Veteran Member Registered: February, 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Posts: 4,461
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 21, 2011 | Not Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 3 |
| Pros: | Beautifully made | | Cons: | Qucik release plate a pain to use | |
This is a beautifully crafted ball head which I got to perch atop my Sherpa Pro 6 Carbon Fibre monopod. I bought it specifically to support My Pentax K10 and SMC Pentax M 400/5.6 telephoto lens. This combo weighs in at around five pounds and the single lever head holds it all firmly in place. The head is made out of magnesium and features a built-in level which helps keep things straight. Unfortunately, when the camera is mounted it is very difficult/impossible to see the bubble which renders this feature pretty much useless. The manufacturer claims the head will support 8.8 lbs which I believe to be true. The 5 lb. load I normally subject it to seems to put no strain at all on the unit.
The quick release plate and locking mechanism is something of a pain in the ass however. There seems to be a bit of a design flaw here. One has to press a button on the side to slide the plate into place to start with. This presents no great difficulty. However, there is a lever lock which must be turned to firmly lock the plate in place. The problem is this lever often hits the bottom of the camera and can’t be turned through 360 degrees or more to firmly lock the plate down. The camera/lens won’t fall out but it will jiggle about and this can be very annoying. If you work at it long enough you can get it to work but things should be easier with a ball head at this price point. I should add this issue is limited to those times when I attach the head directly to the bottom of the camera. I have no problems at all when I use it with lenses having a tripod mount. In any case I continue to use it but this quick release issue would prevent me from recommending this ball head to other users. I expected much better from a firm with a reputation for quality such as Gitzo.
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