Uniqball - any users out there?

jerry12953

jerry12953

Messages
11,788
Name
Jeremy Moore
Edit My Images
No
I'm just wondering if anyone owning a Uniqball would care to share their experiences about using it?

I've read a few reviews but I'd ideally like to hear from people who have been using one over a period of time.

I'd be using it for long telephotos and smaller lenses (ie wildlife and landscapes). Does it do a good job for both?

Many thanks.
 
It's a very expensive option and apart from the price tag the seeming learning process to get it to work properly put me off ... good or gimmick?
 
One disadvantage seems to be that the axis of the lens needs to be running in a particular direction, which is fine if you're using a long lens on a lens foot. But if the camera body is ,mounted on the head it will be at 90 degrees to that. The larger version of the head comes with a cross head mount which is fine, but the smaller one doesn't. I'd be wanting to use the smaller one!
 
I've been using one since it came out as I was looking to change to acra Swiss plates at the time. I have the smaller UB35 model. Generally for landscapes I love it, great level photos once set and easy to swap between landscape and portrait (you need an L bracket to do this-that's the one disadvantage that you need an L bracket but sunwayfoto do them at great prices ). I have used it with a 300 f2.8 and it worked well. With my 200-400 f4 that's a lot heavier and over the weight limit they advise it's useable steady but not as steady as when using the 300 f2.8 (knew this when I bought the 200-400 so it's my fault and not the uniqball as I'm working outside it's stated limitations). I should really use the larger model with that lens. The adapter plate can get a little annoying with the smaller model especially if you change bags constantly and forget to change it over (I have done this!). The action/movement is good, you can't leave it at any angle like you can a gimbal head but then a gimbal head can't easily be used to give level landscaping photos (they are completely different beasts). If you use it within it's limits and want only one lightweight multipurpose head that can be used for both landscaping and wildlife long lens work and dont mind keeping one hand on the camera (not leave it at any angle like a gimbal) then it's mostly likely worth looking into. If you want gimbal style advantages then get a gimbal head with a separate landscaping head and deal with the additional weight of carrying two heads.

I'm currently deciding whether to sell my 200-400 to go back to a lighter 300 f2.8 as I want minimal kit and lightest overall kit I can get. One tripod, one head is where the uniqball comes in to this.

If I was buying again it would be the larger cross head type for easy of use and better stability with longer lenses. Price wise I don't get that argument as a good gimbal head and a good ballhead would cost at least the same amount but mean more weight to carry and be a pain to swap between. For me the uniqball serves two purposes well.
 
jerry12953 said:
I'm just wondering if anyone owning a Uniqball would care to share their experiences about using it?

I've read a few reviews but I'd ideally like to hear from people who have been using one over a period of time.

I'd be using it for long telephotos and smaller lenses (ie wildlife and landscapes). Does it do a good job for both?

Many thanks.
Click to expand...
What size/type long lenses are you talking about? I honestly wouldn't go over the 3kg limit, it works but just not as well. UBH35 for 300 f2.8 size lenses and under, the 45 model for larger, heavier lenses or if you don't want the hassle of the adapter. I have honestly thought of sell my UBH35 and Gimbal head to buy the larger 45 model.
 
Last edited:
Hi Rob, that's really helpful. I searched for Uniqball and discovered that you used one so it's great you have been able to answer. Not that you've been able to make up my mind for me!

I already use an L-plate on my Canon bodies that that is one hurdle already crossed. I have a Tamron 150-600 zoom, and with the 5d3 that comes to just under 3kg, I think. Another box ticked!

But what is the plate you mention? That's where it starts to sound like a fiddle and a faff. I can guarantee I would also lose or forget it.

It's a real shame that the smaller Uniqball doesn't have the cross head. If it did have it looks like it would be the perfect tripod head for me. As it is the extra cost and weight of the larger one looks like a bit of a barrier.

I've seen one of Andy Rouse's video's where he has a body and a long lens on the uniqball and he kind of plays with it as if it's on a gimbal. Do you know the one I mean?
 
rob-nikon said:
What size/type long lenses are you talking about? I honestly wouldn't go over the 3kg limit, it works but just not as well. UBH35 for 300 f2.8 size lenses and under, the 45 model for larger, heavier lenses or if you don't want the hassle of the adapter. I have honestly thought of sell my UBH35 and Gimbal head to buy the larger 45 model.
Click to expand...

Looking at their website the UBH35 is rated for 15kgs on main page, but when you scroll down it's rated at 3kgs as you mention in the recommended lens options section. It then goes onto specs for 15kgs. 3kgs seems very low SWL for an expensive ball head like this?

Do the heads use standard Arca Swiss plates.

http://www.uniqball.eu/webshop/ballheads/ubh35
 
jerry12953 said:
Hi Rob, that's really helpful. I searched for Uniqball and discovered that you used one so it's great you have been able to answer. Not that you've been able to make up my mind for me!

I already use an L-plate on my Canon bodies that that is one hurdle already crossed. I have a Tamron 150-600 zoom, and with the 5d3 that comes to just under 3kg, I think. Another box ticked!

But what is the plate you mention? That's where it starts to sound like a fiddle and a faff. I can guarantee I would also lose or forget it.

It's a real shame that the smaller Uniqball doesn't have the cross head. If it did have it looks like it would be the perfect tripod head for me. As it is the extra cost and weight of the larger one looks like a bit of a barrier.

I've seen one of Andy Rouse's video's where he has a body and a long lens on the uniqball and he kind of plays with it as if it's on a gimbal. Do you know the one I mean?
Click to expand...
It's an adapter plate that comes with the uniqball UBH35. It basically turns the Acra Swiss connection from forwards facing for long lenses to sideways facing to attach the camera body (L Bracket) directly to the Acra Swiss connection point on the uniqball. It is do with how the levelling mechanism works, the red friction/locking knob has to face forward in the same direction that the lens points . The problem is the Acra Swiss plate on the bottom of a lens tripod foot faces a different direction to a an L bracket hence either you need the cross head or this adapter plate. It's remembering this adapter that I find hard although since swapping to a one bag two ICU setup it's been less of a problem. I can take some photos to explain better and I may update that blog as it's missing this point. The plate is very easy to use its just if you have forgotten it the levelling won't work (you can still use the bigger mall part as a standard ball head). The cross type head would be so much easier, especially if you do a mixture of landscaping and wildlife like I do. If the small head had the cross type connector it would be perfect.

Your 150-600 would be ok as it's well within the limit. It may experience balancing problems (just like a gimbal head would too) because as the front end of the lens extends it shifts the centre of gravity/balance point. It probably be won't be unusable but just means balancing is a pain. The 3kg thing is the weight of the lens rather than lens and camera (300 f2.8 weighs around 2.9kg, my 200-400 3.7kg).

I have watched the Andy Rouse videos where he uses it like a gimbal head, that was part of what sold it to me. The problem is it's a big like Red Riding Hood, either it's exactly what you want or something else could do most of what you want. For me it was exactly what I was looking for until I ruined it and bought a lens that really too big for the smaller head (all my own fault). Now I have a uniqball head for landscapes and a gimbal for the 200-400, and still have the problem of two heads!
 
Last edited:
Swanseajack said:
Looking at their website the UBH35 is rated for 15kgs on main page, but when you scroll down it's rated at 3kgs as you mention in the recommended lens options section. It then goes onto specs for 15kgs. 3kgs seems very low SWL for an expensive ball head like this?

Do the heads use standard Arca Swiss plates.

http://www.uniqball.eu/webshop/ballheads/ubh35
Click to expand...

I think the 15kg is the maximum weight it can take before it breaks, the 3kg thing seems to be an optimum performance thing. I could use my 200-400 with camera (3.7kg lens), it worked by it just didn't feel as stable as the 300 f2.8 (2.9kg lens). It does use standard Acra Swiss plates.
 
jerry12953 said:
Thanks very much for taking the time to answer that so thoroughly, Rob.

It would be handy to see one in action.....I'm just thinking aloud but maybe Speedgraphic would have one at The Photography Show.
Click to expand...

I remember seeing there at the photography show. I seem to remember canon having one at the bird fair last year. It's a shame you are so far away otherwise you could try mine.
 
jerry12953 said:
Very kind offer, Rob. Unfortunately I'm quite a long way from almost everywhere......
Click to expand...
I'm mostly likely going to be going to the photography show too. I'm not sure which day yet until the stand talk lineup/times are released. Currently it looks like Sunday to try catching the Chris Packham talk. If you do go on the same day as me I could always bring it along in case you can't try one out.
 
jerry12953 said:
Brilliant offer again, Rob.

I'm not sure if/when I will be going yet. If I do I suspect it could be expensive.....;)

But we should keep in touch.
Click to expand...
I'm definitely there Sunday as I've just booked our tickets including Chris Packham on the super stage (I gather it's the only day he's doing). Let me know if you do decide on going Sunday and we can arrange something.
 
Jerry, maybe PM 'sk66' Steven Kersting so he sees this thread. He's had a lot of experience with Uniqball.
 
jerry12953 said:
Yes, I've seen some of his reviews. To be honest now I've understood that you need an adapter to alternate between long lens and L-plate use, I'm slightly less enthusiastic.
Click to expand...
It is a shame they haven't added the cross type connector to the smaller uniqball, I'm guessing it's a marketing thing to get people to buy the more expensive head. Sadly it seems it does the opposite and puts off buyers altogether. As the connection plate seems to be a standard acra Swiss connection plate I can't see why it can't be changed over with the cross head connector. I for one would buy the cross connector to update the small one I have if it came available as a spare. The other problem is no pano adapter as standard, it's another extra.

The problem is remembering to have the adapter with you. I have been caught out once or twice but I now try to double check I have it with me. I mainly do wildlife so it's not used often unless I'm out landscaping. That said I'm setting up a small accessory pouch for landscaping as there is so many little bits I need with me (uniqball adapter, remote release cable, viewfinder cap, filter holder and adapter rings) so it's really only one piece of several landscaping items that are needed.
 
jerry12953 said:
Yes, I've seen some of his reviews. To be honest now I've understood that you need an adapter to alternate between long lens and L-plate use, I'm slightly less enthusiastic.
Click to expand...

Not sure I'd hold that against it TBH, it's a small thing, takes a few seconds, considering the time it takes to set up a tripod properly. I sometimes use one of these £11 clamps for the same purpose - just drop it into your normal clamp and it's rotated 90 degrees http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00RK118FS/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid= Nice quality, too, with a fast-locking thread on the knob. I've got four of these clamps now, to add to my collection :D

The UniqBall does seem to be a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades thing though. It's main appeal IMHO is the claim that it can replace a gimbal head, but that's just nonsense - it simply cannot, and does not.

And the other thing that users have reported is positional shift when locking down. For long lens use, this is unacceptable and there are plenty cheaper that don't do it. I was fairly amazed to see them admitting to it in their FAQs though, perhaps because they've had a lot of returns for this reason. Here http://www.uniqball.eu/faq quote: "Q: When I tighted the red knob, the lens start to point upwards. What can I do to remdey this? A: The image stift is a behavoiur of Uniqball coming out of the mechanical structure. The optical axis rotates about 0.2 degrees up or down when securing the red knob. The longer your telephoto lens, with higher magnification, the effect results in a greater visible shift in the viewfinder.
To lessen or avoid it you may precisely balance your equipment on the head, so the red knob needs only a small touch, or you even don't need to adjust it, because with a proper friction, you'll be able to move your lens, and it stays in place when you release it."
 
I've just looked at the pano adapter, I guess this would remove the need for the adaptor as you could turn the pano part 90 degrees to do what the adapter does. It's an expensive solution unless you want the pano part too. It seems to be either connected as an adapter or as a replacement clamp.

http://www.uniqball.eu/uniqball_panoclamp_uniqball_panorama_panning_base

HoppyUK said:
The UniqBall does seem to be a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades thing though. It's main appeal IMHO is the claim that it can replace a gimbal head, but that's just nonsense - it simply cannot, and does not.
Click to expand...

I have a gimbal and an uniqball (mainly because of the 200-400 f4 is over the weight limit of the uniqball). The uniqball can't replace the full operation of a gimbal head as it doesn't balance at any angle like a gimbal head so it's not a direct replacement. What it can do is 'nearly' give the same function when panning. If resting the camera/lens under friction only then you have to keep one hand on the camera. The uniqball is good if you want a single jack of trades head for wildlife and landscaping, that's it's main appeal for me. Often when i go away I'm likely to want to do wildlife and landscapes, this is especially true when I head to the Lake District as I do a bit of wildlife (red squirrels) and landscaping. The uniqball is ideal for me as a one size fits all solution as I don't want to take a gimbal head and a landscaping head as it's a pain and it's heavy too. The uniqball is 1kg lighter than my gimbal so rather than carrying a 1.5kg tripod plus a 1.5kg gimbal plus a landscape head (likely to be 0.5kg to 1kg) all I take is a 2kg tripod and uniqball head.

HoppyUK said:
And the other thing that users have reported is positional shift when locking down. For long lens use, this is unacceptable and there are plenty cheaper that don't do it. I was fairly amazed to see them admitting to it in their FAQs though, perhaps because they've had a lot of returns for this reason. Here http://www.uniqball.eu/faq quote: "Q: When I tighted the red knob, the lens start to point upwards. What can I do to remdey this? A: The image stift is a behavoiur of Uniqball coming out of the mechanical structure. The optical axis rotates about 0.2 degrees up or down when securing the red knob. The longer your telephoto lens, with higher magnification, the effect results in a greater visible shift in the viewfinder.
To lessen or avoid it you may precisely balance your equipment on the head, so the red knob needs only a small touch, or you even don't need to adjust it, because with a proper friction, you'll be able to move your lens, and it stays in place when you release it."
Click to expand...

I have noticed this and it is a downside that shouldn't be there. It was the same with my old ball head I previously use so it's something I've learned to live with. If I this bothered me I would be using a geared head for landscapes as there would be no positional change.

I think the problem is if you can get over the negative points then there are advantages of the uniqball. It all depends on whether the advantages work more for you than the disadvantages. For me weight and a one size fits all solution was what I wanted, I didn't want the hassle of carrying and swapping between two heavy heads (I only have one tripod). There are other solutions that could work better for each situation but they also have their disadvantages too. The uniqball is far from perfect but as a jack of all trades it's not bad if you can live wit bits disadvantages.
 
Last edited:
HoppyUK said:
Not sure I'd hold that against it TBH, it's a small thing, takes a few seconds, considering the time it takes to set up a tripod properly. I sometimes use one of these £11 clamps for the same purpose - just drop it into your normal clamp and it's rotated 90 degrees http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00RK118FS/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid= Nice quality, too, with a fast-locking thread on the knob. I've got four of these clamps now, to add to my collection :D

The UniqBall does seem to be a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades thing though. It's main appeal IMHO is the claim that it can replace a gimbal head, but that's just nonsense - it simply cannot, and does not.

And the other thing that users have reported is positional shift when locking down. For long lens use, this is unacceptable and there are plenty cheaper that don't do it. I was fairly amazed to see them admitting to it in their FAQs though, perhaps because they've had a lot of returns for this reason. Here http://www.uniqball.eu/faq quote: "Q: When I tighted the red knob, the lens start to point upwards. What can I do to remdey this? A: The image stift is a behavoiur of Uniqball coming out of the mechanical structure. The optical axis rotates about 0.2 degrees up or down when securing the red knob. The longer your telephoto lens, with higher magnification, the effect results in a greater visible shift in the viewfinder.
To lessen or avoid it you may precisely balance your equipment on the head, so the red knob needs only a small touch, or you even don't need to adjust it, because with a proper friction, you'll be able to move your lens, and it stays in place when you release it."
Click to expand...

Richard,

I can't imagine how big your "gadget bag" is. Car boot size? A small trailer? ;) Personally I feel the fewer small nick-nacks one has to carry round the easier life is.

Seriously though, I think I've seen that quote somewhere. I guess what the answer says is that if you have the lens/body combo well balanced the movement will be minimal.

There's no way round it; I'm going to have to see one of these things in action before purchasing!

rob-nikon said:
I've just looked at the pano adapter, I guess this would remove the need for the adaptor as you could turn the pano part 90 degrees to do what the adapter does. It's an expensive solution unless you want the pano part too. It seems to be either connected as an adapter or as a replacement clamp.

http://www.uniqball.eu/uniqball_panoclamp_uniqball_panorama_panning_base

I have a gimbal and an uniqball (mainly because of the 200-400 f4 is over the weight limit of the uniqball). The uniqball can't replace the full operation of a gimbal head as it doesn't balance at any angle like a gimbal head so it's not a direct replacement. What it can do is 'nearly' give the same function when panning. If resting the camera/lens under friction only then you have to keep one hand on the camera. The uniqball is good if you want a single jack of trades head for wildlife and landscaping, that's it's main appeal for me. Often when i go away I'm likely to want to do wildlife and landscapes, this is especially true when I head to the Lake District as I do a bit of wildlife (red squirrels) and landscaping. The uniqball is ideal for me as a one size fits all solution as I don't want to take a gimbal head and a landscaping head as it's a pain and it's heavy too. The uniqball is 1kg lighter than my gimbal so rather than carrying a 1.5kg tripod plus a 1.5kg gimbal plus a landscape head (likely to be 0.5kg to 1kg) all I take is a 2kg tripod and uniqball head.

I have noticed this and it is a downside that shouldn't be there. It was the same with my old ball head I previously use so it's something I've learned to live with. If I this bothered me I would be using a geared head for landscapes as there would be no positional change.

I think the problem is if you can get over the negative points then there are advantages of the uniqball. It all depends on whether the advantages work more for you than the disadvantages. For me weight and a one size fits all solution was what I wanted, I didn't want the hassle of carrying and swapping between two heavy heads (I only have one tripod). There are other solutions that could work better for each situation but they also have their disadvantages too. The uniqball is far from perfect but as a jack of all trades it's not bad if you can live wit bits disadvantages.
Click to expand...

Good point about the positives out-weighing the negatives. I've been using a standard B&S head for the last couple of years and the 5d3/long lens combo really does flop about on it.
 
jerry12953 said:
Richard,

I can't imagine how big your "gadget bag" is. Car boot size? A small trailer? ;) Personally I feel the fewer small nick-nacks one has to carry round the easier life is.

Seriously though, I think I've seen that quote somewhere. I guess what the answer says is that if you have the lens/body combo well balanced the movement will be minimal.

There's no way round it; I'm going to have to see one of these things in action before purchasing!

Good point about the positives out-weighing the negatives. I've been using a standard B&S head for the last couple of years and the 5d3/long lens combo really does flop about on it.
Click to expand...

I have several camera bags :D But TBH when I go out it's for a specific purpose and I only take what I need. Most of this stuff I use for my product testing work and it rarely goes out of the studio.

Buying decisions on this kind of gear are always difficult - you need to try it. Fortunately, the Photography Show is on at the NEC 19-22 March and that's the place to get hand-on with just about everything :)

Changing tripod heads is a bit of a PITA (sidekick gimbal?) so I've got a QR system on all my tripods and heads. It's simply a small Arca-Swiss plate fixed upside-down to the top of the tripods, and an A-S clamp bolted to the bottom of all my heads. Not expensive at Amazon/ebay prices these days. Swapping over takes two seconds.
 
jerry12953 said:
Yes, something like the Photography Show is far more useful for looking at things like tripods, heads and bags than actual cameras.......
Click to expand...
With bricks and mortar shops becoming less common then it's quite useful to easily check out and compare bags, tripods, heads if you have a list of models you want to compare. Checking out cameras/lenses can be good for size comparisons/get a feel for them but actual testing is poor because of the indoor conditions.

In the last few years I've tried to minimise kit down to 1 camera bag (although I had to concede to to 2 ICUs due to different wildlife and landscape setups), one tripod, one head and I'm also trying to cut down lenses to the minimum too (potentially this could be only 3). It's currently a work in progress but minimum kit is the way forward for me and this is where the uniqball fits in.
 
Have just had a reply from Uniqball . They are very soon bringing out a UHB 35 which includes an "ultra-light Panoclamp" , which looks like it could be just the job.

Rob, I'm hoping to get to the Photography Show but the only day I can make it will be Tuesday. I hope to try out a Uniqball there at Speedgraphic but thanks for the offer of a meet-up.
 
I would be wary of the x-cross clamp, very limited clamping surface and probably very particular as to plate dimensions. The bi-directional clamp can be rotated (allen wrench). To me, the bigger issue is the inability to separate pan the friction/lock from the tilt.

A great little accessory (for any ballhead really) is a panning clamp. You could just leave it installed and use it to change orientation.
(BTW, I use the cheap Ebay one... not the $135 rebrand UniqBall sells.)
 
jerry12953 said:
From Uniqball this morning -

"You can turn the PanoClamp in any direction, so it could solve your problem."
Click to expand...
I've recently changed the clamp on my 35 version to the pano clamp. It's annoying that it's so expensive for what is a modified third party panning clamp. I decided to go with the uniqball ball version as it can replace the top clamp (the bottom base is modified so it doesn't snag anywhere). It now means I have no need for the adapter plate which is perfect as it was another piece I could forget to bring. Turning 90 degrees to change from long lens and L bracket is very quick and easy.

I've just spent 3 days in the lakes with red squirrels and landscapes, the pano head made things much easier especially swapping between long lens and remote wide angle setup son the tripod. It helps landscapes too as sometimes I liked the height of the framing but not the left/right framing, the pano head meant the left/right could easily be adjusted for that one shot.

I can understand the cheaper cost of the ebay panning clamp but I felt it was another knob to check was secure all of the time. If I had two heads I may also have kept it as a clamp too as two uniqball pano clamps for be far too expensive solution for fixed panning heads on both versions.
 
I've just had another email from Uniqball.

The new UBH 35 should be available from April 1st and it will have the integral Panoclamp. Provisionally it will be available at the same price as the current model but may increase at a later date.

Sounds like it could be just the job. I'll be first in line.....!
 
jerry12953 said:
This is now available from Uniqball. More expensive than I was led to believe but I'm very tempted to go for it .......

http://www.uniqball.eu/webshop/ballheads/ubh35p
Click to expand...
That looks like what I did with my UBH35 by fitting the pano head. The pano head does make things easier. I picked up the bigger 45 version at the photography show as I've decided to keep my 200-400 and it handles the additional weight better. I'm not as impressed with the new none X type clamp, it needs an Allen key to swap between camera and lens as they don't give you the adapter plate anymore (although I'm not going to need to use as the pano head fits in it's place). If you need to constantly swap between the two the pano clamp and the adapter plate are the easier to use. I worry the constant unscrewing and screwing could cause future problems with the tightness of the connection between head and clamp. Now I need to decide if I'm going to keep both, it does seem a little pointless as the only benefit is a little weight saving (250g), otherwise they are virtually the same.
 
Last edited:
I spoke to Tim Parkin (On Landscape magazine) at the Photography Show and he wasn't too impressed with the Uniqball. It was the upward movement of the head when you tighten it up which concerned him.

So although I have more or less pulled the trigger on one of these I shall try it out with trepidation.......
 
jerry12953 said:
I spoke to Tim Parkin (On Landscape magazine) at the Photography Show and he wasn't too impressed with the Uniqball. It was the upward movement of the head when you tighten it up which concerned him.

So although I have more or less pulled the trigger on one of these I shall try it out with trepidation.......
Click to expand...

IMO, it's not an issue unless you "over-tighten" the pan tilt knob... I actually use it like "zeroing in" a scope...
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top