Does tripod head matter?

[BradleyH]

I find myself shooting more and more via a tripod. I still have quite a bit to refine when it comes to skill but am wondering if money spent towards a head would be a worth while upgrade.

I am currently running a vortex tripod with the level head. It’s flat where I live and the angles I shoot at are minuscule.

That being said while getting positioned behind the tripod it seems like an Anvil or something would be better for fine tuning.

Has anyone swapped out the head on their Vortex and was it worth it? Or would I be better off getting a whole new setup.

 

[beetroot]

Anvil is the best head.
It doesn't flop around when trying to adjust (like a ball head does) but has a lot more movement than a level head.

I also find that level heads can be a bit of a pain to fine tune where as the anvil clamp is great for fine tuning, the locking lever makes is really quick and easy to change the tension which helps with fine tunning.

One of the 3 section RRS tripod with an anvil head is probably the most versatile setup with regards to tripods.
If you only shoot on flat ground then a 2 sections tripod is a good option, they're just not great on angled terrain.

 

[BradleyH]

Anvil is the best head.
It doesn't flop around when trying to adjust (like a ball head does) but has a lot more movement than a level head.

I also find that level heads can be a bit of a pain to fine tune where as the anvil clamp is great for fine tuning, the locking lever makes is really quick and easy to change the tension which helps with fine tunning.

One of the 3 section RRS tripod with an anvil head is probably the most versatile setup with regards to tripods.
If you only shoot on flat ground then a 2 sections tripod is a good option, they're just not great on angled terrain.

Can I put an Anvil on the vortex? I can’t seem to find anything regarding compatibility