Beginner Help me choose a new tripod head please.

nbaker

nbaker

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Nigel
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Hi,

I have recently bought a MeFoto Globetrotter tripod which I really like but the ball head is not too my liking and does not hold my 80d & Sigma 150-600mm C lens steady.

Main uses will be wildlife and some landscape, budget of £300 but as always less is better :)

I am torn between getting a Gimbal such as the Benro GH-2 or Manfrotto 393 or a ball head such as the Vanguard BBH-300 or Manfrotto 486MGQ6 Hydrostatic and then maybe later on adding a Wimberley Sidekick.

Any suggestions greatly welcomed.

Nige.
 
Are you thinking of a head for just wildlife on the 150-600? The benro GH2 and manfrotto 393 are nice well built gimbal heads but are not really any good for landscapes due to their design for long lenses. They are both quite big and heavy. The bento GH2 is roughly 1500g whilst the manfrotto 393 is nearly 1800g. I've owned both over the years but the added weight was a pain as they weighed as much as my tripod!

If you are thinking of different heads for landscapes and wildlife are you happy to swap between the two or carry both? A few years back I wanted a head for both wildlife and landscapes, I decided on the smaller Uniqball as it does both jobs in one head. Due to upgrading my long lens earlier this year I upgraded to the larger uniqball for increased stability as I was over the designed load and it didn't feel as stable as it could be (I've since added a gitzo tripod due to the great price drops at WEX). Since doing this I haven't used the smaller uniqball or the benro GH2 I have, both are going to be for sale again as I now only have the need to use the one head. During the deer rut the uniqball was excellent, in a few weeks I'm off to the lake district and again the uniqball will be perfect for my needs.
 
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Many thanks for the reply.

I guess I really need one head for wildlife and landscapes so a ball sounds like the best bet for me, just so many to choose from :confused:
 
rob-nikon said:
A few years back I wanted a head for both wildlife and landscapes, I decided on the smaller Uniqball as it does both jobs in one head.
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest the UniqBall UBH35x... it's more than up to the task of the 80D/150-600 and it's right at your price limit (maybe Rob will give you a deal ;) )

There just aren't many (any) other ball heads I'd want to use for wildlife/action with long lenses.
 
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Sorry for being a killjoy, but I think no matter what head you get you will have stability problems with such a lightweight five section tripod.

If I were spending 300 quid this would be on my shopping list http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-gitzo-gt2542s-series-2-6x-systematic-tripod/p1529755

The Mefoto would be kept as a travel tripod and the remaining cash spent on a ball head from one of the far east manufacturers.
Something like the Sirui that was in the classifieds this week, maybe Sunwayfoto or Feisol, as you say loads to choose from.
Search on TP will throw up loads of ideas, would also suggest you use an Arca style q/r plate, pretty much the universal option
 
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OP. What happens when you mount the camera and lens? If you're using the camera body tripod point maybe you need instead to use a longer Area Swiss plate or a tripod foot on the lens in order to move the point of balance ?
 
I have the Mefoto Globetrotter too. In general much better engineered for the money than I expected, and a pretty good ball head. I have exactly the same problem with long heavy lenses. It's because the lens & camera combination is not being supported under its centre of gravity. I bought a long quick release plate so I could slide it backwards and balance the weight better. Not nearly as good as a gimbal head of course, but much lighter and cheaper. If your zoom changes length as it zooms that changes the centre of gravity and requires rebalancing. By no means a perfect solution, but for me it's turned an infuriating problem into one I can live with.
 
tijuana taxi said:
Sorry for being a killjoy, but I think no matter what head you get you will have stability problems with such a lightweight five section tripod.

If I were spending 300 quid this would be on my shopping list http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-gitzo-gt2542s-series-2-6x-systematic-tripod/p1529755

The Mefoto would be kept as a travel tripod and the remaining cash spent on a ball head from one of the far east manufacturers.
Something like the Sirui that was in the classifieds this week, maybe Sunwayfoto or Feisol, as you say loads to choose from.
Search on TP will throw up loads of ideas, would also suggest you use an Arca style q/r plate, pretty much the universal option
Click to expand...

I must admit I am very tempted by the Gitzo but then would have to sell the MeFoto to fund a suitable ball head, decisions decisions.

I am finding the MeFoto to be fairly stable the weakness is definitely the head but obviously the Gitzo would be much better.
 
JohnX said:
OP. What happens when you mount the camera and lens? If you're using the camera body tripod point maybe you need instead to use a longer Area Swiss plate or a tripod foot on the lens in order to move the point of balance ?
Click to expand...

I do mount the camera/lens using the lens foot but the head suffers from droop on lockout, maybe a larger plate would help.
 
chris malcolm said:
I have the Mefoto Globetrotter too. In general much better engineered for the money than I expected, and a pretty good ball head. I have exactly the same problem with long heavy lenses. It's because the lens & camera combination is not being supported under its centre of gravity. I bought a long quick release plate so I could slide it backwards and balance the weight better. Not nearly as good as a gimbal head of course, but much lighter and cheaper. If your zoom changes length as it zooms that changes the centre of gravity and requires rebalancing. By no means a perfect solution, but for me it's turned an infuriating problem into one I can live with.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris, which plate do you have?
 
nbaker said:
Thanks Chris, which plate do you have?
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It's actually the long Joby QR plate that lets you mount both the Joby tripod socket mounted camera sling strap, then put the camera on a tripod without having to remove the sling strap, plus it has a security strap for the paranoid, in case the sling strap mount unscrews itself. So it's more expensive than just a simple long qr plate, and not as long.

Haoge make inexpensive ones in a wide range of lengths. Check how long you would need to balance your camera plus zoom fully extended using the lens tripod foot. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Multi-purp...&qid=1477678911&sr=8-9&keywords=Long+qr+plate
 
nbaker said:
I do mount the camera/lens using the lens foot but the head suffers from droop on lockout, maybe a larger plate would help.
Click to expand...
A longer plate would help balance the lens better but if your problem is when the ballhead is fully locked up and it's still dropping forwards/backwards the plate will probably not change much unless the lens was level and pointing up or down.
 
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Went out for a few hours yesterday shooting Deer at a local National Trust park, I managed to lock the head OK (still using std size plate) but had trouble adjusting head quickly enough and kept twisting wrong knob :( Removed camera from tripod and shot hand held on several occasions.

Definitely need to find something quicker and easier to use as missed quite a few shots because I was fumbling around with the head, no chance of shooting birds at all.
 
I'm selling a ball head - it has 30kg load capacity and comes with a huge arca plate as a smaller one. Its very easy to adjust and very sturdy.
 
You might like to have a play with a pistol grip ball head. Squeeze the large "trigger" and the ball head is free to move in any direction. Release the grip and the ball head locks.
 
Well changed my mind about just getting a ball head to cover both wildlife & landscape and ended up buying British and got a Lensmaster Gimbal RH-1 which is great and I can't wait to try it out & about. :banana:

I will no doubt buy a sturdier tripod in the next couple of months to go with this but for now the MeFoto seems fine.
 
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