Quality ball heads

markyboy.1967

markyboy.1967

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Mark Molloy
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Im going to be thinking about getting a new ball head for my tripod. It will be mainly used for landscape stuff. I'm thinking along the lines of RRS, Markins etc etc so a good quality head and one which could hold a decent weight would also be handy as well for other lenses I have. Thanks.
 
Nothing to add Mark but shall watch with interest as my clip failed on my manfrotto again and I have a bill for £300 to pay for the camera repair. I shall replace it with probably a RRS.
 
What kind of landscape stuff? What other uses?
For the price, the Arca Swiss P0 is a very nice head that also has a built in leveling base function. I use the UniqBall UBH-35/45 which I think are great do-it-all heads, but it's biggest weakness (IMO) is for stitching pano landscapes. And if you are really wanting more of just a traditional ballhead you might not like them. I really like Acratech GP heads, but they shift a bit on lockup so maybe not suitable for critical work.

Hopefully Hoppy will chime in, I know he's done a lot of testing of various heads... or PM him.
 
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I could write a lot about this, and I've used most of the good ones (through my work, though notably, not RRS, or UniqBall) but to keep it brief I'll just mention the ones that are outstanding in one way or another.

Arca-Swiss P0 (actually the ball head I use).
Arca-Swiss Z1
Arca-Swiss D4 and D4m
Acratech
Manfrotto 468 Hydrostatic
Feisol CB-40D
Sunwayfoto DB44
Markins Q3t
 
I have an RRS BH-55 that I bought probably 7 years ago. I find it difficult to get the 'drag' set on it so that I can smoothly re-position the camera - there always seems to be too little or too much stiction. By comparison I have a Markins head that is a delight to use. I've also had trouble with the QR clamp on the RRS tripod head which resulted in it not clamping a lens or camera plate with sufficient force to stop it moving.

Given the price of RRS I'd expect perfection but don't feel it delivers.
 
HoppyUK said:
I could write a lot about this, and I've used most of the good ones (through my work, though notably, not RRS, or UniqBall) but to keep it brief I'll just mention the ones that are outstanding in one way or another.

Arca-Swiss P0 (actually the ball head I use).
Arca-Swiss Z1
Arca-Swiss D4 and D4m
Acratech
Manfrotto 468 Hydrostatic
Feisol CB-40D
Sunwayfoto DB44
Markins Q3t
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Richard do you have a preference order for these. Im looking for one that wont creep or at least keep it to a minimum, be able to take the 120-300 f2.8 and the D4s( not planning on putting the 600f4 on it).Easy to set up, good build quality.ostly used with the 14-24 or the 24-70 with filters etc.The Markins and Feisol i have read about in the past but not the variations on the Arca Swiss but know they have excellent reputations as a company.
 
Mark I have the DB-44 and it is excellent, solidly built and has very fine adjustment (normal adjuster knob + friction adjust) ... I think mine was around £139.
I've used Sunwayfoto for the ballhead and for 'L' plates via CG-UK on eBay and have never had a problem, always a great product and very quick delivery.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Richard do you have a preference order for these. Im looking for one that wont creep or at least keep it to a minimum, be able to take the 120-300 f2.8 and the D4s( not planning on putting the 600f4 on it).Easy to set up, good build quality.ostly used with the 14-24 or the 24-70 with filters etc.The Markins and Feisol i have read about in the past but not the variations on the Arca Swiss but know they have excellent reputations as a company.
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None of those heads will creep when properly tightened, though all ball heads have some difficulties when it comes to exact positioning of a heavy rig. The main reason is that with a ball head you have to hold the camera when tightening (unlike a 3-way with handles) and that creates tension between the camera and the head, so when you let go, there is very slight movement though it's not in the head itself. The other thing is in critical positioning, eg long lens or macro, you might notice fractional movement in the head on final tightening. Most of those heads are very good on that aspect, except the Acratech that has a tiny bit of left-right shift that I find frustrating sometimes.

For your use, I would go straight to the Arca-Swiss Z1 - the King of Balls :) It's quite pricey and not the lightest, but superb in every aspect of performance. The Manfrotto Hydrostatic is also very good indeed with heavy loads with maybe the best fine friction control. Quite big and none too pretty perhaps, but immensely capable and very well priced.

The other very important consideration is the clamp. Arca-Swiss type of course, though I don't like the lever-lock versions (none of them) and my least favourite clamp is actually the Arca-Swiss Classic while my favourite is the Acratech - light, and has a fast-screw action with nice rubberised knob, good with gloves. My other favourite clamps are cheapies for around a tenner off Amazon! Price is no guide with these.
 
I have an Arca Swiss Z1 DP I really like... But for the price I am hesitant to recommend them.

The one thing that makes the AcraTech a standout is it's light weight and open design... it's outstanding for travel/field work. If you've ever had to disassemble or otherwise try to get grit/gunk out of a typical ballhead you'll understand the difference.
**the gimbal function is *not* a great feature IMO

Edit: BTW, UniqBall is implementing some improvements/refinements to their heads which address a couple minor issues... I have a prototype but I'm not allowed to discuss it publicly yet.
 
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sk66 said:
I have an Arca Swiss Z1 DP I really like... But for the price I am hesitant to recommend them.

The one thing that makes the AcraTech a standout is it's light weight and open design... it's outstanding for travel/field work. If you've ever had to disassemble or otherwise try to get grit/gunk out of a typical ballhead you'll understand the difference.
**the gimbal function is *not* a great feature IMO

Edit: BTW, UniqBall is implementing some improvements/refinements to their heads which address a couple minor issues... I have a prototype but I'm not allowed to discuss it publicly yet.
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Already a very nice head. Used it with everything from a 24-70 to the 600f4 although it wont hold the 600 at an angle as i expected. Very smooth and easy to level.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Already a very nice head. Used it with everything from a 24-70 to the 600f4 although it wont hold the 600 at an angle as i expected. Very smooth and easy to level.
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The UBH-35 is a little over-spec'd IMO... At ~ 15lb load you have to really tighten it down to hold off level/balance and you have very little range of "adjustability." The 45 on the other hand does a much better job but spec'd much higher as well. IMO, any ballhead with a really high load rating (over ~25lb) isn't really spec'd for off balance load.

IMO, the only thing that will do a better job at holding something that big/heavy off-level is a gimbal or a geared head.
 
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Hi Mark I have a acratech GV2 which I think is superb, the gimbal feature is is usable but as Steven says is not really very good I would not let it influence my choice of purchase other than that I can not fault it.
 
old bloke said:
Hi Mark I have a acratech GV2 which I think is superb, the gimbal feature is is usable but as Steven says is not really very good I would not let it influence my choice of purchase other than that I can not fault it.
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Thanks, wouldn't use as a gimbal as I already own a gimbal head for wildlife and the big lens. So I need reliable, safe and a head which keeps the lens when I put it.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Another i had heard of but never thought of, will read up some reviews.
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Out of production and hard to find...
Another one like that is the NPC ProHead... a bit of an oddity and quite heavy. But it works very well, especially for landscape type work (it's more of a "2 axis ballhead"). I have one, never use it anymore due to it's weight/size.
 
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Swanseajack said:
It's been mentioned in the suppliers section. Robert White have 10% off, for this weekend, they stock the Z1 mentioned earlier in thread, so maybe worth buying now unless you have seen cheaper.

Linky > http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/camera-supports/heads.html
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I don't want to jump in as I want to read loads of reviews to make sure I get the right head first time. I'm happy to buy a head at £100 or on at £400 as long as I get a superb head which comes with a reputation for quality. Will have a look at Robert Whites though. Cheers.
 
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You know, if *I* were going to choose a head for landscape type stuff I would probably choose my Manfrotto 410Jr. It's the head I use for product type stuff and it's excellent in any situation where you have time.
And it's kind of funny but, it almost forces you to pay finer attention to your composition because you have much better control.
IMO, the 405 is a bit better for a bit more.
I hate Manfrotto's lack of interoperability so I mounted an Arca Clamp to the 410's plate.
 
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HoppyUK said:
I could write a lot about this, and I've used most of the good ones (through my work, though notably, not RRS, or UniqBall) but to keep it brief I'll just mention the ones that are outstanding in one way or another.

Arca-Swiss P0 (actually the ball head I use).
Arca-Swiss Z1
Arca-Swiss D4 and D4m
Acratech
Manfrotto 468 Hydrostatic
Feisol CB-40D
Sunwayfoto DB44
Markins Q3t
Click to expand...

I have gone through all of these and god it's a hard decision. For various reasons I have reduced it to 3, be it cost, reliability, little quirks and various reviews the 3 so far are- arca z1, feisol cb-50d and although I know little about the company or their quality third place goes to Sunwayfoto DB44. Is the Arca Swiss Z1 worth the extra cost over the Feisol or Sunwayfoto.? My wife is in America on a shopping trip in about 8 weeks and if need be she can get the Arca or Feisol from B&H whilst there which will save a little.so plenty of time to decide.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
I have gone through all of these and god it's a hard decision. For various reasons I have reduced it to 3, be it cost, reliability, little quirks and various reviews the 3 so far are- arca z1, feisol cb-50d and although I know little about the company or their quality third place goes to Sunwayfoto DB44. Is the Arca Swiss Z1 worth the extra cost over the Feisol or Sunwayfoto.? My wife is in America on a shopping trip in about 8 weeks and if need be she can get the Arca or Feisol from B&H whilst there which will save a little.so plenty of time to decide.
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I would go for the Arca-Swiss Z1 - given the weight (and cost) of your kit, money well spent, last for donkeys. You could maybe save a bit by buying in the US, but technically it'd be liable to import duty and VAT. Robert White had 10% off recently, maybe you could twist their arms on that one, or sometimes it's a bit cheaper to import from an EU retailer, depending on the exchange rate.

I've not tried the Feisol CB-50D, though it looks tempting. All I would say there is that I've found the larger versions of good heads are not automatically better, despite the theory that they should be. SunwayFoto is a very good, high quality brand, but I believe the DB44 is officially discontinued. The UK importer (CameraGearUK) bought the last 200. Apparently the DB44 was too expensive to manufacture, but its replacements are not quite as good (FB-44 had some issues, now sorted with the FB-44II).

Have you tried the Manfrotto Hydrostatic? Not the sexiest looking head perhaps, but with an Arca-Swiss clamp it takes some beating and the price is right. You need to try them with your (long, heavy) gear. Things are not quite the same if you test with a lighter load, when it comes to adjusting position accurately off-axis and locking down.

Have you seen the Traumfleiger tests? In German, and web translation is more entertaining than useful, but you'll get the gist of it http://www.traumflieger.de/desktop/ballhead/ballheads4.php Some good tests on DPReview also. There aren't many good reviews of this stuff on the web - most are from bloggers...
 
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I'm in a similar position myself, ruled the Z1 (& P0) out due to cost and the clamp - I'm awful at DIY and just didn't fancy adding a new clamp. The classic looked ok but I don't like the new double dove tail as you lose the safe stops on standard A-S plates. In the end just ordered the Db-44 from GCUK via Amazon, will be more than enough for me.
 
choppie said:
I'm in a similar position myself, ruled the Z1 (& P0) out due to cost and the clamp - I'm awful at DIY and just didn't fancy adding a new clamp. The classic looked ok but I don't like the new double dove tail as you lose the safe stops on standard A-S plates. In the end just ordered the Db-44 from GCUK via Amazon, will be more than enough for me.
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SunwayFoto DB-44 is a very good choice for most people (y) Light, accurate, strong and super-smooth. My concern with Markyboy is the weight of that bluddy great lens. Most quality heads will hold quite high weights okay, but can be more of a fiddle when you have to tighten them up to the max. Arca-Swiss Z1 locks big weights solid in a quarter turn, M'frotto Hydrostatic ditto.

Agree about the Arca classic clamp. I have more than a dozen clamps and that one is a) the most expensive, and b) my least favourite on a number of counts. Really disappointing.
 
Hoppy, the head wont be used for the 600f4. 95% of the time it will be with a 14-24 or 24-70 either on the D4s or old D700. If i do get caught out without my gimbal head then i would hope it could cope with a Sigma 120-300f2.8 lens but even then it would only be if i got caught out. You have provided some great info and food for thought- Many Thanks.
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Hoppy, the head wont be used for the 600f4. 95% of the time it will be with a 14-24 or 24-70 either on the D4s or old D700. If i do get caught out without my gimbal head then i would hope it could cope with a Sigma 120-300f2.8 lens but even then it would only be if i got caught out. You have provided some great info and food for thought- Many Thanks.
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It's that Sigma I was thinking about. It's long, front-heavy, and hardly any lighter than a 600/4 - latest versions 3.4kg vs 3.9kg. But sure, if it's only in a pinch, then my personal choice would be the Arca-Swiss P0 (the one I use for general stuff, good on a monopod, too) or the silky-smooth Sunway DB-44. It's also available in a nice choice of clamps, eg this sweet panning top-clamp http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUNWAYFOT...132?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f30500ca4 if panoramas are your thing. Contact Chris Harrison at CGUK if you don't see the head/clamp combo you want.
 
Richard, forgot to say I ruled out the Manfrotto due to the switch adjustments, where you can pull out the switch and change to a different orientation- having used the same kind of mechanisms at work and constantly knackering them and seeing the internal toothed areas it has put me off. The Sigma is a heavy lens for what it is and usually on my gimbal head but would be nice if the gimbal wasn't handy that the ball head could take the weight. I liked the look of the P0 but don't know if I really wanted the tightening threaded area around the ball rather than a little lever or screw adjustment. Theory is it should hold better but how is this when your hands are frozen with being out in the height of winter or if you hands are wet with rain etc?
 
markyboy.1967 said:
Richard, forgot to say I ruled out the Manfrotto due to the switch adjustments, where you can pull out the switch and change to a different orientation- having used the same kind of mechanisms at work and constantly knackering them and seeing the internal toothed areas it has put me off. The Sigma is a heavy lens for what it is and usually on my gimbal head but would be nice if the gimbal wasn't handy that the ball head could take the weight. I liked the look of the P0 but don't know if I really wanted the tightening threaded area around the ball rather than a little lever or screw adjustment. Theory is it should hold better but how is this when your hands are frozen with being out in the height of winter or if you hands are wet with rain etc?
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This is the Manfrotto 468 Hydrostatic - no switches involved http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/photo-supports-heads-hydrostatic. Quite tall (can be either an advantage or disadvantage) and not the lightest, but super-strong, zero shift on lock-down, and one of the best click-stopped friction controls. I've not tried their Arca-Swiss type clamp though, so can't vouch for that important aspect.

You make some valid comments about handling in harsh conditions though, gloves etc. The final decision is often a personal one, when important aspects of detail operation and handling can take precedence, beyond basic performance.
 
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[QUOTE="HoppyUK,

Have you seen the Traumfleiger tests? In German, and web translation is more entertaining than useful, but you'll get the gist of it http://www.traumflieger.de/desktop/ballhead/ballheads4.php Some good tests on DPReview also. There aren't many good reviews of this stuff on the web - most are from bloggers...[/QUOTE]

Those tests really rate the Feisol CB40- D . Again I will look more into the Sunwayfoto offerings as well, my only thing with them was their quality and not knowing enough of their history. I had thought previously of them being a low budget supplier and not one to make quality products until I read this thread.
 
The Manfrotto head I was looking at was the Hydrostatic 057 RC4 and thought the levers on all pulled out to allow you to change their positions to a position that suited yourself if you know what I mean. An example can be found in YouTube called-
Manfrotto 057-RC4 Magnesium BallHead (Unboxing and Review)
 
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