Tripod ballhead replacement - your advice please!

TurnipFarmer

TurnipFarmer

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Aaron
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I've got a Giottos MTL9351B tripod with 3 way head 5001 which I'm not liking too much.

I'm thinking of getting a ballhead but not sure which to get? I've heard the Manfrotto 496rc2 head is good compared to the giottos 7001 version.

Will the Manfrotto fit on my tripod with the correct thread size?

Any others I should consider?
 
IMVHO the only plus for ball heads is that they're compact.

I do have one and it wasn't cheap but the dreaded drop is next to impossible to avoid and a right PITA.

If you simply must have one it'll almost certainly fit your tripod and if not you can usually get a little adapter nut... some heads even come with one. I paid £1 each for the two I've bought in recent years.

But seriously, unless it's compactness you value most I'd look elsewhere than at ball heads.
 
woof woof said:
I do have one and it wasn't cheap but the dreaded drop is next to impossible to avoid and a right PITA.
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I am confused, your ball head caused you to drop the camera?

I love my ball head, so much easier than my 3 way.
 
you cant go wrong with the Red Snapper RSH-12 i have one and love it just ask loads of people on here for the money you cant go wrong and remember with the discount code RED10 you can save 10%

http://www.redsnapperuk.com/camera-accessories/RSH-12_Ball_head.html

here are loads of peoples views on it from this forum

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=272324
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=266726
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=309998

and another from another forum

http://www.photography-forum.org/showthread.php/67207-Redsnapper-RSH-12-Ballhead
 
woof woof said:
But seriously, unless it's compactness you value most I'd look elsewhere than at ball heads.
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I didn't get mine for "compact", bigger the better when it comes to ballhead.

nCohj.jpg
 
I prefer 3 way heads however if you're looking for a ballhead I can vouch for the Manfrotto 498 RC2 ballhead.

I've just sold it through the classifieds on here but only for the reason that I wanted to clear a few things out that I'm not using that much at the moment.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I didn't get mine for "compact", bigger the better when it comes to ballhead.

http://i.imgur.com/nCohj.jpg
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+1 m8 i didnt get mine to be compact i got it because its easier and quicker to adjust than a 3 way. and also that photo of your setup looks amazing what aperture was that at?
 
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three legged things sometimes have deals on.

Manfrotto are good, but don`t use the "arca" plate type system.
 
Dale_d3100 said:
I am confused, your ball head caused you to drop the camera?

I love my ball head, so much easier than my 3 way.
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Just in case you're serious :D

Ball heads tend to drop a little when you try to lock them in position which makes critical positioning next to impossible IMVHO.

And to the others who picked up on what I posted I did say IMVHO and IMVHO ball heads are a PITA. Yes, they can be compact... or not, and yes they can be quick and easy to use but they can also be frustrating as hell if you are trying to lock your camera in a precise position.

I have one and I use it when I want a compact head that's quick to set up but for precise positioning I use my geared head and after years of ball head ownership I wish I hadn't bothered and I wish I'd kept my three way.
 
For precise positioning, look at geared heads such as the Manfrotto 410. Not quite as fast to get aimed in the general direction but barely slower to get accurately aimed once a ballhead has been faffed around with to counteract droop etc. The ballhead I use most is a Manfrotto 322 grip type, so faster than the more usual (and cheaper) lever operated type (I have a couple of them on other supports) and once set up is not too susceptible to drooping. The 410 may take an extra second or 5 but once pointed at somewhere, it stays pointed there! I use these heads on a Manfrotto 190Pro set of legs. I also have a Giottos Vitruvian CF tripod for travel and after changing the head for a Manfrotto one (to keep the QR system the same over all my supports), I soon changed it back to the standard Giottos one since it was so much lighter.
Pretty much any tripod will accept pretty much any interchangeable head - the threads are almost always either 3/8" Whitworth (usual on the top of tripods and in heads) or 1/4" Whitworth (usual on top of heads and in most cameras' tripod sockets) - there will usually be an adaptor in the box or screwed into the bottom of a head. If there isn't one and you need one, they're cheap as a small portion of chips and should be available from any 1/2 decent photo retailer. (Pack of 5 from Manfrotto - retailers generally have them either singly or in packs of 2. http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/adapter-small-3-8-to-1-4-set-5 )
 
Ball heads tend to drop a little when you try to lock them in position which makes critical positioning next to impossible IMVHO
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Have to totally disagree with that statement, a good quality ballhead is very hard to beat

I have a Markins M10 and it's rock solid, combine that with a proper Q/R plate or L bracket and you really can't go wrong
 
I'll have a look at the geared heads, not thought of them.

Raymond, do you have to buy a separate plate? What do you think of the 496rc2 as a cheaper alternative? Does it matter if the circumference of the head is bigger than the circular plate on your tripod? (hope that makes sense?)
 
tijuana taxi said:
Have to totally disagree with that statement, a good quality ballhead is very hard to beat

I have a Markins M10 and it's rock solid, combine that with a proper Q/R plate or L bracket and you really can't go wrong
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I have an Acratech GV2 ballhead which considered high quality and expensive. Sadly there is enough droop to make fixed macro a right pain. Fortunately I often use it with slight movement so the droop is less of a problem but a Manfrotto 410 geared head is on my Christmas list.
I would advise try before you buy if spending big dosh on a ballhead.
 
Another vote for geared heads, I wouldn't be without them for landscapes, that said they'd be awful for something fast moving like wildlife.

I use a 410 and a 405, the 405 has the edge on the quality and smoothness, the 410 is a lot more carryable. I use the 405 on my 055XProB legs, with a Manfrotto leveller and Novoflex panorama head, all together it is a weighty old setup but I rarely walk with it, if I'm going somewhere I'll need to be trekking or scrambling around I use a set of CF Gitzo legs with the 410 on.

Both are converted to Arca Swiss, something I would really recommend.
 
Both are converted to Arca Swiss, something I would really recommend
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Good point and well worth getting the specific Q/R plate for your camera

Bit surprised nobody else has positive things to say about ballheads, mine never moves.
Can be set up so slight adjustment can be undertaken and then it's rock steady again without any further tightening of knobs.

Unable to personally comment on any others in use, but pretty sure Kirk and RRS make equally good ballheads with above mentioned sweet spot for adjustment
 
tijuana taxi said:
Good point and well worth getting the specific Q/R plate for your camera
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Or better still an L bracket.

tijuana taxi said:
Bit surprised nobody else has positive things to say about ballheads, mine never moves.
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It depends on how you're using the tripod, and of course the ball head, a good one is infinitely better than a bad one.
 
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