Ball head recommendations, please

nigpd

nigpd

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Nigel
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Hi All

I'm off to Iceland at the end of August for hopefully, 12 days of photography heaven

I currently use a Gitzo GT3541LS and Manfrotto 405 geared head for landscapes, but do not want to take this bulky and heavy head with me while I'm driving and hiking around the island.

I'm looking for an alternative ball head to take, that will at most, need to support my Canon 5DIII and 70-200 f2.8.

I understand that it can be pretty windy in Iceland at any time of year, so need a head that will do the job and keep things nice and steady.

What would you guys suggest? Thanks in advance for your help
 
I have a manfrotto 496RC2 and it comes with a MS050M4-Q2 l bracket and are up for sale ...IMG_1527089449.205640.jpg
 
I have a 410 for sale in the accessories section.
Weighs about 25% less than the 405.
 
I loved my 410..... best head I’ve ever had
 
Personally I'd take the gitzo, it is not that heavy, and will go down to ground level. Also it's stable and you are used to it. Folds reasonably small for your suitcase and also goes quite high. There are lighter tripods but as you said Iceland is windy and they won't work.

But swap the 1.6kg 405 out for a Sirui k-20x at 0.4kg. I know people like geared heads for landscape but I much prefer a ball head personally and don't think it will take much getting used to. Superb but of kit and less than a £100.
 
nigpd said:
Thanks for the recommendation, Richard. I quite like the look of the Arca Swiss. A change from the normal ball head design, and quite light too at 400g. That with the Quickset Fliplock and a Kirk L bracket on the 5DIII is looking a good solution
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(y) It's a little gem of a thing, but I'm not alone in disliking Arca-Swiss clamps, so I'd get it without a clamp https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/suppo...and-socket-p0-with-1-4-3-8-threaded-disk.html

I've removed the original clamp (not easy) and replaced it with this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N5HHRO2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Despite being only £12 and a fraction of the original, I much prefer it. It also has a double-speed thread on the locking knob which is nice :)
 
simonbarker said:
Another option are the RRS copies:

https://www.novo-photo.com/novo-lgh-30-ball-head.html
https://www.novo-photo.com/novo-lgh-40-ball-head.html
https://www.novo-photo.com/novo-lgh-55-ball-head.html
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They certainly look the part, but I've tested the big Novo 55 (branded as LeoFoto) and it was not a good experience at all. You really had to crank the locking knob very hard and that actually got quite painful pretty soon.

It may look like a RRS head, but it certainly doesn't work like one.
 
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johnf3f said:
Haven't seen those heads before - they look very tempting! Have you tried any of them? I would be interested in your thoughts.

Sensible prices too!
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I have and they've worked well for me but the big caveat is, I've only used them with light loads.

HoppyUK said:
They certainly look the part, but I've tested the big Novo 55 (branded as LeoFoto) and it was not a good experience at all. You really had to crank the locking knob very hard and that actually got quite painful pretty soon.

It may look like a RRS head, but it certainly doesn't work like one.
Click to expand...

Disappointing to hear, I didn't bother with the Novo 55 as I got rid of a RRS BH-55 years as ago as it was overkill for my needs, did you have problems with the smaller heads too?
 
simonbarker said:
I have and they've worked well for me but the big caveat is, I've only used them with light loads.

Disappointing to hear, I didn't bother with the Novo 55 as I got rid of a RRS BH-55 years as ago as it was overkill for my needs, did you have problems with the smaller heads too?
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I've only tried the 55 and was seriously disappointed, but I should say again that it was branded LeoFoto and was over a year ago. I'm pretty sure the Novo 55 is the same thing, but it might not be or they may have made some changes since (as I suggested to the importer). Something as simple as changing the thread pitch of the main locking knob could transform it. Maybe.
 
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HoppyUK said:
I've only tried the 55 and was seriously disappointed, but I should say again that it was branded LeoFoto and was over a year ago. I'm pretty sure the Novo 55 is the same thing, but it might not be or they may have made some changes since (as I suggested to the importer). Something as simple as changing the thread pitch of the main locking knob could transform it. Maybe.
Click to expand...

You're making me want to test it now... nope nope nope I already can't deal with my work load.

I'll err on the side of caution and assume you're correct, I've seen several different brands with the same design with the only obvious differences being the brand name and the types of knobs they're using. I would have thought the LGH 40 model shouldn't have a problem with a 70-200mm but the heaviest lens I have is half its weight so can't really test it for the ops intended setup.
 
Sounds like a try before you buy?

As I said they certainly look the part but not having tried one I cannot offer an opinion.

Pity the Triopo RS3 does not seem to be available anymore as it will hold anything Canon/Nikon currently make (though you need to add a QR clamp). I don't know why they stopped making this little head - too good perhaps?
 
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johnf3f said:
Sounds like a try before you buy?

As I said they certainly look the part but not having tried one I cannot offer an opinion.

Pity the Triopo RS3 does not seem to be available anymore as it will hold anything Canon/Nikon currently make (though you need to add a QR clamp). I don't know why they stopped making this little head - too good perhaps?
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I know of one really good tripod head that was dropped because it was too expensive to manufacture, ie not sufficiently profitable for the price band it had to compete in. So it was replaced with a 'new, improved' version which was actually cheaper to make and more profitable, but not quite so good.

This happens more than we might like to think and manufacturers can get away with it because the opportunity to actually handle stuff before we buy has pretty much disappeared these days and we're left with YouTube reviews by bloggers who are primarily interested in generating hits and earning a few quid and are very often not qualified to comment anyway.

Oops, bit of a rant developing there... :D
 
I use a markins Q3i with quick release which is best price, size and performance ratio I could find at the time.
 
Peter123 said:
These may help

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/battle-of-the-titans-top-ball-heads-tested

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/mid-sized-ball-heads-tested
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Good and thorough comparison tests are hard to come by, but there's a couple there. I disagree with some of the conclusions but that's because of the tester's priorities - he's picked up on some performance shortcomings but doesn't seem to think they're significant. The information is there though.

The German website Traumflieger also has a lot of good test data:
https://www.traumflieger.de/reports...id=ffb9f36600e889566e56e9c9ab7609e1#rangliste
 
nigpd said:
Thanks for the recommendation, Richard. I quite like the look of the Arca Swiss. A change from the normal ball head design, and quite light too at 400g. That with the Quickset Fliplock and a Kirk L bracket on the 5DIII is looking a good solution
Click to expand...

HoppyUK said:
(y) It's a little gem of a thing, but I'm not alone in disliking Arca-Swiss clamps, so I'd get it without a clamp https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/suppo...and-socket-p0-with-1-4-3-8-threaded-disk.html

I've removed the original clamp (not easy) and replaced it with this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N5HHRO2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Despite being only £12 and a fraction of the original, I much prefer it. It also has a double-speed thread on the locking knob which is nice :)
Click to expand...

Which version of the Arca-Swiss clamp did you start with? I've seen the Quickset Classic recommended over the Fliplock, especially for third party plates like Kirk, which might have a slightly different width to Arca's own. The Fliplock is adjustable, but this can apparently become a pain if you have more than one third party plate with slightly different dimensions. The Classic is a screw clamp like the one you link to that can easily handle any Arca-style plate (though it's a double decker design that's also compatible with Arca's smaller plate system).
 
Retune said:
Which version of the Arca-Swiss clamp did you start with? I've seen the Quickset Classic recommended over the Fliplock, especially for third party plates like Kirk, which might have a slightly different width to Arca's own. The Fliplock is adjustable, but this can apparently become a pain if you have more than one third party plate with slightly different dimensions. The Classic is a screw clamp like the one you link to that can easily handle any Arca-style plate (though it's a double decker design that's also compatible with Arca's smaller plate system).
Click to expand...

On my Arca-Swiss P0 I originally had the standard screw-locking Quickset Classic that seems to be commonly disliked. The double-decker feature sometimes gets in the way and the screw thread is too fine and a bit stiff without much grip on the knob. And it's heavy.

I've tried a few lever-lock clamps and don't like any of them. Some are better than others but (apart from the different size plates issue that can be worked around, at least in theory and at some cost) because you often need two hands to prevent the tripod moving and, for me, I just don't see the upside of making something so simple unnecessarily complicated.
 
sk66 said:
Looks like the same clamp I used on mine... I spaced it off a little with a fender washer so the knob clears the panning lock lever.
Click to expand...

Haha yes, forgot to mention that minor detail :D

My solution was to take a grinder to the locking knob and trim it down for clearance, then fit a nice little rubber grip I pinched off something else. But yes, that needs sorting :)
 
You must have really hated the Classic clamp to go to that trouble! I'm a bit surprised, as this version has been well-reviewed elsewhere, though others have commented on the unnecessary complexity of the double decker arrangement - I can't imagine many people use the smaller plates anyway, unless they're stuck with the MonoballFix version that doesn't take standard plates at all.

I actually have the generic DM-55 clamp you mention (for a tabletop tripod). It's one of those things that, superficially at least, seems too good for the price. The spirit levels won't win any awards, and I wonder how long the spring that creaks when it's tightened will last, but otherwise the clamp looks solidly engineered.
 
Retune said:
You must have really hated the Classic clamp to go to that trouble! I'm a bit surprised, as this version has been well-reviewed elsewhere, though others have commented on the unnecessary complexity of the double decker arrangement - I can't imagine many people use the smaller plates anyway, unless they're stuck with the MonoballFix version that doesn't take standard plates at all.

I actually have the generic DM-55 clamp you mention (for a tabletop tripod). It's one of those things that, superficially at least, seems too good for the price. The spirit levels won't win any awards, and I wonder how long the spring that creaks when it's tightened will last, but otherwise the clamp looks solidly engineered.
Click to expand...

Yes and no. The standard Arca-Swiss clamp actually works well enough, but I knew it could be a lot better, and quite cheaply/easily. The tricky bit was removing the original clamp, which Arca-Swiss don't want users changing, so it's secured with the highest grade Loctite and needs a fair amount of heat (ie blow-torch) to loosen. So I googled that to death, took a deep breath, and set about it. In the end, it came off like a charm but you do need a bit of knowledge and confidence, and be happy to throw away the warranty ;)
 
Dave Semmens said:
Another vote for the ArcaSwiss P0 - I bought mine without the clamp and fitted a cheap one that is virtually identical to the one HoppyUK posted a link to above.

Used it for a few years without issue and love it.
Click to expand...

(y)

Arca-Swiss P0 is also the best head I've used on a monopod with long lenses, mainly because of the way you can hold it and adjust it so easily while simultaneously supporting the lens.
 
I have had my Manfrotto Pan and Tilt head since forever. Sure I need to adjust each axle one at a time but it is SOLID and there is no plastic parts and every time I thought "hmmmmm I should upgrade to a nice ball head" I think hard and can't find a good reason to do so.
 
HoppyUK said:
(y)

Arca-Swiss P0 is also the best head I've used on a monopod with long lenses, mainly because of the way you can hold it and adjust it so easily while simultaneously supporting the lens.
Click to expand...
I much prefer a simple tilt head (Sirui L10) on a monopod over any ballhead...

The only time I ever use a ballhead with a monopod is when using shorter lenses and I want the ability to quickly flop the camera into landscape orientation (it's mounted in portrait with an L-bracket). But that scenario is very different and the monopod is really for supporting the lighting (BD on a Manfrotto 396-3) and making everything manageable together.
 
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sk66 said:
I much prefer a simple tilt head (Sirui L10) on a monopod over any ballhead...

The only time I ever use a ballhead with a monopod is when using shorter lenses and I want the ability to quickly flop the camera into landscape orientation (it's mounted in portrait with an L-bracket). But that scenario is very different and the monopod is really for supporting the lighting (BD on a Manfrotto 396-3) and making everything manageable together.
Click to expand...

Very much a case of horses for courses I guess, but I've never got on with monopod heads. I see no advantage over a good ball head yet they're restricted to just one tilt plane, and as soon as you want to pan in any other direction than dead flat, BIFing for example, the camera is forced on the skew. There are workarounds, like loosening the lens collar for rotation there, but that just seems like an awkward compromise to me :)
 
HoppyUK said:
Very much a case of horses for courses I guess, but I've never got on with monopod heads. I see no advantage over a good ball head yet they're restricted to just one tilt plane, and as soon as you want to pan in any other direction than dead flat, BIFing for example, the camera is forced on the skew. There are workarounds, like loosening the lens collar for rotation there, but that just seems like an awkward compromise to me :)
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Probably depends on what the setup is... most of my long lens/camera combinations weigh in the 4-7kg range. With that kind of weight it is very hard to control the camera on a ballhead that is loosened enough to allow reasonable freedom of movement... it winds up flopping over to some extent very quickly.
 
sk66 said:
Probably depends on what the setup is... most of my long lens/camera combinations weigh in the 4-7kg range. With that kind of weight it is very hard to control the camera on a ballhead that is loosened enough to allow reasonable freedom of movement... it winds up flopping over to some extent very quickly.
Click to expand...

I guess that's with your 400/2.8 plus pro-camera and flash etc - monster weight. Those big and expensive primes are something else.

The heaviest I've spent any meaningful time with is the Sigma 150-600 Sport, still one of the heaviest long lenses, even longer than a 400/2,.8 at full stretch and front-heavy too, but a mere 2.9kg plus camera. I find the body of the Arca-Swiss P0 acts like a handle, at least the way I use it, and is particularly good at preventing the lens from flopping to either side. But the more I learn about serious long-lens photography, it seems we all have different ways of going about it - and none of them is easy ;)
 
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