far from perfect, but what you get for your money makes it a very good buy as long as you understand its strengths and weaknesses.
As the SmallRig PH8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit is significantly more expensive, I was keen to see just how well it performs.
Build Quality
With a tripod that costs under $ USD, you probably have a preconceived notion that the build quality might be average at best.
I was pleasantly surprised by the overall build quality. It is decently made and constructed. The tripod legs are made out of carbon fibre.
While it isn’t going to have the same quality build quality as more expensive offerings from companies such as Sachtler and Miller, etc. I would argue that it could certainly compete head-to-head with tripods such as the Sachtler ACE XL and a lot of the offerings from Manfrotto.
The PH8 Professional Fluid Head is solidly constructed and all of the lock off mechanisms work as they should.
The quick-release locks on the legs are robust and sturdy. They do require a little bit of effort to lock and unlock, which I personally don’t think is a bad thing, although some users may not like how it works.
They utilize a type of geared system to lock and unlock.
Above you can see how it works above.
I didn’t personally like the rubber material used on the leveling device as it is uncomfortable to hold. It reminds me of a bike handle grip. Rubber material like this is also likely to start to tear and degrade over time.
The tripod feet are reasonably sized and they feature a quick-release system so you easily take them off when they aren’t needed.
While there is a spirit bubble on the head it doesn’t illuminate.
The spreaders are decent and they attach to the tripod lens using a quick release mechanism.
There wasn’t anything major that I came across that overly concerned me when it came to the overall build quality. In saying that, it is impossible for me to say how well these would hold up to life in the field over many years of use.
Size & Weight
The SmallRig Professional Fluid Head PH8 is reasonably lightweight and compact. It weighs 1.8kg / 4.0lb. Now, SmallRig claims that this does make it lighter and smaller than some other similar products on the market. Is that true? Well, let’s find out.
Below you can see how that weight compares to some other 75mm fluid heads on the market hat I would personally consider competition:
| WEIGHT | |
| SmallRig Professional Fluid Head PH8 | 1.8kg / 4 lb |
| Sachtler Ace XL fluid head | 1.7 kg / 3.7 lb |
| Sachtler FSB 6 MK II Fluid Head | 2.5 kg / 5.5 lb |
| Sachtler aktiv6 Sideload Fluid Head with SpeedLevel & 3-Step Drag | 2.6 kg / 5.7 lb |
| Miller CX2 Fluid Head | 2.3 kg / 5.1 lb |
| Cartoni Focus 8 Fluid Head | 1.81 kg / 4 lb |
| Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech Fluid Head | 2.22 kg / 4.9 lb |
| iFootage Komodo K7 Fluid Head | 1.95 kg / 4.3 lb |
| Camgear DV6P | 2.2 kg / 4.85 lb |
| E-Image GH08 Fluid Head | 2 kg / 4.4 lb |
| Benro S8Pro Head | 2.45 kg / 5.4 lb |
The total weight of the SmallRig PH8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit when I weighed it (with its mid-spreaders) was 5.6 kg / 12.34 lb.
Below you can see how that weight compares to some of the other 75mm fluid head tripods systems on the market.
| WEIGHT | |
| SmallRig AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit | 5.6 kg / 12.34 lb |
| Sachtler Ace XL Tripod System with CF Legs & Mid-Level Spreader (75mm Bowl) | 4.1 kg / 9 lb |
| Sachtler Ace M System Black Edition with T ripod & Mid-Level Spreader (75mm Bowl) | 4.39 kg / 9.68 lb |
| Sachtler System FSB 6 MK II Sideload and 75/2 Aluminum Tripod Legs | 5.29 kg / 11.66 lb |
| Sachtler aktiv6 flowtech75 MS Tripod System | 5.5 kg / 12.1 lb |
| Miller CX2 2500 Solo-Q 75 2-Stage Carbon Fiber Tripod System (75mm) | 5.5 kg / 12.1 lb |
| Cartoni Focus 8 Fluid Head with Red Lock Tripod System | 5.81 kg / 12.80 lb |
| Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech Fluid Head & Aluminum Twin Leg Tripod with Mid-Spreader Kit | 5.49 kg / 12.10 lb |
| iFootage Gazelle TC9-Fastbowl Tripod with Komodo K7 Fluid Head Bundle | 4.31 kg / 9.50 lb |
| E-Image EG08A2 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System with GH08 Fluid Head (75mm) | 5.7 kg / 12.56 lb |
| Benro A673TM Dual-Tube Aluminum Tripod & S8Pro Head | 6.62 kg / 14.6 lb |
| Camgear DV6P Fluid Head & T75/CF2 Carbon Fiber Tripod with Mid-Level Spreader System | 5.38 kg / 11.86 lb |
| Magnus REX VT-6000 2-Stage Video Tripod with Fluid Head | 5.53 kg / 12.2 lb |
| miliboo MTT609B Professional Tripod & Fluid Head with Ground Spreader (Carbon Fiber) | 4.56 kg / 10.05 lb |
| Sirui BCT-2203 Carbon Fiber Tripod & BCH-20 Video Head Bundle | 6.7 kg / 14.77 lb |
Payload capacity
The SmallRig PH8 Professional Fluid Head has a maximum payload of 8 kg / 17.63 lb. This may not sound like a lot, but it is actually in line with most other 75mm bowl fluid heads that are on the market.
Below you can see how that payload capacity compares to some other 75mm bowl fluid heads.
| PAYLOAD CAPACITY | |
| SmallRig Professional Fluid Head PH8 | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
| Sachtler Ace XL fluid head | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
| Sachtler Ace M fluid head | 3.99 kg / 8.8 lb |
| Sachtler FSB 6 MK II Fluid Head | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
| Sachtler aktiv6 Sideload Fluid Head with SpeedLevel & 3-Step Drag | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
| Miller CX2 Fluid Head | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
| Cartoni Focus 8 Fluid Head | 8.16 kg / 18 lb |
| Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech Fluid Head | 14 kg / 30.9 lb |
| iFootage Komodo K7 Fluid Head | 7 kg / 15.43 lb |
| Camgear DV6P | 10 kg / 22.05 lb |
| E-Image GH08 Fluid Head | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
| Benro S8Pro Head | 8 kg / 17.63 lb |
As you can clearly see, the payload capacity for most 75mm bowl fluid heads is basically the same.
The 8kg payload capacity allows you to use a wide array of options from small to mid-sized digital cinema camera packages (depending on what lens, etc. you are running), to mirrorless hybrids.
How high & low can it go?
Below you can see what the maximum height, minimum height, and folded length are not the tripod legs.
- 71.7″ / 182 cm Maximum Height
- 31.1″ / 79 cm Minimum Height
- 39.0″ / 99 cm Folded Length
The tripod offers a decent height operating range that will suit most people’s needs.
4-step hydraulic damping & 6-Step Counterbalance Systems
The adjustable 4-step hydraulic damping system enables swivel and tilt adjustment. The 6-step Counterbalance system allows you to balance and control your camera payload.
As a comparison the popular Sachtler ACE XL has 8-Step Counterbalance and 3-Step + 0 Pan/Tilt Drag.
The counterbalance and dampening system controls are ok to use, but they aren’t overly tactile and sometimes I found my fingers would slip off. They weren’t that easy to use when wearing gloves.
Touch-and-Go quick release mount plate
The fluid head PH8 also adopts a new Touch-and-Go quick release mount plate design which does not require alignment and is claimed to be more efficient than traditional slide-in plates.
You can adjust the plate that goes onto the fluid head to obtain better balance. It allows for a reasonable amount of adjustment, and for the type of camera and lens packages that are likely to be used on it, it should suffice. There is a locking pin so that you can’t move the plate past certain points.
The plate that comes with it is a Manfrotto 501PL-type quick release plate.
Now while you can just snap the plate in, you can’t take it off the same way. You need to lose the tightening adjustment and then slide it back.
Detachable Handle
The SmallRig PH8 Professional Fluid Head comes with a detachable telescopic handle that can used on both the left and right sides of the head.
The handle can be extended out quite a long way which is handy.
Spreaders
The tripod kit comes with both mid and ground spreaders. It is nice that SmallRig includes both sets in the kit.
The spreaders are adjustable and SmallRig has put markings on them which is a nice touch as it allows you to set them up evenly.
The spreaders adjust out a reasonable amount to create a nice solid platform. With the mid-spreaders all the way out you can get a maximum height of 71.7″ / 182 cm. If you want to go even higher you could bring the spreaders in or take them off completely (although I wouldn’t recommend doing this).
Operation
A tripod can have decent enough build quality and good features, but if it doesn’t actually perform well then none of that really matters. I have personally found that most affordable 75mm bowl fluid heads leave a lot to be desired, so I was interested to see how the PH8 Professional Fluid Head performed.
The overall operation of the tripod is good considering its price point.
As I mentioned earlier in the review, the tripod does feature a built-in bubble level indicator it isn’t illuminated so you can’t see it in darker conditions.
Above you can see how you level the head.
The tripod doesn’t have any type of carrying handle, however, the gaps between the legs mean that you can easily get your fingers around the legs.
How is it to use with a Digital Cinema Camera?
I tried the tripod out with a Z CAM E2-F6 Pro, a Laowa Proteus 2x 28mm T2 anamorphic lens, and a V-mount battery to see how well it performed. This combination weighed 4.9kg / 10.8 lb. This was 3kg below the maximum payload capacity. At least in my opinion, you never want to run a fluid head at close to or at its maximum payload capacity.
I purposely chose a very front-heavy combination for these tests.
With a decent fluid head you need to be able to pan and tilt smoothly and you want as little backlash as possible. Backlash can occur if you have the drag settings too high. If you are not familiar with backlash it is like a bouncy movement that the head will do when tilting.
Counterbalance & Tilt Drag
Above you can see how the dampening system works for the tilt drag adjustment.
As the fluid head has a decent amount of counterbalance, dampening and tension adjustments you can adjust it depending on your camera payload.
I found that for the camera and lens combination that I was running, setting the counterbalance to 2 provided the best results.
What about panning and tilting at the same time?
Panning and tilting at the same time can be done smoothly once you have everything adjusted correctly.
With more affordable fluid heads, I would personally recommend that you hold the pan handle and the front of the camera at the same time if you are panning and tilting.
Side plate lock-in
It is very easy to attach your camera package to the tripod head. You simply loosen the locking mechanism and then drop your camera in, with the baseplate attached. Then all you need to do is tighten up the locking mechanism.
To remove the camera you loosen the tightening mechanism and then press in the release mechanism and then slide the plate out.
How is the stability?
At its minimum height, the tripod is solid and it doesn’t move around or flex.
I would say that it is very stable up until around 160cm.
Even at its maximum operating height (with the mid-spreaders fully extended) the stability is reasonably good, although in saying that, there is a bit of flex towards the bottom of the legs that you need to be mindful of.
What are the feet like?
The feet have a reasonably large footprint so they sit fairly evenly on flat surfaces.
They do have a tendency when you first open up and put the tripod down to not sit squarely on the ground. This is something you need to be aware of.
They are made out of a hard plastic material.
Above you can see how they compare to some Sachtler feet.
On more uneven surfaces they don’t work quite as well, but that is the case with most tripod feet.
You can also remove the feet if you need to use the tripod on much more uneven surfaces or when you are putting it on a dolly, etc.
What is it like to use with a mirrorless hybrid?
We have seen how it is to use with a digital cinema camera, but what about a mirrorless hybrid?
I tested the fluid head out with a Panasonic S1H because I wanted to give you an indication of how it performs with a smaller-sized mirrorless hybrid. Now, SmallRig doesn’t list any minimum weight requirement for the PH8 Professional Fluid Head, so I was interested to see how well it would work.
Because of the resistance in the head and the fact that it was designed to carry payloads up to 8kg, you might think that with a lightweight camera you would get a large rebound effect on the tilt axis, but that wasn’t the case.
I found that if I set the counterbalance to its lowest level of 1, the fluid head performed well with a lighter mirrorless hybrid. Now, there is a tiny bit of the rebound effect if you have the head angled down or up quite a lot, but for the most part, it works well.
Price & Availability
The SmallRig AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit retails for $799 USD. This makes it very good value for money.
Below you can see how that price compares to some of the other 75mm fluid head tripod systems on the market.
| PRICE | |
| SmallRig AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit | $799 USD |
| Sachtler Ace XL Tripod System with CF Legs & Mid-Level Spreader (75mm Bowl) | $1,399.99 USD |
| Sachtler Ace M System Black Edition with T ripod & Mid-Level Spreader (75mm Bowl) | $749.99 USD |
| Sachtler System FSB 6 MK II Sideload and 75/2 Aluminum Tripod Legs | $2,163 USD |
| Sachtler aktiv6 flowtech75 MS Tripod System | $2,840 USD |
| Miller CX2 2500 Solo-Q 75 2-Stage Carbon Fiber Tripod System (75mm) | $2,286.63 USD |
| Cartoni Focus 8 Fluid Head with Red Lock Tripod System | $1,278.33 USD |
| Manfrotto 608 Nitrotech Fluid Head & Aluminum Twin Leg Tripod with Mid-Spreader Kit | $1,139.50 USD |
| iFootage Gazelle TC9-Fastbowl Tripod with Komodo K7 Fluid Head Bundle | $649 USD |
| E-Image EG08A2 2-Stage Aluminum Tripod System with GH08 Fluid Head (75mm) | $769.99 USD |
| Benro A673TM Dual-Tube Aluminum Tripod & S8Pro Head | $599.95 USD |
| Camgear DV6P Fluid Head & T75/CF2 Carbon Fiber Tripod with Mid-Level Spreader System | $1,325 USD |
| Magnus REX VT-6000 2-Stage Video Tripod with Fluid Head | $499 USD |
| miliboo MTT609B Professional Tripod & Fluid Head with Ground Spreader (Carbon Fiber) | $639 USD |
| Sirui BCT-2203 Carbon Fiber Tripod & BCH-20 Video Head Bundle | $1,099 USD |
SmallRig Universal Tripod Dolly 3986
SmallRig also sells the Universal Tripod Dolly 3986 which is a nice addition and a very affordable optional extra ($59.90 USD) for the tripod.
Conclusion
The SmallRig AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit is a decent solution if you are looking for a reasonably lightweight and affordable 75mm bowl tripod. If you are using a small to mid-sized digital cinema camera like a Sony FX6, RED KOMODO, Canon C70, etc. then it will work pretty well.
You can achieve good results with a small to mid-sized digital cinema camera package, or a mirrorless hybrid.
The build quality and value for money are very good, and the AD-Pro 8 Professional Fluid Head Tripod Kit can certainly go head-to-head with a lot of the competition. No, it isn’t going to be as good as a more expensive 75mm bowl head tripod system from companies such as Sachtler, Miller Cartoni, etc, but you shouldn’t expect it to be.
Sure, it isn’t perfect, but what you get for your money makes it an excellent choice if you are looking for a decent-performing 75mm bowl tripod system. At least in my opinion, I found it to be a much better option than anything else I have come across that costs under $800 USD.
