A tripod complaint is often not about the tripod at all. The head was chosen for the camera body, and then the customer added a lens, a monitor, a battery and a wireless receiver. A head that was fine at 3kg is fighting them at 7kg.
Three numbers sort this out before the sale. Here is how we work through them with dealers.
1. Weigh the whole build, not the camera
Payload is everything that sits on the plate: body, lens, cage, monitor, battery, mic, receiver, matte box. Ask the customer what the camera looks like on a working day. Then leave headroom. If the build weighs 6kg, a 6kg head is at its limit from day one.
In the E-Image range that looks like the EH610 at 3kg for a small mirrorless setup, the GH06 at 6kg for a rigged mirrorless or small cinema camera, the GH10 at 10kg for a shoulder-mount camera, and the GH25 at 28kg once you get into studio lenses and prompters.
2. Bowl size follows payload
The bowl is the cup the head sits in on the legs, and it sets how much weight the legs are built for. As a working rule: 65mm for light kits, 75mm for most video work, 100mm for broadcast cameras, and 150mm or a Mitchell base for heavy studio and cinema builds.
It matters at the counter because heads and legs have to match. A customer who buys a 75mm head now and a heavier camera later will need new legs too. If they are likely to grow, it is worth saying so.
3. Counterbalance is what makes it feel right
Counterbalance is the spring that holds the camera where you leave it when you tilt. Too little and the camera drops forward. Too much and it springs back. More steps means a closer match to the actual weight.
Entry heads have a fixed setting. The GH06 has five steps, the GH10 seven, the GH25 fifteen. The Motus MH32 has continuous counterbalance from 0 to 32kg, which suits rental houses: one head covers almost any camera that comes through the door.
The quick version
Weigh the full build, add headroom, pick the bowl size that suits where the customer is going, and get as many counterbalance steps as the budget allows. If you are speccing for a studio or a project, send us the camera and lens list and we will match the head, legs or pedestal for you.