It’s not a fluid head, but the Berlebach 553 does have a spring tension “counterbalance”. I don’t think it has a fancy counterbalance like some $2k video heads, but it does prevent flop.
Smooth. Locks totally off vs. some fluid heads. Made in Germany and I ordered it off their website (christ the euro is below the dollar now??? Whooooo!!). I own one and use it with a RRS leveling head.
SH tripod guru
@Diver160651 recommends them.
Berlebach 2-Way-Head Mod. 553: This is our 2-way tilt head which allows swivels in the horizontal and vertical axis. Both axes are individua [...]
www.berlebach.de
The Oudoorsmans fluid head seems to have a good rep. But no counterbalance or spring tension to prevent flopping, so you might have to have a long Arca plate to achieve balance. Rokslide
has a review that indicates it doesn’t fully lock off either.
For years, our customers have been asking us about producing a larger version of our existing Pan Head that can tackle the big jobs of the glassing and shooting world. Once again, the masterminds at Rim Country Manufacturing have knocked it out of the park. The Fluid Head offers a...
outdoorsmans.com
Remember, you tend to get what you pay for.
On the issue of “fully locked off“ or not I’m a little confused. I come from a photography background so I want my tripod heads to completely lock off. However, it seems like lots of fluid heads for video work do NOT fully lock off. The ones that do are $1.5k+ dollars.
I’m guessing here, but I imagine it’s because video work often prioritizes panning and tilting versus static shots. It seems like a lot of these fluid heads without a lock off will stay in the same spot after you let them go, but I don’t really know. Might only stay in the same spot if your scope is pointing level. It may sag/creep if it’s angled down. Something to think about.