Recommend me a decent tripod head that doesn't creep - please.

ryanyboy

ryanyboy

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Hi all,

I don't use a tripod much but I think part of the reason for this is that the current tripod head AND the previous ones MOVED after i'd set the position and tightened it. With macro photography (as I was doing in church yesterday) the slightest movement screws up my composition and means I have tro use a different focus point or mover it again :thumbsdown:

The last two have been the trigger style Manfrotto 322RC2 and currently the Manfrotto 486RC2.

I realise wieght comes into play so fwiw I'm using a gripped D700 with a 70-200 at the heaviest. Apparently my current head can take 5.9kg.

Any help really appreciated - especially as the light is slowly disappearing earlier in the day.

Ryan
 
What you're suffering from is the phenomenon known as 'ball droop' :D

No matter how much you tighten the head, it drops slightly after tightening. Infuriating - particularly for macro.

You're going to have to invest in a really good quality ball head I'm afraid - the likes of RRS. Kirk, and Arca etc - cost that much for a reason. Generally speaking, these heads tend to have a very large ball so it's gripped over a larger area to prevent slippage, and they're machined to very fine tolerances.

Have a look at these starting from the dearest and working down.

CLICK
 
Ouch!!!

Thanks a lot CT for the recommendations. Just had a quick look and cleary I'm gonna need to spend a bit. I'll pick out a few that look good and will post back later to let you know what I've found and to see what you think.

Thanks again :)
 
i have a redsnapper, and if u try to make a few milliemeter adjustments it creeps.
 
POAH said:
get a manfrotto 410 geared head
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For macro, I find the main problem with most B&S heads is that you frame by holding and moving the camera, not by moving the platform. So the damn thing never settles where you want it - there's just too much play between the camera and the platform. Nothing to do with the type of head as such, but with macro and table top stuff it's also nice to be able to move in just one plain at a time, and by small amounts.

So another vote for the Manfrotto 410 geared 3-way head on that score http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-manfrotto-410-junior-geared-head/p10890 This one has been on my shopping list for a while now.

awp said:
here's the one I use - worth every penny;
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/cat..._-Ball Heads - Acratech Ball Heads-_-Acratech
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Andrew, you may well be right ;) but why Acratech over RRS, Kirk, Arca etc? Have you tried the Acratech in gimbal stylee mode? Is it really like a pukka gimbal? Thanks.

I'm thinking I want one of these too, but can't get my head around the cost.
 
HoppyUK said:
Have you tried the Acratech in gimbal stylee mode? Is it really like a pukka gimbal? Thanks.
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Saved me asking the same question. :) It does look a nice compact bit of kit if it really performs both functions. Acratech say it's OK with lenses up to 400mm.
 
Must admit the Acratech one that has been suggested does look like just what I'm after.

I don't really want a dedicated macro head as that is only a part of what I do. But anything that stays where I put it is better than what I have now!!
 
Heads like this are something to want you buy just once so make sure you future proof the purchase and make sure it will support whatever weight you might stick on it at some future date. Err on the side of caution. ;)
 
When head makers talk about an 'Arca-Swiss' type quick release plate, does this mean they are interchangeable between brands? They look very similar, but...?

For example, if I get an Acratech ball head with one of their plates, will that also be a perfect fit on other Arca-Swiss style heads, eg Kirk? Or does it just refer to the slot-in type of design?
 
It's almost certain to be a generic type and size Hoppy, but it's something you need to check on to be sure. Ultimately the Arca type system is the best as you can leave plates attached to your lenses for convenience and even swap from say a gimbal head to a ball head with no undue messing about and swapping plates.

The only downside of the Manfrotto 393 gimbal is that they use a peculiar Arca type plate of their own design which is a PITA if you want to swap lenses or heads.
 
awp said:
they are indeed interchangeable!
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Ah, that's very good to know indeed :) I thought so. The reason I ask is that people have mentioned that the Red Snapper Arca style QR plate isn't quite the same :shrug:

And the other question awp? Re the gimbal mode on the Acratech head? Your comments appreciated :) Tar.

Edit: crossed post with CT. Thanks Cedric. Yes, that's the PITA I'm trying to avoid. TBH it's a potential deal breaker so I'll tread carefully. Very tempted by this combo ATM, a Benro Gitzo carbon copy (haha!) from China for £229. I could get that and an Acratech CV2 for little more than the price of similar Gitzo legs only. Ken Rockwell says they are every bit as good as Gitzo... Shame they don't seem to have got around to copying the Gitzo levelling centre column yet. Any comments chaps? Tripod is here http://photopal.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=33
 
CT said:
The only downside of the Manfrotto 393 gimbal is that they use a peculiar Arca type plate of their own design which is a PITA if you want to swap lenses or heads.
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Unless, due to a £105 act of stupidity, you have a spare plate............:bang:
 
CT said:
LOL Must be bad then. :lol:
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Bad enough that I ain`t confessing on here, it involved a tractor and a slurry spreader though.........:D
 
I'm about to upgrade from a ball head to a Manfrotto 410 geared head for exactly these reasons.
I was lent one to have a play. Setting up takes a second or two longer than the ball head but there is no comparison when making fine adjustments. The geared head is in a class of its own.
The key advantage of the geared head is that the weight of the kit is constant and tweaked using the gear rather than taking the weight when you let go of the camera after tightening the ball.

On the weight distribution front - a 70-200 lens will behave much better if you fit a lens collar allowing the tripod to be attached to the lens instead of the camera body. It balances much better and the drop problems is considerably improved.
 
HoppyUK said:
Edit: crossed post with CT. Thanks Cedric. Yes, that's the PITA I'm trying to avoid. TBH it's a potential deal breaker so I'll tread carefully. Very tempted by this combo ATM, a Benro Gitzo carbon copy (haha!) from China for £229. I could get that and an Acratech CV2 for little more than the price of similar Gitzo legs only. Ken Rockwell says they are every bit as good as Gitzo... Shame they don't seem to have got around to copying the Gitzo levelling centre column yet. Any comments chaps? Tripod is here http://photopal.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=33
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Save yourself £60.00 and get it from here, if thats the model you want.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-BENRO-C-2...in_0?hash=item3ca5747de4&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Be with you in 4 days, I bought the Benro Gimbal head off him, very good fast service.
 
Before I press "buy" can you experts just confirm that the acratech would support the Nikon 200 F/2 (heavy!!) with D700 & grip?? The whole point is to avoid the CREEP!!

Also - what's the best plate to get for it? Do I need a QR plate or a "lens plate" (or both)??

I thought I knew a bit about photography until it came to tripod heads. Now I realise I know nothing!!

Cheers

Ryan
 
The heaviest I've had on it recently is my 70-200, so not quite as heavy as the prime. Solid as a rock when mounted on the body, though I'd hope you're mounting on the lens with that weight?
I use a custom foot for the 70-200, but you'd probably want a lens plate for that combo.
Wimberley references here http://www.tripodhead.com/products/lens-plates-main.cfm
 
ryanyboy said:
Before I press "buy" can you experts just confirm that the acratech would support the Nikon 200 F/2 (heavy!!) with D700 & grip?? The whole point is to avoid the CREEP!!

Also - what's the best plate to get for it? Do I need a QR plate or a "lens plate" (or both)??

I thought I knew a bit about photography until it came to tripod heads. Now I realise I know nothing!!

Cheers

Ryan
Click to expand...

Whichever head you choose, it should show a maximum recommended weight it will carry. Add together the weight of your camera body, heaviest lens and a flashgun.The combined weight should leave you with a healthy margin. A larger margin does no harm, at all, whereas a small margin may leave you struggling if at some future date you add heavier kit.
 
ryanyboy said:
Before I press "buy" can you experts just confirm that the acratech would support the Nikon 200 F/2 (heavy!!) with D700 & grip?? The whole point is to avoid the CREEP!!

Also - what's the best plate to get for it? Do I need a QR plate or a "lens plate" (or both)??

I thought I knew a bit about photography until it came to tripod heads. Now I realise I know nothing!!

Cheers

Ryan
Click to expand...

200 f/2 :eek: I would try before you buy. Maybe check out their long lens head also. Take a trip to Cheshire ;) http://bobrigby.com/acratech/gpballhead.html
 
ryanyboy said:
Thanks ignoble.

I think AWP has got me lusting after the acratech stuff. The kit here http://www.bobrigby.com/acratech/gv2gimbalhead.html looks excellent and I'm trying to tell myself that the cost is just a mere triviality :eek:
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Me too :D

It's a seductive little beastie and I think it's just gone on my Christmas list - the GP version is the one I'm after. Is it possible that just one head can not only do all the everyday stuff, but also double up as a gimbal, and a levelling panorama head?

Maybe it can. Reviews are very good. And it's very light. In which case it's actually a snip at around £300. I think there's a waiting list ;)
 
Just heard back from Acratech in the US.

GP ball head is available immediately at $400 dead (£245 at today's Visa card exchange rate) plus camera/lens plates, plus shipping at $35, plus UK taxes.

Does anybody know what duty is applied to this sort of thing, if any, in addition to VAT?

Cheers.

(There is a sense of inevitability about these things. And of course I'd need a new tripod to put it on... :D )
 
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