Unique ball tripod head

Obviously a quality item, but it's the kind of product you need to try for yourself.

My immediate reaction is it's not quite the revolutionary design they're claiming. Levelling devices are nothing new, flat panning with a ball is better done in other ways, a ball-head can never replicate a 3-way head, and it certainly doesn't replace a gimbal.

It could be that this design makes a decent enough fist of all these things to be a good compromise. Or maybe not. I certainly wouldn't pay that kind of money without trying first, or assurance of a no-quibble returns policy.
 
Well put Hoppy. It certainly looks well made but I would be nervous parting with that sort of cash without thoroughly testing it first. In addition the old saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none" may well apply because I'm not sure if it's a ball head wanting to be a Gimbal or vice versa.

Andy
 
I like the idea and for something like a holiday trip where space is at a premium it does make sense in theory.

Hoppy alluded to it - Jack of all trades, master of none springs to mind.

That said I'd like to give it a go.
 
Having watched the video I fail to see how the claim can be made that when the base ball is level the upper ball will always be level. Even if the base ball is bang on level, the camera can be laid over to the side using the upper ball. Or have I missed the trick here? :thinking:
 
I think the upper ball only tilts forward and back, not from side to side

It's quite a neat idea
 
First post here, so be gentle! I've tried one at an owl day a couple of weeks back. It handled my 1D3 and 500 f4 (version 1) easily.

The post above is correct, once the larger ball is leveled and locked, the inner ball will only rotate around it's vertical axis and move forwards and backwards. I half an hour panning with a Tawny Owl and all of the shots were level.

PS, I know a first post extolling the good points looks a bit suspect, but I have no affiliation!
 
nellyle said:
First post here, so be gentle! I've tried one at an owl day a couple of weeks back. It handled my 1D3 and 500 f4 (version 1) easily.

The post above is correct, once the larger ball is leveled and locked, the inner ball will only rotate around it's vertical axis and move forwards and backwards. I half an hour panning with a Tawny Owl and all of the shots were level.

PS, I know a first post extolling the good points looks a bit suspect, but I have no affiliation!
Click to expand...

Good to hear a first hand experience of the product. Based on your experience would you buy one?
 
It looks a good head and not bad value when you consider how expensive tripod heads can get. I'm sure I saw this thread before not long back but I might try and source one of these over the summer.
 
Haha, no, not Andy Rouse!
I am going to buy one. Just sold on a Kirk ballhead to help pay for it. The quality is very good.

One thing it can't obviously do is balance like a gimbal, so don't expect to be able to leave a large lens at crazy angles and still have the ability to move the lens / body.
It's a set up that has to be held at all times unless level (or completely locked up!)
 
I tried one for a week or so when out staying with Bence Mate, he has aprox 3 of the larger ones. Seem very well made. I had everything from wide angle lenses to my 600f4 with a 1.4tc on it and my shots were sharp. Easy to set up and use with easy controls, very stable and move freely. I dont see it as a replacement for the gimbal unless you are planning on a long walk or moving about between shots- i would pick this over my gimbal in those situations every day. I could put a levelling base on my tripod and then my gimbal but that again adds more weight. It held my 600 perfectly however i didnt use at extreme angles. All in for me i will defo consider buying one and a friend is buying one shortly after he used it. A fantastic item for those wanting a head for many situations( landscape to wildlife for example).

Forgot to say that the thread name above has the wrong spelling- it should read Uniqball( correct spelling) lol.
 
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I've bought one, so far it works quite well. At the time of buying I was looking for a smaller, lighter one tripod head for both wildlife, landscapes, macro that only uses a acra Swiss plate. I was looking at an acra Swiss ball head and sidekick until I came across this.

The levelling ball works quite well, it's easier once I got the hang of it and the top ball works nicely. It can be tensioned as required and unlike a normal ball head it can't fall sideways, it can only move forward/backwards and rotates. This means if you have the virtual horizon on your camera on the line stays level whichever way to turn the camera up/down/left/right (thinking of doing a video of this at some point). This really helped when photographing the waterfalls at padley gorge as I didn't have to worry about levelling the camera when changing composition.

With the top ball tension set so you have panning movement the lens balances when left straight, if it's at a little angle it will fall backwards/forwards. Leaving it straight or locking the top ball is not a problem for me.

Like Mark says it won't be a full replacement for a gimbal head but if you are walking about a lot then this would be the head I would use. If I was sitting in a hide then a gimbal would be good. For me it made sense, my wish list was only one multipurpose head that used acra Swiss that's light, small and can be used for wildlife, landscapes and macro. The weigh saving for me was 1kg over my previous tripod set up and most of my photography involves walking rather than sitting in hides.

I'm going to go down to my local deer park, this is where it should be useful being light and quick to set up once I've moved position. I've yet to use it for birds in flight so I can't say anything there. It also means my dilemma regarding taking a tripod for my stay on skomer in a month has been solved. I don't think I would have taken the manfrotto 393 with me as my bag was already going to be heavy.
 
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Keebsuk said:
Rob, which one did you buy. Was it the small or larger one?

Andy
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I bought the smaller one. My largest lens is a 300mm f2.8 so it's within the recommended size of the smaller version. I couldn't justify the larger one when I currently don't have any larger lenses and have no plans to either. The diameter of the base is a perfect match for the centre column base of my manfrotto 055.
 
Andy, I shall be ordering the large one in the next couple of days.....unfortunately none are being sent out until the 12th June though.

When it arrives I could do a quick review for you!
 
nellyle said:
First post here, so be gentle! I've tried one at an owl day a couple of weeks back. It handled my 1D3 and 500 f4 (version 1) easily.

The post above is correct, once the larger ball is leveled and locked, the inner ball will only rotate around it's vertical axis and move forwards and backwards. I half an hour panning with a Tawny Owl and all of the shots were level.

PS, I know a first post extolling the good points looks a bit suspect, but I have no affiliation!
Click to expand...

Aha! So I was wrong then, and not for the first time either. :runaway:

Thanks for the explanation guys; it does look like a good bit of kit though. :ty:
 
Does the lens foot plate have stops on it that prevent it sliding through the head?
 
Th
Gaz J said:
Does the lens foot plate have stops on it that prevent it sliding through the head?
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The lens foot plate supplied did have stops but at 50mm it's only useful for the bottom of the camera.i purchased a 100mm plate from amazon for 300mm f2.8. If you are planning landscapes you will need a L plate. If I get time this weekend I will write a blog about it.
 
If it helps anyone I have written a blog entry about the UniqBall. There is also a video showing how level it is when moving left, right, up, down. It can be found on my website blog here. Hope this helps everyone, I will try to get a few more images at the weekend and update it further.
 
I use an Acratech GP head. Has all the same capabilities for less money (at least here). Only issue is the leveling function requires the head be inverted which eliminates it's Gimbal function for the time.
I *LOVE* Acratech ball heads...
 
sk66 said:
I use an Acratech GP head. Has all the same capabilities for less money (at least here). Only issue is the leveling function requires the head be inverted which eliminates it's Gimbal function for the time.
I *LOVE* Acratech ball heads...
Click to expand...
It looks good, unfortunately the UK price is £400, which is about the same at the larger uniqball. One of the reasons I purchased the smaller and cheaper uniqball as it came in at around £220. I think with all tripod heads the best one is the one you will use, its good to know there are other out there.
 
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sk66 said:
I use an Acratech GP head. Has all the same capabilities for less money (at least here). Only issue is the leveling function requires the head be inverted which eliminates it's Gimbal function for the time.
I *LOVE* Acratech ball heads...
Click to expand...

If only they didn't shift left-right when you lock them down, I would too :(
 
Looks good - thanks for the Andy Rouse review - very comprehensive
 
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. But I can see the advantages it probably a lot lighter than my ArcaSwiss Z1 SP ball head and Gitzo systematic levelling base.
 
For flat panning on a ball head, then something like this Sunwayfoto Arca-Swiss type panning clamp can be fitted to most heads for £70
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunwayfoto-Multipurpose-Panoramic-Horizontal-Compatible/dp/B00GWE1CPU/ref=sr_1_sc_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1401960930&sr=1-3-spell&keywords=sunway foto arca swiss There are several like this around (Benro, Arca-Swiss etc) and a lot of ball heads can be specified with one from new, though this one is particularly light, probably less than the standard clamp it replaces.

IMHO, an Arca-Swiss Z1 ball head with panning clamp, probably the best ball on the market, is hard to beat at similar weight and money to the larger Uniq. Or if it's light weight you're after, the ingenious Arca-Swiss P0 is excellent.
 
Not sure that pano head offers the same. Once the leveling ball on the Uniqball is set and locked, the inner ball cannot go off level. With the Sunwayfoto one, to get the same freedom of movement, you would have to have the ballhead unlocked so potentially not level.

Hope that makes sense!
 
nellyle said:
Not sure that pano head offers the same. Once the leveling ball on the Uniqball is set and locked, the inner ball cannot go off level. With the Sunwayfoto one, to get the same freedom of movement, you would have to have the ballhead unlocked so potentially not level.

Hope that makes sense!
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Not really :) What freedom of movement? A panning clamp pans flat left-right, you don't want any other movement.
 
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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Dos the GIF on this site explain better? You can move the whole set up around more than you can with a panning head, whilst still staying level.
 
Look excellent to me
However.................
I had a similar Idea in april 2005
And sent a mock up to Giotto who were not in the least interested. :mad:
Though I had not thought of the side tilt lock... which is a game changer
Though mine did allow a level pan with the camera in any position. which was the problem I was having doing stitched pans.

:mad:
 
I asked about this head when Andy Rouse first mentioned it. It would never replace my gimbal but as a travel head or a ball head it kind of makes sense to me as I am rubbish at horizons.

I never ordered one as it's rather expensive, and unproven. I'm not 100% on import VAT and duty but I am pretty sure the RRS BH-55 would cost you less to your door. I regard the BH-55 as a bloody expensive head (for a ball head anyway) which really puts me off this unless proven to be amazing. My initial thought was to sell the wimberly to get this but it became clear that's not what would be best.

I think the reality is I'd be better off with a gimbal AND a ball head, then pick what's most appropriate for what I plan to do on a given day. Which gets me back to thinking tripod heads are over priced so I'll stick with my 3LT one despite what I don't like about it.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Look excellent to me
However.................
I had a similar Idea in april 2005
And sent a mock up to Giotto who were not in the least interested. :mad:
Though I had not thought of the side tilt lock... which is a game changer
Though mine did allow a level pan with the camera in any position. which was the problem I was having doing stitched pans.

:mad:
Click to expand...

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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