FLM ballheads

JonathanRyan

JonathanRyan

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Anybody use one?

Speedgraphic are quoting some amazing strength:weight stats for them and prices look OK.

Any views?
 
If you're going to use much of that load capacity, I'd hold out for a quick-release version if I were you!

(better grip of the camera / lens)
 
Ah but I can just loctite an arca plate to it ;)

(or lactate an area plate as my spellchecker wants to say)
 
I wouldn't put that much faith in Loctite!
You could weld it... :shake:

Besides a lot of that top surface is cork.

They do seem to do QR versions, just not at Speedgraphic yet.

FYI: I use Acratech heads. They work fine with 10lbs of camera & lens at odd angles.
 
Stoptime said:
I wouldn't put that much faith in Loctite!
You could weld it... :shake:
Click to expand...

It's what they recommend. As I understand it, the screw holds the QR to the cork. The loctite stops the screw turning. That's a much smaller force that stopping the plate moving.

Acratech.....yeah they are nice. And should be for £309. I'll bet my Arca could give them a run for their money. But it seems a bit bulky and heavy for some spindly carbon legs. FLCB24 weighs 154 grams but is supposed to hold 15 kilos.
 
OK....I didn't wait long.

32FB arrived here today along with a QRB-40.

First things first.....the QRB-40 is a beautifully engineered quick release and works wonderfully with a genuine Arca plate I have. However, it doesn't work with a Kirk BL-D3 (that's their L bracket for the D3 series). It probably doesn't work with any Kirk L plate.

I phoned SpeedGraphic and they said that they had heard of a few issues with L brackets and not all Arca compatible are really that compatible. Of course they will give me a refund.

Head is very nice indeed. I'd certainly recommend it (based on an afternoon's fiddling) as a very good value ballhead. Later tests will tell if it's a great head for the money.

BTW the cork plate removes so I'll put a Kirk QR mount on there and glue it down.

BTW2 UHU Endfast seems a perfect solution to rotating QR plates. 2 part epoxy with terrific holding strength BUT it will loosen at 100 C. So you can undo it with boiling water or an oven.

BTW3 slightly techie but very good article on ballhead weight limits.... http://www.ninjamonkeysquad.com/ballhead.html
 
'k. So I don't shoot any really big glass but one of my cameras + portrait lens tips the scales at 3 kilos. Full size tripod, head and plate weigh almost exactly half that.

Just hung that on the ballhead at 45 degrees for 3 hours without tightening the lock (it was in push to move mode). That was the most extreme real world test I could think of. Didn't move at all.

I'm happy.
 
Cool :)!

I was looking for a very lightweight ballhead recently (for a travel tripod, to be used mainly with just a 35mm SLR and short prime lenses) and stumbled across the FLM CB-18. At about 50 Euros, it was a tad too pricey for my needs, but the engineering and weight capacity looked very impressive.

I couldn't find much info on them at the time, but it's good to know that we have a satisfied customer right here on TP (albeit of a different model of ballhead ;)).
 
Interesting.

It would seem that the nice people at Speedgraphic have some excellent prices on FLMs. The CB-18 is £18 (€21). Even with delivery it's still half the price you found. Kind of funny since they are made in Germany....

I also noticed some US sites charging almost twice as much as Speedgraphic.

See the link I posted above - I bet that head would hold a 2 kilo camera very securely.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Interesting.

It would seem that the nice people at Speedgraphic have some excellent prices on FLMs. The CB-18 is £18 (€21). Even with delivery it's still half the price you found. Kind of funny since they are made in Germany....

I also noticed some US sites charging almost twice as much as Speedgraphic.

See the link I posted above - I bet that head would hold a 2 kilo camera very securely.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is weird that I often find myself shopping in the UK for German goods :D. In the end, I picked up a cool little Giottos ballhead (MH 1003) which does the job very well - it was only 18 Euros.

Will keep Speedgraphic in mind for any future purchases though :thumbs:.
 
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