Ulanzi U-190 Mini Video Fluid Head
Ulanzi U-190 mini fluid head is the smallest portable video fluid head for mirrorless cameras. It is 8 cm tall, weighs 353 grams, and has a maximum load capacity of 10 kg, with both 1/4'' 20 and 3/8'' 16 threads on its base for connecting to tripods or other rigs equipment.
I have connected it (Ulanzi U-190) video head to the Manfrotto PIXI EVO 2-Section Mini Tripod MTPIXIEVO-BK.
I used this video fluid head with the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III and the E-M1X cameras.
Height: 8 cm
Bottom base circle diameter: 4 cm
Top plate (quick release plate): 3.2 cm
Detachable handle: 20 cm
Weight: 353 g
Load capacity: 10 kg
Arca swiss compatible quick release plate: 1/4" 20 screw
Base bottom thread: 1/4'' 20 and 3/8'' 16 thread
Allen key hexagonal wrench that fits into the fluid head in a magnetic slot so it slots into place easily.
Panning: 360 degrees
Panning knob for adjusting friction tension.
Forward tilt (pitch shift): 90 degrees
Backward tilt (pitch shift): -80 degrees
Detachable handle: adjustable handle grip angle as well as upward or downward direction of the handle.
Material: Aluminium alloy
Model: U-190
Brand: Ulanzi
====== Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 Unboxing
03:35 Review weight capacity max
03:52 Release plate
04:57 Allen key wrench
05:28 Tilt / pitch shift
06:16 Handle
06:50 Base / bottom
07:48 Panning
08:30 Heavy setup
09:00 SmallRig 3457 comparison
09:37 My thoughts
10:28 Demo E-M1X
11:05 Demo E-M5 III
12:29 Close-up demo
====== Specs details for Ulanzi U-190
It weighs 353 grams, and has a maximum load capacity of 10 kg.
It is 8 cm tall.
The bottom base diameter is 4 cm,
and the top plate is 3.2 cm.
The quick release plate is arca swiss compatible and has a small edge at the back which can help reduce camera shake when tilting the camera upwards using the fluid head
The quick release plate has a ¼” 20 screw that can be tightened using the supplied Allen key wrench or even a coin.
The quick release plate has two small screws on the bottom which stops the camera from falling forward or backward if the plate isn’t fully tightened.
The fluid head can tilt from -80 degrees to +90 degrees so 90 degrees forward and 80 degrees backward.
360 degree panning is supported on the fluid head.
It has a detachable handle which is 20 cm long.
The handle grip angle can be adjusted as well as the upward or downward direction of the handle grip.
A hexagonal wrench also known as allen key is provided with the fluid head which fits into a magnetic slot on the fluid head. So it is easy to place it there and ensures you also have it with the fluid head.
The bottom base diameter is 4 cm and has a 3/8" 16 thread as well as a converter for a 1/4" 20 thread. So you can mount this fluid head on tripods or other peripherals with either of these screw sizes.
The fluid head is made from Aluminium alloy and it has a high build quality feel to it.
The tension of the panning movement of the fluid head can be adjusted but there is very little room for adjustment and in my experience it cannot be made loose enough to be used effectively with a light camera and lens combination below 1 kg. So I tried it with a heavier camera and lens of about 1.5 kg but the results were the same. The tension cannot be made loose enough for video recording using a light camera setup.
So the result is that it is not possible to get a smooth panning motion.
The reason I bought this fluid head was to use it for video recording with a mirror-less camera and lens that would typically weigh between 1 kg and 2 kg. So for this purpose, it doesn’t meet my requirements. However it might still be good for photography.
I also considered buying the Small Rig 3457 fluid head however online reviews indicated that it has the same problem of panning motion not being smooth and loose enough.
Also, the SmallRig 3457 is larger, heavier, has less backward tilt capability and has a lower maximum payload capacity, as well as being more expensive.
It does have some other interesting features however such as:
A telescopic handle,
A levelling guide,
Two panning rotation sections,
A 1/4" 20 thread on the side for mounting another accessory such as a microphone or a small light.
Nevertheless it appears that both the Ulanzi U-190 and the SmallRig 3457 fluid head are not fit for purpose despite their small size, and there are a lot of online reviews to that effect about these fluid heads.
If these fluid heads are made for smaller setups then they should be able to provide a smooth motion for lighter loads even if it means that their maximum payload size will be reduced as opposed to creating products that neither caters good enough to the heavier cameras nor the lighter cameras.
I hope future iterations of these products will provide a smoother motion with light cameras as I would like to carry and use a small fluid head.
For more videos about video fluid heads see:
• Video Fluid Heads
