Photography News Issue 41

Photography News | Issue 41 | absolutephoto.com

53 First tests

SevenoakSK-EBH01 Propanoball head £65

Specs

Price

£65

Type Motorised panoramic head Run time 6hrs Max load 2kg Bubble level No Quick-release plate No Panoramic rotation 360° Powerpack Rechargeable via USB socket Height 66mm Weight 600g Contact kenro.co.uk

Most DSLRs, CSCs and creative compact cameras now have modes that create time-lapse movies; videos where a long passage of time is compressed into a short period. Time-lapses can be created by shooting a sequence of separate photos that you then process into a movie later, or via a ready made video file straight from the camera, and they usually rely on keeping the camera position steady throughout the length of the capture. You can do this using a regular tripod head, but time-lapse enthusiasts like to add some interest by moving the camera slightly between exposures. You can use sliders to move the camera through the scene as you shoot, or rotating heads to pan from a locked position. The Sevenoak SK-EBH01 Pro electronic ball head fits into the latter category. It’s a stubby little unit, much like a sawn-off tree, as its name hints. On top is a wide plate with a grippy rubber surface and a 1/4in connector. This will screw straight into the tripod thread of your camera, but for more control you can either mount another head on top of the unit, or fit an additional head between it and your tripod. As loading weight is a concern (the SK-EBH01 only claims a 2kg loading capacity, and this falls to 1.5kg when the it’s used vertically or upside down) you’ll need a fairly light head and camera, or a head that’s strong enough to support the pano unit (which weighs 600g itself) in addition to your camera and lens. The product information makes it quite clear that the SK-EBH01 is designed for “smartphones, action cams and lightweight DSLRs/CSCs”, so I tested it with a Panasonic GX800 and 12-32mm lens, mounted on

an Induro BHD0 ball-head with a combined weight of about 750g. The unit is easy to operate. Aside from the on/off switch there are only three buttons: Duration, Start/Stop and R.T (rotating time). Pressing R.T cycles a red LED through the time the head will turn, with 5, 15, 30 and 60 minute options. Duration sets the amount of turn; a green LED shows which of the 15º, 30º, 45º, 60º, 90º, 180º and 360º options is active. It might have been better called Angle or Degree, but you get used to it. Pressing Start/Stop activates the turn with the red LED in question flashing to show the unit is turning. Pressing Duration and R.T together changes the direction of the turn. The unit doesn’t remember settings when it’s turned off and on again, but it takes seconds to re-apply them. I found reading the LEDs in low light tricky. The lights are bright, meaning it’s difficult to see the markings next to them, so a torch is required (or a good memory); it’d better if the numbers themselves lit up. The flashing Start/Stop light could also be a problem in terms of attracting attention, but I just covered it up with some black tape. A greater level of control would be appreciated and an hour’s time- lapse is scant if you’re planning a night shoot of rotating heavens. There are enough combinations here to be serviceable though, and you can manually stop or restart it when the full time or distance has been reached. This does mean touching the unit, which you wouldn’t normally want to do, but so long as it’s outside an exposure and with a gentle hand, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. There’s no lag or countdown between pressing Start/Stop and the

unit responding, so you need to factor this into your calculations; ie, using the camera’s self-timer, so that it starts after you start the unit turning to avoid shake. Motion was very smooth throughout my testing, and created a lovely panning effect; it’s the kind of thing thatmakes you feel like shooting more time-lapse video. It was also very accurate, in terms of the time elapsed throughout the turn, which makes planning the number of shots a lot easier. It’s very quiet, too. I also tried it overloaded with my D800 and 16-35mm f/4 (2.45kg with the head), and it kept performing, with only a slight drop in speed (a 5min, 360º rotation took two seconds longer). Not bad, but expect it to be thirstier on the battery with the extra strain on the motor. It’s claimed to run for up to six hours with a 1kg payload, and this was borne out in testing, so unless you’re making lots of time-lapses at maximum duration, you should get through a fair few sequences. When battery life is low, the LEDs flash and charging is via a USB lead, so you’ll need a suitable car charger or powerpack, if you want to charge it up on location. The unit kept running when charging though, so if you need extended shooting it will deliver. KS

Motion was very smooth throughout my testing, and created a lovely panning effect”

Verdict

An easy-to-use piece of kit that’ll put a spring in the step of your time-lapse shots. Build quality is good and it’s well priced, even for sporadic use. Pros Easy to use, well built, good results, decent battery life Cons Lowish maximum payload, some difficulty reading settings, no bubble level, 1hr maximum time

Top Although the SK-EBH01 has a relatively low payload limit of 2kg, you can add a head and a light DSLR or CSC. To maximise weight, the tripod head can be swapped to under the unit. Left Layout is simple, with successive presses of the R.T or Duration button used to set the amount and the rate of turn.