Camera Ergonomics: Sunwayfoto GH-Pro 2 Plus Geared tripod head initial review 24 February 2025

Sunwayfoto GH-Pro 2 Plus as seen by the user standing behind the tripod

Geared tripod heads have been used by studio photographers for many years. But those studio heads are large, heavy, expensive and not really suitable for photography on the go.

Hence the popularity of compact three way heads and in recent years ball heads for landscape and location photography.

The problem with ball heads is that when we release the locking lever the camera is free to move about in any direction. This can make accurate composition frustrating especially with a long lens which magnifies the effect of small movements of the ball.

In addition both three way and ball heads are subject to the problem of droop/creep because we have to support the body/lens while making adjustments then release the unit after the head is locked. Invariably the framing settles to a new position so we have to guess the extent of this settling when making the initial adjustments.

The solution to these problems is a geared head which makes tilt, level and pan adjustments with the weight of the camera and lens already on the system so there is no framing shift after the adjustments are made.

Sunwayfoto in Guanzhou, China, has been selling their GH-Pro geared head for several years. The device has been through several iterations although the basic design appears to have remained largely unchanged.

I found several positive user reviews online which encouraged me to buy one. I ordered it from Amazon Australia mid morning and it was delivered on the same day in Sydney. The price is AUD390.

Initial impressions are positive. The device comes well packed in a bespoke box with cut-out foam padding. The main components are metal. All the movements feel smooth with no apparent free play.

Main specifications

Manfrotto/Benro style geared heads are larger than the Sunway, with the camera mounting plate off axis from the tripod center column. They also have de-clutch wheels which allow large movements to be made quickly. The Sunway locates the mounting plate directly over the center column which is potentially more stable and is certainly better for panning and panorama creation. The Sunway also dispenses with the de-clutch wheels in favour of flip-out winding handles on the tilt and level adjustment knobs. This allows the size, weight and complexity of the unit to be reduced.

The GH-Pro 2 (without the Plus) has an un-geared panning top plate. The [Plus] version as reviewed here has the GC-01 top module which allows free or geared panning. Both have an un-geared (free) bottom panning movement. We can pan with either the top or bottom module. If the bottom module is not level we can level up the top one using the tilt and level adjustments and the spirit level built in or the level gauge in the camera.

The side-to-side level has about +/- 45 degrees of movement. The tilt action offers about 100 degrees of movement. This can be used to tilt the camera forward or back with the camera mounted in landscape orientation or can be used to flip the camera over for portrait orientation. In that case the main side-to-side knob controls panning and the panning knob on the upper rotating module controls tilt.

A better way to manage portrait orientation is to use an L bracket on the camera instead of the standard mounting plate. This allows the camera to remain directly above the center column. From the Sunwayfoto shop on eBay the L bracket cost me AUD84.

Sunwayfoto L Bracket. This is the best way to secure the camera for portrait orientation. The Sunway L bracket has a flip out captive D ring for camera attachment. Attachment to the head is by Arca Swiss style clamp in either landscape or portrait orientation. All movements of the flippy screen are possible when the camera with L bracket is off the camera.

Camera connection is by an Arca-Swiss type clamp system which is very secure. Unfortunately the plate supplied does not have a captive D ring so attachment to the camera uses an Allen key. This works well enough but Allen keys are easy to lose and fiddly to use. I converted mine to a mini-driver by fixing plywood to the Allen key, as shown in the photo. This is easier to use and less likely to get lost.

Summary

The Sunwayfoto GH-Pro 2 Plus geared head is a welcome addition to the catalogue of tripod heads on the market. This one could be of particular interest to photographers on the go who would like to enjoy the benefits of a geared head but find traditional offerings too large, heavy and expensive or suffer from design limitations.