Unique ball tripod head

HoppyUK said:
Not really :) What freedom of movement? A panning clamp pans flat left-right, you don't want any other movement.
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I think you've missed the point.

If you're using a shift lens for architectural work, for example, then having left-right and up-down movement available without disturbing the horizontal alignment would be a tremendous boon. Even a regular rectilinear lens would benefit.

It's grabbed my attention, though having to use an L bracket for portrait format does spoil that somewhat. :-/
 
Musicman said:
I think you've missed the point.

If you're using a shift lens for architectural work, for example, then having left-right and up-down movement available without disturbing the horizontal alignment would be a tremendous boon. Even a regular rectilinear lens would benefit.

It's grabbed my attention, though having to use an L bracket for portrait format does spoil that somewhat. :-/
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Yeah, see what you mean. Not sure it's a very compelling feature though.

Some might say that needing an L-bracket is off-putting for the Uniq, but I'd just say that any serious tripod user should have one of those anyway. They make shooting verticals a pleasure instead of a right PITA when you have to flip a normal head over (and then quite often have to reposition the tripod too).
 
HoppyUK said:
Here's another way to turn any ball into a flat-panning head. Very easy, works perfectly, cost £30.

Fit a second clamp to the bottom of the ball head, and a small plate to the top of the centre column. The head can then be inverted in an instant and used up-side-down, for a flat-panning device (using the head's normal panning base). It's kinda similar to the way you can invert some Acratech heads.

(BTW, the holes drilled in the clamp shown here are to reduced weight. But don't bother, it's a lot of work and the weight saving is negligible.)

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Nice and very simple, But solves a different problem to mine.
My one allows it to rotate level but with the camera at a set compound angle or horizontal.

I wonder how many will last as long as my 67 year old MPP tripod.
 
Ever see one of these? I have one, it's a Benbo Multi-Angle head and pans at both ends... You can do just about anything with it, but it is a fiddly thing...
 
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sk66 said:
I've never noticed that behavior... But then I don't use them for terribly picky stuff like 1:1 macro.
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Yes, it may pass unnoticed for a lot of work, but using a longer lens, or for critical positioning for table-top/still-life I found the Acratech frustrating. I even wrote to them about it and they admitted it, but apparently get few complaints. Shame, as it's a beautiful thing and light weight.

sk66 said:
Ever see one of these? I have one, it's a Benbo Multi-Angle head and pans at both ends... You can do just about anything with it, but it is a fiddly thing...
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Eek! Not seen one of those before!
 
For heavy setups I use another oddity, a NPC ProHead... (with arca clamp attached)
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For macro I use a modified Manfroto 303 on the ProHead...(added third axis rail and nylon tipped setscrews to remove play).
Also great for panos (which I don't do).
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For Long lenses I use a Gimbal.... And then I have the Benbo oddity above.

But the one I use the most is the Acratech, it's my "jack of all trades."
 
jerry12953 said:
But maybe there is.........!

Andy Rouse seems to think so.
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I *really* doubt it...
I can pretty well promise that it is not a good replacement for a full gimbal head. It's probably fine for smaller lighter setups, but so are a lot of other heads/options.
I don't really see any benefit to (exact) "leveling" for panning work unless you're stitching. In that case there's better choices (that allow finding the nodal point and indexed panning).
For just leveling a 50£ leveling base works with any head.

just my 2c...
 
It looks a nice bit of engineering but after reading the review its fairly obvious that its not going to be the solution to everyones problems. The obvious disadvantage is the lack of perfect balance which is one of the plus points of the gimbal head. Having said that I would like to try one but that's probably unlikely given where I live. I wouldn't take a chance sight unseen.
 
Well, my large version should be arriving in the next couple of days, anyone local to beds, herts or cambs is welcome to have a go!
 
sk66 said:
I *really* doubt it...
I can pretty well promise that it is not a good replacement for a full gimbal head. It's probably fine for smaller lighter setups, but so are a lot of other heads/options.
I don't really see any benefit to (exact) "leveling" for panning work unless you're stitching
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Everyone is able to have their opinion but without actually using one then how can you say what works well with it? Andy Rouse is basically putting his reputation on the line so his user review carries more clout than someone who has not used one. If it does turn out to be pony then it's going to his business harm through bad name. And if anyone sees him using a gimbal head I'm sure photos will soon circulate on the net. It has also been said in many reviews it's not a replacement for a gimbal as it can't do the same thing ie balance a lens at crazy angles.

Regarding not seeing the benefit of levelling, I can think of a few situations where it would be handy, straight water level on a canal bank when photographing water voles, landscape horizons, low PoV wildlife for the ground to be level, having a non level tripod legs at different angles.

Gaz J said:
It looks a nice bit of engineering but after reading the review its fairly obvious that its not going to be the solution to everyones problems. The obvious disadvantage is the lack of perfect balance which is one of the plus points of the gimbal head.
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It can balance without being locked up if the lens is straight. What it can't do is balance a lens at crazy angles, whether this is an issue only you can decide.

Like you said it's not the solution to everyone's problems, it's not a gimbal head by any means but it does have some advantages that other heads can't provide. What it can do is save me about 1.5kg and not having the need to change heads or carry two. This has become important for me otherwise I would have had a difficult decision whether to take a tripod and manfrotto 393 to skomer for a 2 night stay, my bag is already too heavy!

Like chris says anyone is welcome to try it if you are out with me or see me at any point.
 
I agree that Andy Rouse is putting his rep on the line. Gimbal heads are designed for one purpose and they do it pretty well. I think that for him to say that a gimbal doesn't pan smoothly is a bit harsh. The wimberley is very smooth and it will be interesting to see how these ball heads perform once they have been subjected to a bit of careless handing and the British weather.

However anything that allows more flexibility for photographers is to be welcomed. It's an ingenious bit of design and I hope it does well. Prices for wimberleys may soon be tumbling!!
 
Gaz J said:
I agree that Andy Rouse is putting his rep on the line. Gimbal heads are designed for one purpose and they do it pretty well. I think that for him to say that a gimbal doesn't pan smoothly is a bit harsh. The wimberley is very smooth and it will be interesting to see how these ball heads perform once they have been subjected to a bit of careless handing and the British weather.

However anything that allows more flexibility for photographers is to be welcomed. It's an ingenious bit of design and I hope it does well. Prices for wimberleys may soon be tumbling!!
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I wasn't sure about the wimberley not panning smooth comment, having never used one all I've heard is how good they are! I would love to see the price of wimberleys drop, can't see it happening though. As along as what you use gets you the photos that all that matters really.
 
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jerry12953 said:
Re: Rouse involvement.

The head (small version) retails at £250 inc VAT, that's £208.33 ex VAT.

Say he buys them in at £150 (although I have no idea), he's making a nice little profit of about £50 on each one..........
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Wow, where did you hear that? I'm guessing you are guessing here which is not great to do when it can be taken by others as fact. I gather he's involved in marketing which is fair enough, so many pros are nowadays when images can't make you a living any more. It's not like he has hid the fact he is involved in the product. Product endorsements are the way of the world now, just think of the celebs on TV ads.

Uk prices are £250 and £385 from Rouses webstore.
 
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rob-nikon said:
Wow, where did you hear that? I'm guessing you are guessing here which is not great to do when it can be taken by others as fact. I gather he's involved in marketing which is fair enough, so many pros are nowadays when images can't make you a living any more. It's not like he has hid the fact he is involved in the product. Product endorsements are the way of the world now, just think of the celebs on TV ads.

Uk prices are £250 and £385 from Rouses webstore.
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Yes, I'm guessing but it might help to explain AR's enthusiasm though ........

It is a tempting bit of kit.

One possible drawback that has occurred to me is when mounting an SLR on the Uniqball, say for landscape photography.

It has been pointed out that you need an extra plate on the bottom of your SLR so that the lens points along the long axis of the head, instead of across it. Does that mean that you need another similar plate on the vertical arm of your L-plate (if you're using one) to do the same thing in portrait format?

With your hands-on experience, would you say that was the case?
 
rob-nikon said:
Wow, where did you hear that? I'm guessing you are guessing here which is not great to do when it can be taken by others as fact. I gather he's involved in marketing which is fair enough, so many pros are nowadays when images can't make you a living any more. It's not like he has hid the fact he is involved in the product. Product endorsements are the way of the world now, just think of the celebs on TV ads.

Uk prices are £250 and £385 from Rouses webstore.
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As guesses go, probably a fairly safe one, when AR is actually selling them through his website. And inevitably, that puts a certain spin on his very enthusiastic review.
 
jerry12953 said:
Yes, I'm guessing but it might help to explain AR's enthusiasm though ........

It is a tempting bit of kit.

One possible drawback that has occurred to me is when mounting an SLR on the Uniqball, say for landscape photography.

It has been pointed out that you need an extra plate on the bottom of your SLR so that the lens points along the long axis of the head, instead of across it. Does that mean that you need another similar plate on the vertical arm of your L-plate (if you're using one) to do the same thing in portrait format?

With your hands-on experience, would you say that was the case?
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Basically the adapter alters the way the uniqball sees the direction camera mounted plate. For the uniqball to work properly the acra Swiss plate has to pointing the direction of the lens, basically taking the camera plate plate and turning it the opposite way. It wouldn't make any difference on either side of the l plate. The adapter has it's own acra Swiss clamp on top so it just clamps into this the camera base plate or l plate.

The simple explanation is use the adapter for landscapes with or without a l plate.
 
So that would mean that you would need two adapters for a Kirk L bracket would it? If so that's a bit of a negative for the head. The Kirk bracket is a fine piece of kit. Adding another two plates would be almost negating the advantages of the L bracket.
 
I hadn't looked into that as I shall be using it with long lenses only, but yeah, that does seem a bit of a let down for other users.
 
HoppyUK said:
As guesses go, probably a fairly safe one, when AR is actually selling them through his website. And inevitably, that puts a certain spin on his very enthusiastic review.
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Although, having looked at his site again, the RRP doesn't appear to contain any VAT. But the principle would be the same.
 
Gaz J said:
So that would mean that you would need two adapters for a Kirk L bracket would it? If so that's a bit of a negative for the head. The Kirk bracket is a fine piece of kit. Adding another two plates would be almost negating the advantages of the L bracket.
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You connect the adaptor (basically an acra Swiss clamp with a plate the angles sides at a right angle) to the uniqball head clamp and connect the l bracket to the adaptor as you would normally would with any acra Swiss clamp. If using a l plate you don't need two adapters, the adaptor clamp stays attached to the uniqball not the l plate.

The acra Swiss plate has to face in the direction of the red tension knob, with a telephoto lens it's not a problem as the acra Swiss plate faces forward. If you connect via the camera body you have two options, mount the acra Swiss plate in the direction of the lens or use the adapter with the acra Swiss plate mounted lengthways on the base of the camera ( ie at right angles to the lens). The adapter has it's own acra Swiss clamp so it stays attached to the uniqball head clamp and the camera connects to the adapter like any other acra Swiss clamp. The only real issue is making sure the adapter is with you if you need it. You may be able to turn the uniqballs clamp by undoing the Allen key and turning the plate 90 degrees if you never use telephoto lenses with tripod foot connections and only connect via the bottom of the camera. I don't find it a problem.
 
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Ok rob I see how this works now. The adaptor must have male and female arca swiss fittings at right angles to each other. The male fits the ball head forward facing and the L bracket then fits as normal. I have made a very similar conversion for a ball head that I have. It seems that the feature that makes it suitable for long lens use penalises it for photographers.

I would certainly be interested in the head for long lens work but for me the addition of the extra plate loses it some credibility as the only head you'll ever need suggestion.
 
Gaz J said:
Ok rob I see how this works now. The adaptor must have male and female arca swiss fittings at right angles to each other. The male fits the ball head forward facing and the L bracket then fits as normal. I have made a very similar conversion for a ball head that I have. It seems that the feature that makes it suitable for long lens use penalises it for photographers.

I would certainly be interested in the head for long lens work but for me the addition of the extra plate loses it some credibility as the only head you'll ever need suggestion.
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You have described it better than me. The issue is the way the ball head works to pan and tilt, it has to have a known direction for the way the lens it pointing so it can't have the acra Swiss plates attached in two different directions. If it didn't have a known direction of pointing/use then the inner ball head would tip sideways like any ball head does. Im guessing they decided to put the adapter on the landscape setup due to less weight of a landscape lens compared to a 800 f5.6 or 600 f4 lens.

Sounds like the marketing should be changed to 'the only head (with adapter) you'll ever need'? The videos do mention the adapter clamp so it's not like it's been hidden away. I find the adapter to be no issue at all, it's lighter than carrying a second head landscapes. My adapter stays with all my filters and in a pouch with the remote release so I don't forget it. It's a small compromise for what for me is the only head I now use for both wildlife and landscapes, a lot smaller than previously carrying two different heads. Photography kit is always a compromise, it's just how much of a compromise you want it to be.

Im off to skomer with planned landscape stops on the way next month, it's definitely helps me for that as only carrying 2kg of tripod/head compared to 3.5kg for one tripod and two heads is great difference when my bag alone weighs in at around 15kg (let's me take a 70-200 f2.8 for roughly that weight difference).
 
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Absolutely right Rob regarding weight. Im off to Skomer next week all being well, its only 10 miles for me, and I won't take my gimbal head because of its weight and size. its a tight squeeze on the boat going over unless you're staying on the island when you get a boat all to yourself so carrying a large bag isn't such an issue.Instead I will take a Gitzo ball head that will do the job for a day.

I guess for me seeing one of these heads in any shop isn't going to happen. I might have to take the plunge based on you guys that already have.
 
Rob you said earlier that the lens plate supplied had stops fitted. Does the longer plate that you bought also have them? If so am I correct in saying that if you loosen the plate clamp slightly so that the plate will slide it would not slide out of the end due to the stops?

cheers
 
Gaz J said:
Absolutely right Rob regarding weight. Im off to Skomer next week all being well, its only 10 miles for me, and I won't take my gimbal head because of its weight and size. its a tight squeeze on the boat going over unless you're staying on the island when you get a boat all to yourself so carrying a large bag isn't such an issue.Instead I will take a Gitzo ball head that will do the job for a day.

I guess for me seeing one of these heads in any shop isn't going to happen. I might have to take the plunge based on you guys that already have.
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I think Andy Rouse is doing a 14 day return if you dont like it. It may be worth trying.

I'm staying over for 2 nights, I taking the tripod mainly for the SEO and Little Owls, maybe some puffin in flight shots too. I wish I lived so close as you, its a 6-7 hour drive for me although that is broken up by several landscape stops and the forest of dean.
 
Gaz J said:
Rob you said earlier that the lens plate supplied had stops fitted. Does the longer plate that you bought also have them? If so am I correct in saying that if you loosen the plate clamp slightly so that the plate will slide it would not slide out of the end due to the stops?

cheers
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Yes the little screw on the bottom stop it sliding out fully when the clamp is loosened slightly. I think the plate supplied was 50mm, I purchased a 100mm plate for my 300 f2.8.
 
Hotshots said:
Only one thing it doesn't do is you cant have it level and your ball head in a vertical position as well. Looks like you would need to shell out on an L bracket for that.
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Can you even use the head for portrait orientation w/o an L-bracket (head tilted to 90*)? It doesn't seem like you would have the ability to position laterally...

Sounds like the marketing should be changed to 'the only head (with adapter) you'll ever need'?
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So maybe it's 'the only head (with adapter) you'll ever need (if you have/use an L-bracket)'?
 
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It seems that you need an L bracket and adaptor to get the full benefits if you want to use the camera vertically. It's not alone in this respect though. I have a Gitzo that only has 28 degrees of movement towards the side so a L bracket is a must. Having said that the L bracket system of mounting your camera vertically is much better that using a ball head that flops over IMO.

It's the fact that I have the Gitzo head and never combine landscape and my wildlife photography together that is making wonder if this head is going to be a benefit to me. The gimbal head I have I made myself and it does the job fine for me so if I buy one it will be to replace that.
 
The UniqBall does not replace a gimbal. IMHO, the biggest single advantage of a gimbal is the camera/lens hangs below the pivot point and it's easy to adjust so the camera is balanced perfectly and it will stay in any position, with no friction applied, ready to go, and for as long as you like. This is not possible with any other type of head.
 
sk66 said:
Can you even use the head for portrait orientation w/o an L-bracket (head tilted to 90*)? It doesn't seem like you would have the ability to position laterally...


So maybe it's 'the only head (with adapter) you'll ever need (if you have/use an L-bracket)'?
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The outer ball can tilt 90* but you lose the benefit of the levelling ball. To get the best out of it you need a L plate, but this goes any ball head as tilting to the side means the centre of gravity is off set from the centre of the tripod legs and you may need to move the tripod to get the same framing.

HoppyUK said:
The UniqBall does not replace a gimbal. IMHO, the biggest single advantage of a gimbal is the camera/lens hangs below the pivot point and it's easy to adjust so the camera is balanced perfectly and it will stay in any position, with no friction applied, ready to go, and for as long as you like. This is not possible with any other type of head.
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You are right it can't be a direct replacement for a gimbal head. Gimbals have their own benefit that no other head can give. Like everything the uniqball is a compromise depending on what you use/need, if you want one lightweight head for both wildlife and landscape then there are not too many options. If it's only wildlife that you do then a gimbal is a great choice and works very well. I may in the future get a gimbal head again, at present I can't justify the funds due to less need for one, that may change in the future.

If you are thinking of spending £200-400 on a head, probably about the same on a tripod then extras like l plates or replacement tripod foots are probably on your agenda. Where it doesn't seem to be aimed at is users that are already happy with a low cost ball head.
 
Gaz J said:
It seems that you need an L bracket and adaptor to get the full benefits if you want to use the camera vertically. It's not alone in this respect though. I have a Gitzo that only has 28 degrees of movement towards the side so a L bracket is a must. Having said that the L bracket system of mounting your camera vertically is much better that using a ball head that flops over IMO.
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Some like/love/use L-brackets... I've no problem with that. But I don't. The main reason for that is I use CarrySpeed straps with their folding arca plate/pin, and Spider Holsters which the CarrySpeed plate pins fit into. With this setup I can go from tripod, to strap, to holster in a matter of seconds. Using an L bracket would require a whole different setup. I know some have a 1/4-20 thread which I might be able to add my CarrySpeed plate to, but I'd rather not. And I'd rather not spend the additional $150-200 for an L-plate with how seldom I use a tripod to shoot in portrait orientation...

As for using a gimbal for landscapes. Take the long lens plate off of the big lens (or attach a separate one of ~ 4") to the camera body, with it offset to one side, and then clamp it into the gimbal. Use LiveView to compose/focus. It's a makeshift workaround, but it works well enough for most situations; especially considering how often such an issue actually arises. I mean, I'm very seldom carrying a landscape suitable lens when I'm working wildlife... and even if I am, the light is seldom so bad that I can't handhold the shorter FL. And if I'm not working wildlife I'm not going to be carrying my giant Gitzo nor really need pan-tilt/gimbal functionality.

I actually considered buying one just to check out... And I contacted the company to see if they are interested in USA distribution thinking I wouldn't mind buying in qtty to resell them. The price/weight isn't that bad if you consider a similarly rated ballhead and leveling plate as an "only purchase," and they seemed quite flexible. But the more I understand it, now I know an L-bracket is a requirement, and when I put it "in context;" I'm not too sure about wanting to get involved at all...
 
rob-nikon said:
The outer ball can tilt 90* but you lose the benefit of the levelling ball. To get the best out of it you need a L plate, but this goes any ball head as tilting to the side means the centre of gravity is off set from the centre of the tripod legs and you may need to move the tripod to get the same framing.
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With the UniqBall @ 90* you *have* to move the tripod in order to frame horizontally don't you? And even an L-bracket causes the framing to shift some. I do agree that having the weight off center is less than ideal. But it's not typically a problem with lighter weight gear (shorter lenses) as long as the weight is somewhere close to being over a tripod leg.
Hmm, my 70-200mm and 150mm macro are both excellent portrait lenses, and they both have rotating tripod collars... I guess no L-bracket would be required with them...

Almost any ballhead can be used as a makeshift gimbal with the head at 90* like the acratech heads are designed to be used (except the UniqBall and a few others that won't tilt to 90*). It does require the lens have a rotating tripod collar. And it does put the weight significantly off center (so can a "sidekick" gimbal adaptor or side-mount gimbal head).

Like everything else with photography...it seems you always have to make some sort of compromise...
 
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