Table top Tripod Ball head ?

When you say table top tripod do you mean substantial ones like:
51077977336_3bcea5fcfb_o.jpg


or dinky ones like:
51077278658_62c3e469ac_o.jpg
 
Hi everyone I am after any recommendations for a Table top tripod Ball head for macro photography it has to hold A canon r5 on a macro rail with a 100 2.8 lens with twin flash ring ?

Don't bother, get a geared head or similar that can be firmly locked in place ,from personal experience a ball head will droop progressively .
Although having said that how you fix a geared head to a small tripod I don't know, I use either the centre column on my Manfrotto 190 swung out at 90 degrees with a 410 geared head or I have a short centre column and the tripod legs splayed out unfortunately it takes up a lot of space
 
I prefer to use my Manfrotto 410 junior geared head for macro work, mounted on my 055 tripod. I've tried this set up with the centre column swung out and it is too heavy even for the 055. ( Canon 1dx, 100L, 410 head and sometimes a macro rail) try holding that lot at arms length. I also have a Cullman hide clamp for when I can clamp it to the edge of my desk. Have you tried your clamp?
 
Like the comments above I gave up using a small tripod standing on the table top and now use an ordinary floor mounted tripod with a Benro geared head. I mount a WeMacro motorised rail on that and it's perfectly balanced.
I use the tiny tripods I bought originally for mounting small flashguns or other small lighting sources.
 
A geared head would certainly be far easier to adjust at macro level. but I do not know if any one makes a lower profile one than this
It has the rotator in the right position too. no need to readjust tip or tilt if you swing.

But it is at the pricy end of things. but seems to have good reports.







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Leofoto G2 Geared Panoramic Head + NP-60 QR Plate
 
FWIW this is my indoor setup, the rail fixed to the geared head:
51009100145_10bd643a05_z.jpg


Unlike many people I'm not steady enough to take macro shots of very small subjects hand held so I use a tripod and rail setup for outdoor shots too:
51009100255_27d8c891d7_z.jpg


but I don't use the geared head, that stays indoors. I use my all purpose gimbal/ball head instead, there's no droop. The Leofoto head shown by @Terrywoodenpic
looks small enough to use inside and outside, I'll have a closer look at that one.

Edit: just seen this:
View: https://youtu.be/OwgoubElClM
 
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Just a thought, it might be worth looking for a tripod ring for the lens, this would have the effect of shifting the weight of the camera backwards so the rig is more balanced instead of being front heavy after all most heavy lenses come with a tripod ring for that reason
 
P.m sent kev
 
Looks like you have a half ball levelling head on your little tripod. But I do like a rotator top and bottom. The bottom one to get into rough position. The leavening head and bottom rotator to rough level and get things pointing in the right direction, then the geared head to accurately frame In conjunction with the top rotator.

To save height and better regidity you could remove the bottom Arca mount on the base of the rotator head,, and screw on a bottom rotator directly to it. And onto your half ball leveller. That would make a very neat set up.

I have a Highlight low profile ball head with top and bottom rotator which I love. I used to hate balls. But my much smaller and lighter Fuji's are held very firmly.
 
I have the same Manfrotto 468 hydrostatic ballhead Vince but don't want to gain a lot of height as well m8 ?
If height is an issue, the better solution might be a full size tripod with boom function. That's why I use a Benbo Classic 2 for most product/macro type work... for field use and smaller kit where the Benbo is too big/heavy I have an old Benro CF tripod with a tilting center column... seems like they only offer it in aluminum now. There's also the Benbo Trekker models... IDT Benbo's are still made, but they are usually pretty cheap on the used market.

I do have *a smaller table-top sized tripod, but I only use it for ground level wildlife photography.
(*4 actually!)
 
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