Oben GH3W-15 Geared Head
Precise Positioning for Perfect Composition
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Oben GH3W-15 Geared Tripod Head (holds 15 pounds, weighs 2.60 pounds / 41.6 oz. / 1,180g with included Oben QR-20 Arca plate as shown, $170). bigger. I got mine at B&H.
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Introduction top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
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This new Oben GH3W-15 geared tripod head is an almost identical copy of my Manfrotto 410 geared head I've been using since 1995, for half the price.
Geared heads use precise worm gear drives for exact adjustments that let us point and align our camera exactly as we want it, for perfect framing and perfect leveling. If I'm hauling a tripod, I want perfect framing, and my geared heads give me exactly that. All three axes use worm gears for precise slow-motion control, helpful for precise composition with most lenses, and almost mandatory for use with long telephotos.
Unlike regular heads that require we loosen them to make an adjustment — and then hope it doesn't change as we retighten them, the worm gears of these heads are always engaged and allow minute adjustments simply by turning a knob.
There's no locking or unlocking involved; the gear teeth are always engaged. There's never any worry that a camera will fall due to an untightened knob; these heads are always engaged and never allow a camera to flop over. Because the worm-gear threads are engaged under constant spring tension, there is no play, allowing the most precise adjustments easily.
To make fast adjustments, twist one of the four-pointed release knobs clockwise, which uncouple the gear threads so that axis turns freely. Release the knob, the gear teeth remesh, and then use the smaller, longer knob to dial-in your precise framing.
These are even more useful with ultra telephotos, as well as with telescopes, where ultra-precise adjustment is mandatory. Shooting with an 800mm lens? They're hard to position with anything less than a geared head.
In astronomy we call these slow-motion alt-azimuth controls.
The only downside is that these are heavy. I bought the world's first carbon fiber tripod when it came out in 1995: the exotic, French-made Gitzo G1227 Mountaineer, and I was astounded at how sturdy and light it was. The world had never seen carbon fiber outside of La Concorde supersonic aircraft and rare French bicycles. I got my Manfrotto 410 geared head the next day, which weighed so much it cancelled the weight savings. The head weighed almost as as much as the legs, but ahhhh, finally being able to align my camera exactly more than made up for it.
I've used my same Manfrotto 410 Geared Head for nearly thirty years and it still works great. It's become a stiffer since I've dropped it on the rocks a few times and it's served me well — but it's expensive. My new Oben GH3W-15 Geared Head does the same thing in exactly the same way, for half the price. My new Oben GH3W-15's controls are smoother, but we'll see after I drop it down a few rock faces 😬.
The Oben GH3W-15 is rated to carry a little more weight (15 versus 11 pounds) and is rated to weigh a little less than the Manfrotto 410 Geared Head, both in favor of the Oben GH3W-15 if it wasn't just for price.
My Italian-made Manfrotto 410 feels pretty much the same as my new Oben GH3W-15; I can't feel any quality difference; each is just as sturdy and about the same size with the same controls in the same places.
The Oben GH3W-15 has a standard Arca Swiss receiver and includes a plate, while the Manfrotto 410 uses a less-standard 410PL plate.
New Since Manfrotto 410 intro top
Half the price with what seems like the same quality and performance — or slightly better.
The vertical tilt (Pitch) control is a little farther away from the base, so no longer does it interfere and limit me to only about +15º rise when the controls of my Manfrotto 410 would hit the larger round mating surface of my Gitzo G1227 tripod. Finally I can use all +30º of vertical tilt!
Arca-Swiss receiver for the included Oben QR-20 Arca plate or any other Arca Swiss-grooved plate or bracket.
Adds two new levels in addition to a circular level on the top. (I've never used these.)
Good intro top
Sturdy, precise build.
Smooth and precise operation.
Standard Arca Swiss receiver for standard plates and brackets.
Bad intro top
Big and heavy!
Missing intro top
Oddly it copies a limitation in the Manfrotto 410 where the vertical tilt is limited to +30º. When I need to tilt up higher, I still have to rearrange my tripod legs to point further up. It tilts down 90º, but who does that? See Usage for work-arounds.
Also oddly it only tilts left exactly 90º, so in actual use you may have to rearrange your tripod legs a bit to get all the way to 90º for vertical shots.
Specifications top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Load Capacity specifications top
15 pounds (6.8 kg).
Left-Right Tilt (Roll) specifications top
Left -90º counter-clockwise.
Right +30º clockwise.
Up-Down Tilt (Pitch) specifications top
Up 30º
Down 90º
Left-Right Panning (Yaw) specifications top
Unlimited (360º with no stops).
Camera Mounting specifications top
Arca-Swiss receiver for the included Oben QR-20 Arca plate or any other Arca Swiss-grooved plate or bracket.
The Oben QR-20 Arca plate has a standard ¼″ × 20 TPI screw.
Included ¼" to ⅜" adapter bushing lets you mount a camera or other device with a ⅜″ × 16 TPI female thread if you please.
Tripod Mounting specifications top
Standard ⅜″ × 16 TPI female thread in center of 2.36" (60mm) pad.
Included ¼" to ⅜" adapter bushing lets this head mount to a ¼″ × 20 TPI thread if you please.
Announced specifications top
Early 2024.
Size specifications top
Actual measured size, at 0º settings:
4.80" high × 6.42" wide × 6.38" deep.
122mm high × 163mm wide × 162mm deep.
Box: 7.3 × 5.0 × 5.5 (185 × 140 × 127mm) HWD.
Weight specifications top
2.60 pounds / 41.635 oz. / 1,180.3g actual measured weight, with included Oben QR-20 Arca plate.
Rated 2.6 lbs / 416 oz. / 1,200 g.
Boxed (shipping weight) 3 pounds / 48 oz. /1,361g.
Includes specifications top
Head.
Oben QR-20 Arca plate as shown.
¼" to ⅜" adapter bushing (not shown).
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
July 2024
Box, Oben GH3W-15 Geared Tripod Head. bigger.
User's Guide top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
See also Oben's User Manual.
Seen From the Shooting Position
Seen from where you'd stand while shooting. Mount your camera with the lens looking in the same direction as the Arca Swiss lock/unlock knob.
Oben GH3W-15 Geared Tripod Head. bigger.
The knob on the lower left tilts the camera up or down (pitch).
HINT: When I need to tilt up more than 30º, first I try rearranging my tripod legs, and if that's not enough, I remove the plate with the camera attached and rotate it 180º. Then I release the left-right pan (yaw) lock on the right side and rotate the whole thing 180º so the camera is pointing forward again. Now I can raise it a full 90º, even if the controls are now in weird places.
The knob above in the the center slowly tilts the camera left or right (roll).
The knob on the far right slowly pans left or right (yaw).
The larger 4-pronged knobs release each worm gear so you can move it quickly, then you release it and use the smaller knobs to set exact framing. Because the worm gears are always engaged unless you deliberately disengage them with the four-pointed releases, the camera is always locked-in and does not require anything to be tightened after making any adjustment. I love that it's trivial to make exact adjustments for perfect pictures!
Let's rotate the head clockwise in each of these next shots, or walk around it counter-clockwise 90º in each successive shot:
From the Left
Oben GH3W-15 Geared Tripod Head with included Oben QR-20 Arca plate. bigger.
The top left knob tilts the camera left or right (roll).
The top right knob locks and unlocks the Arca Swiss mount.
The knob half-hidden in the back tilts the camera up or down (pitch).
The bottom left knob slowly pans left or right (yaw).
I never use any of the three levels; I look through my camera instead. While the circular level could be helpful and the horizontal one could be useful for setting the pitch (up-down) to strictly horizontal, the vertical one near the Arca Swiss mount only seems to be useful if you want to point your camera exactly straight up, or if you mount the camera to the plate rotated 90º, then it could help level the camera in the left-right axis (roll) when shooting vertical shots.
From the Front
Oben GH3W-15 Geared Tripod Head with included Oben QR-20 Arca plate. bigger.
The knob on the top left locks and unlocks the Arca Swiss mount.
The back left knob slowly pans left or right (yaw).
The knob on the lower far right slowly tilts the camera left or right (roll).
The knob to tilt the camera up or down (pitch) is in the back, hidden behind the mounting plate.
From the Front Right Side
Oben GH3W-15 Geared Tripod Head with included Oben QR-20 Arca plate. bigger.
The knob on the back left (behind the plate) locks and unlocks the Arca Swiss mount.
The top right knob tilts the camera left or right (roll).
The middle knob slowly pans left or right (yaw).
The bottom knob slowly tilts the camera up or down (pitch).
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