Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head Review

 

INTRO:

In this Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head Review I am going to share my personal experience using this amazing piece of gear from Sunwayfoto.

As most of you probably already know, I am an Astro-Landscape photographer. Two years in a row i have been choosen as Milky Way Photographer of the Year and have won many of astro competition till today. 

My special and best known area of Astrophotography, where i also enjoy the most, are huge panoramas,  which at the end reach enormous sizes up to 1Gpx ( 1000mpx ).

Maybe you are asking yourself what setup i am using for my big tracked panoramas? Just read till the end of this review and you will know a bit more what the function of the Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head is  in my pano setup.

For the successful creation of a big tracked panoramas knowledge and understanding is not enough. We also need a good equipment, which will ensure that several hours of night photography will go smoothly and without errors.

I’ve changed a lot of gear in my 3 years of photographing the night sky. I have never been completely satisfied with certain product, especially not with leveling bases. I have been using all from V plates, Z plates from MSM, Andoer Tilt head, Sirui L-20s panorama head but none of them were perfect.

Right now, with the help of Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head i can say that my setup for tracked panoramas is almost perfect.

This versatile, lightweight, and solid tilt head will open up new possibilities for your creative potential.

After using this tilt head for a few months and having all the experience that i needed for a honest review i am going to tell you all the specs, how the tilt head works and behaves in the field, all the pros, all the cons, show you short video of my current setup ( February 2023 ) and my final recommendation.

 

 

WHAT IS IN THE BOX:

SPECIFICATIONS:

I also tried using it as tracker wedge under my Fornax Lightrack 2i, and i have to say that is working very good. At least until you do not need to use some longer focal length ( 85mm+ ), where accurate polar alignment is essential for good tracking. 

The Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head is equipped with Arca standard dovetail lever-release clamp for swift locking lever-release clamp. With adjustable clamping width, it works with QR plates of different widths.

The original clamp has very convenient design, because you can use your camera in portrait or landscape orientation with all inputs accessible ( Nikon Z6 ). This means that you don’t have to worry about how to insert the cables into the camera even in portrait orientation.

And even better thing is that the clamp on top of the head is replaceable! The mounting hole at the base of the head is Arca standard so it can be replaced with another clamp.

Now, this is where the magic happens. I replaced the original clamp with Nodal Ninja Advanced Rotator Panning Clamp PCD5 which makes the setup for tracked sky panoramas even better.

Instead of using another pano rotator above the original clamp, i can simply replace original one with precise indexing rotator with click stops: 5°,10°,12°, 24°, 30° and save some weight and minimize the high of the gear above the tracker + I do not  need to use the headlamp to be able to see degrees for horizontal orientation. All i need to do it is to pre-set click stops based on which focal length i will use. 

The tilt head is equipped with dual elongated lock-knobs on both sides which provide very high locking strength and high stability, ensure the head is well balanced on both sides and extend its longevity.

You can lock the head either on one side or both sides which makes it easy to operate. I have been using this head for few months, every time i did go out shooting night sky, and till today the head looks and feels like it would be new. Nothing did change, nothing came loose. I have a feeling that it will serve me for a very long time.

Base screw hole is the size: UNC 3/8″ which goes perfectly together with most of the tripods on the market without using an additional adapter. 

 

 

FUNCTIONALITY:

As I already mentioned in the review, the usefulness of tilt head is amazing. 

With a high payload capacity, and very good and precise workmanship it can also be used by bird photographers, landscape photographers, for making bigf panoramas, or in my case, astrophotographers can use it as leveling base above the tracker, maybe even as wedge for tracking devices or even tilt head for vertical movements which are needed for creating big panoramas.

Actually with few extra accessories it could replace the classic ballhead. And with the price tag 89.95$ makes it even more accessible to everyone.

You can use my referral link to purchase Sunwayfoto equipment and get additional 5% discount on all products with my coupon code: UROSFINK

REFERRAL LINK: https://sunwayfoto-store.com/?ref=urosfink
CUOPON CODE FOR 5% DISCOUNT: UROSFINK

 

 

PROS AND CONS:

Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head pros:

• made all of metal  + aeorspace grade aluminium
• lightweight 360g
• high load capacity 15kg
• very solid 
• two locking knobs for even higher stability and locking strength
• replaceable clamp
• 360 degree rotatable horizontally
• good price

Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head cons:

• i would love to see screw knob instead of clamping lever

 

 

CONCLUSION:

My experience with the Sunwayfoto DT-03 Tilt Head is amazing. I’ve been using it for the last few months in all kind of different conditions during my night time expeditions. At high temperatures with +30degrees, in the water, high on the mountains, on rocks, soil, on snow, in the low temperatures -10degrees and it worked like a charm, performing very good in even the toughest conditions. I did not have neither one problem with it till today. It can carry my gear with easy, its super solid and sturdy, i was impressed how light it is and with big payloads its a double win for me!

I can put it anywhere in my Shimoda x70 backpack, and with the included case, you ensure that the equipment does not get scratched while carrying it around.

The Sunwayfoto is a fast growing company about which we will definitely hear a lot more in the future. 

Wish you all clear sky and stay safe!

Uroš Fink Photography