redsnapper ball head

T

trent birder

Messages
5
Name
paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi
Is anyone using the Redsnapper RSH-12 ballhead?From what i can see it looks good value for money i will be using it with the 50d +100-400.

Any comments regarding this would be much appreciated..

Cheers

Paul
 
Can't comment on use with a 50D but I use it with a Nikon D3 and find it excellent - it's easy to use, stable and as you say, great value for money. If I needed another ballhead I would buy the RSH-12.
 
gramps said:
Can't comment on use with a 50D but I use it with a Nikon D3 and find it excellent - it's easy to use, stable and as you say, great value for money. If I needed another ballhead I would buy the RSH-12.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that i will give it a try.

Paul
 
I can't compare it to any other heads, but I think it's pretty good for the price. Going on specs alone I don't think there is anything better for £50.

It doesn't have any glaring flaws, and when locked down it's probably the most stable part of my set-up, but there are quite a few problems that add up the make adjusting it an irritation. For example: the main tension knob requires a lot of turning to go from unlocked to locked; setting the secondary tension knob correctly is quite tricky; the ball moves very slightly when you lock it down; the panning knob will not lock down very tightly.

My feeling is that you probably have to spend a lot more to get a ballhead that don't have these problems, so if you don't have £200-400 to spend, I'd recommend the Redsnapper.
 
I'm using one at the moment, and I love it. You're not going to get a better one for less than 3 figures. However, for the 100-400, you might want to be looking at a gimbal type head, or a ball head plus a wimberly sidekick or similar.

I use mine with a 5DII and regular-sized lenses, I'm looking at getting a sidekick though to use with my 120-300.
 
chris321 said:
I'm using one at the moment, and I love it. You're not going to get a better one for less than 3 figures. However, for the 100-400, you might want to be looking at a gimbal type head, or a ball head plus a wimberly sidekick or similar.

I use mine with a 5DII and regular-sized lenses, I'm looking at getting a sidekick though to use with my 120-300.
Click to expand...

Interesting comment about the gimbal chris,i had considered that option but thought it could be just a bit of an overkill.

I mainly take shots of birds and handhold quite a lot,however if it doesnt quite come up to the mark with the 100-400 i am sure by what you say its perfectly adequate for landscapes etc.

I will post my feedback once i have tried it in the field...

Thanks again for the comments

Paul
 
With the gimbal, it's not so much of a weight issue, more of a usability one. It'll hold my heaviest setup (5DII and 120-300, weighing in at 3.4kg) without any sag whatsoever, but due to how the weight it distributed, it takes a fair bit of effort to move it around. If you slacken off the ball head too much you'll find yourself effectively taking a lot of weight still.

Of course the joy of a gimbal type setup is that it pivots about it's centre of gravity, so you should be able to move it in any direction with your little finger :)
 
I've had my 1D and 300mm f2.8 mounted on my Red Snapper and it was fine. Easy to adjust for fine movement without it flopping all over the place.

Simon.
 
SamHH said:
I can't compare it to any other heads, but I think it's pretty good for the price. Going on specs alone I don't think there is anything better for £50.

It doesn't have any glaring flaws, and when locked down it's probably the most stable part of my set-up, but there are quite a few problems that add up the make adjusting it an irritation. For example: the main tension knob requires a lot of turning to go from unlocked to locked; setting the secondary tension knob correctly is quite tricky; the ball moves very slightly when you lock it down; the panning knob will not lock down very tightly.

My feeling is that you probably have to spend a lot more to get a ballhead that don't have these problems, so if you don't have £200-400 to spend, I'd recommend the Redsnapper.
Click to expand...



Aahh I was going to take a look at this snapper I keep hearing about on here but the comment you just made about the ball moving slightly when tightening is a deal breaker for me i think. I just don't think there's any way around it, you have to fork out for a really right stuff ball head if you want a no compromise set up.
 
lensflair said:
Aahh I was going to take a look at this snapper I keep hearing about on here but the comment you just made about the ball moving slightly when tightening is a deal breaker for me i think. I just don't think there's any way around it, you have to fork out for a really right stuff ball head if you want a no compromise set up.
Click to expand...

For most people most of the time (me included) I don't think it's big enough to be a problem. I don't know a way to quantify it unfortunately so the only way to find out is to try one for yourself.
 
lensflair said:
Aahh I was going to take a look at this snapper I keep hearing about on here but the comment you just made about the ball moving slightly when tightening is a deal breaker for me i think. I just don't think there's any way around it, you have to fork out for a really right stuff ball head if you want a no compromise set up.
Click to expand...

I was surprised by that comment about movement on locking down. When I used the RSH-12 head I checked this aspect specifically and was very impressed. Others on here have had similarly good experience.

There is not a ball head in the world that doesn't move at all on lock down, but I found the RSH-12 to be as good as heads costing several times that price. Really negligible.

I don't know if Sam got a sub-standard one, but I think it's worth a punt and if it doesn't stack up, sent it back. Customer service at RedSnapper is very good (including 10% discount if you mention TP when ordering :)).
 
I put my rsh-12 onto a monopod with 50D & 100-400 and its just the job I would recomend it.
 
Les Key said:
I put my rsh-12 onto a monopod with 50D & 100-400 and its just the job I would recomend it.
Click to expand...

I received RSH-12 ball head this morning(ordered yesterday)out of the box i was very impressed with the quality of finish and still am.The arca style clamp works really well,the tension and locking screws are finished with a good rubber grip,the panning knob on the base is adequate and certainly holds it well enough.

It is obviously not in the same class of finish as the Markins heads,but for the price i am well pleased.

I did have time to test the head in the field with my 50d and 100-400 attached,it handled this set up with ease,regarding movement when locked i noticed none at all.The locking screw does have to be twisted a little more than other heads i have used,but i soon got used to it,the tension screw works well and again i soon got used to it.

I also bought a spare quick release plate(£6-95)...

All in all i wouldnt hesitate to recommend this head to anyone in the market for a good quality head at a very realistic price..

Paul
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top