[soccerjoe5]

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.

---

Hey - good to hear that you've heard good things Diego. Quite a while ago, you got me interested in good tripod heads with your thread about RRS L-Brackets for K20D+grip, and I'm sure, someday I'll upgrade, but the reality was I needed a better head than I had, and I had Amazon.com gift certs. left from xmas and my birthday, and I couldn't find Markins / RRS / etc... on amazon (and I couldn't have afforded 'em if they were there), but the Cullmann looked good so I took a chance on it.

It seems to offer great value, so thumbs up for that! I'm all for great stuff that's more affordable.

I forgot to add though that while arca swiss plates are quite costly at about $40-60 a piece, they are custom made for each lens/camera so that they don't budge because of the way they're molded. But again, I'm all for buying the best you can afford and I'm just lucky enough that I was able to save up a few months for my Markins ballhead and plates

[Russell-Evans]

I forgot to add though that while arca swiss plates are quite costly at about $40-60 a piece

I make my own out of a 1 1/2 inch by 1/8 inch flat aluminum stock. I simply cut two pieces of the flat stock to the right length, file down the edges to the right angle, then metal epoxy the two pieces together to make the plate. I use a triangle file to finish the groves. To provide a lip, I simply metal epoxy an end piece on to the plate. It takes about an hour per plate to make, not counting the 24 hours for the metal epoxy to set.

I bought a 30 inch length of the stock for about US $9. I have a US $5 plastic miter box, a US $10 hack saw, a US $10 set of files, two US $4 small C clamps, and a US $30 cordless drill. I have these for many years now, so the tools aren't just for this. The plates are ugly, but I don't really care.

This ugly monstrosity is a tripod mount I made for a Version I Tokina 80-400mm.



Hard to see, but I made the plate under this macro rail. The macro rail is a $49 ebay rail, with a $40 Kirk 1.75 inch 1/4-20 mount QR plate. For a around $100, I have the ugly cousin of the Kirk focus rail.







I spent the money for Kirk L-bracket as I wouldn't try to make a plate for the camera.

Thank you
Russell

[daacon]

Well Josh it's all on you now I ordered one from B&H - a little nervous as they us UPS and I am likley to get stung with some Brokerage fees - but still considerably cheaper than $700 ..... should be here this week sometime (I also ordered the 140mm plate).

Looking forward to it

[heliphoto]

Congrats Dave - I think you'll be pleased (if not you can blame me). BTW - looks like you got outta mexico at the right time eh? Didn't bring the flu home with you...

[daacon]

Yeah thanks for the recommendation - anxious for it to get here. Almost bid on a used Markins on Ebay but man it went for $266 with no plates ......

I saw that on the news - the stand of flu is not that serious here at least - and from what I understand it was more from central Mexico (Mexico City) than the costal tourist area where we were (about an hour out of Cancun - near Playa Del Carmen) still would sure suck to get it ....

[gawan]

I thought I would piggy back on this thread so others cann benefit from my stupidiity

I looked at the Markins Q10 seems resonable. So in addition I assume I will need a plate there is one for the K10/K20. PG-32 $50.00

Do I also need a seperate plate for each large lens ? I have two lens that have tripod mounts. THe Bigma (Markin suggest a PL-12 plate $65) and the Tamron 70-200 (Again Markin suggest another plate a PL-55 $50)

These 2 additonal plates add $120.00 to the $360 USD for the head .... Do I need the extra lens plates ?

That is more than I wanted to spend for a ballhead - I wanted to keep it around $300 - $400.

Plates do not have to cost that much. I bought my camera plate along with the head for $30 and I found the lens plate for my sigma 100-300 for $32 (from Nova Photo, good quality grade air plane aluminium).

These plates really lock the gear, not like those cork plated things I learne d to hate...

[hinman]

Can anyone suggest me places to look for Markins M10 tripod ballhead. I look around in ebay and most cost over $300 and listing don't come with a plate?

e.g.
*Brand New* Markins M10 KN Tripod Ball Head -Black- - eBay (item 140322231286 end time Jun-20-09 06:38:27 PDT)

I want to make it one stop shopping for the M10 head or something similar to support at least 20 lb and probably more.

I do have several questions on the ball head:

1. Do the Markins M10 work well in both tripod and monopod? It would be nice to share the ball head between applications on monopod.
   
2. Can I re-use cheopo plate that I currently have on my Amvona tripod ball head in 1st picture below
   
3. What monopod that support 15 to 20 lb would you recommend that will work well with M10 ball head?
   
4. Would the M10 work well for both tele-lens as well as macro?

I currently have a inexpensive tripod Amvona with Carbon Fiber that come with a ball head that work for lighter lens. The tripod is doing okay for me as I am working myself to get to like working with tripod, but when I mount an heavier tele-lens such as Photosniper Tair-3 Phs 300mm f/4.5, roughly 3.5 lb and my K20D camera, the ball head slips by quite a big margin every time I try to position a bird in a distance. It is painful.

Dynatran AT-CF922 tripod










slipping all the time, please help

I think my immediate need will require a quick upgrade to the ball head before I can think of the tripod leg.

Suggestions are needed and I appreciate your help.

Hin

---

Last edited by hinman; 05-26-2009 at 07:11 PM.

[heatherslightbox]

Right now, I have a Bogen Manfrotto 486RC2 head on BM 190XPROB legs. I'm fine with the legs, but I've gotten a bit frustrated with the head. When I get the camera positioned how I want it, I use the lever to lock it into place, but after I let go of the camera and head, the camera & lens droop just enough to mess up my composition and then I have to start the positioning process all over again.

I've been thinking of getting a geared head (Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 410 Junior Geared Head - | 410), but now I'm wondering if I just need a better ballhead. Keep in mind that most of what I do is nature-type photography (macros included). I've been looking at ballheads of the like of Markins, RRS, and Acratech since I can get the Arca-swiss K20 plate and a L-bracket. Other than the droop, I like using a ballhead.

So...do I just get a better ballhead or should I just go for a geared head?

Thanks!
Heather

[heliphoto]

Can anyone suggest me places to look for Markins M10 tripod ballhead. I look around in ebay and most cost over $300 and listing don't come with a plate?

e.g.
*Brand New* Markins M10 KN Tripod Ball Head -Black- - eBay (item 140322231286 end time Jun-20-09 06:38:27 PDT)

I want to make it one stop shopping for the M10 head or something similar to support at least 20 lb and probably more.

I do have several questions on the ball head:

1. Do the Markins M10 work well in both tripod and monopod? It would be nice to share the ball head between applications on monopod.
   
2. Can I re-use cheopo plate that I currently have on my Amvona tripod ball head in 1st picture below
   
3. What monopod that support 15 to 20 lb would you recommend that will work well with M10 ball head?
   
4. Would the M10 work well for both tele-lens as well as macro?

I currently have a inexpensive tripod Amvona with Carbon Fiber that come with a ball head that work for lighter lens. The tripod is doing okay for me as I am working myself to get to like working with tripod, but when I mount an heavier tele-lens such as Photosniper Tair-3 Phs 300mm f/4.5, roughly 3.5 lb and my K20D camera, the ball head slips by quite a big margin every time I try to position a bird in a distance. It is painful.

Dynatran AT-CF922 tripod


slipping all the time, please help
IMG

I think my immediate need will require a quick upgrade to the ball head before I can think of the tripod leg.

Suggestions are needed and I appreciate your help.

Hin

Hin, I agree that you probably need to upgrade your tripod head before the legs (as long as your legs seem to be supporting your lenses sufficiently well that you don't worry about them collapsing. That Markins head on ebay's a pretty good deal since it's got free shipping, but I would be inclined to buy one direct from Markins to be comfortable that I had the three year warranty etc. You can order plates from them as well, but of course you could also choose other arca compatible plates (I wouldn't know the details since I've got the Cullmann I mentioned above). Generally these high end heads won't come with plates, they expect you to order the specific lens plates and camera plates which are custom made to fit the lenses and cameras you intend to use them on.

My only complaint with the Cullmann so far is that the universal QR plates are fairly bulky and not nearly as slick as custom arca compatible ones (though they're holding tight for me and they're fairly cheap, so this is a minor complaint).

[heliphoto]

Right now, I have a Bogen Manfrotto 486RC2 head on BM 190XPROB legs. I'm fine with the legs, but I've gotten a bit frustrated with the head. When I get the camera positioned how I want it, I use the lever to lock it into place, but after I let go of the camera and head, the camera & lens droop just enough to mess up my composition and then I have to start the positioning process all over again.

I've been thinking of getting a geared head (Manfrotto by Bogen Imaging | 410 Junior Geared Head - | 410), but now I'm wondering if I just need a better ballhead. Keep in mind that most of what I do is nature-type photography (macros included). I've been looking at ballheads of the like of Markins, RRS, and Acratech since I can get the Arca-swiss K20 plate and a L-bracket. Other than the droop, I like using a ballhead.

So...do I just get a better ballhead or should I just go for a geared head?

Thanks!
Heather

Heather, I can guarantee that the right ballhead from any of those manufacturers on your list (Markins, RRS, Acratech) will not droop for you - I haven't used 'em, but the Cullmann Magnesit 35 / 40490 I mentioned above doesn't droop with my Tamron SP 400mm f/4 + Teleconverter + K20D w/ grip, so I'm sure those higher end heads would likewise hold still for you. The geared head looks interesting for some applications, and I really don't know how they work, but I can say that for birds and wildlife, I'd only use something like a ball head or a gimbal head which allows me to track the little buggers as they move around. On a bit more research, I see that geared head your looking at allows quick easy movement on one axis at a time (great video demonstration), but that looks like a nightmare for chasing hummingbirds 'round the flower patch ... The ball head made repositioning the lens to the new location pretty easy, though of course a gimbal head would be even better .

[SCGushue]

Can anyone suggest me places to look for Markins M10 tripod ballhead. I look around in ebay and most cost over $300 and listing don't come with a plate?

e.g.
*Brand New* Markins M10 KN Tripod Ball Head -Black- - eBay (item 140322231286 end time Jun-20-09 06:38:27 PDT)

I want to make it one stop shopping for the M10 head or something similar to support at least 20 lb and probably more.

I do have several questions on the ball head:

1. Do the Markins M10 work well in both tripod and monopod? It would be nice to share the ball head between applications on monopod.
   
2. Can I re-use cheopo plate that I currently have on my Amvona tripod ball head in 1st picture below
   
3. What monopod that support 15 to 20 lb would you recommend that will work well with M10 ball head?
   
4. Would the M10 work well for both tele-lens as well as macro?

I currently have a inexpensive tripod Amvona with Carbon Fiber that come with a ball head that work for lighter lens. The tripod is doing okay for me as I am working myself to get to like working with tripod, but when I mount an heavier tele-lens such as Photosniper Tair-3 Phs 300mm f/4.5, roughly 3.5 lb and my K20D camera, the ball head slips by quite a big margin every time I try to position a bird in a distance. It is painful.

Dynatran AT-CF922 tripod










slipping all the time, please help

I think my immediate need will require a quick upgrade to the ball head before I can think of the tripod leg.

Suggestions are needed and I appreciate your help.

Hin

Hi Hin,

The Markins Q10 will hold anyhting you can put on it. If I recall the load capacity is about 100 pounds or more and I don't think even you will acquire a lens beyond that. I use a Wimberley for my A*1200mm, but I would feel comfortable putting it on the Markins also, but the Wimberley lets me have a more stable panning platform.

I think you could easily use the Q10 on a mono. I do. You just need to practice utilizing it properly so you don't smash your lenses. You may need the 3/8 inch adapter because I believe the Q10 is 1/4 threads.

BTW... any chance you want to sell me back my Sigma 8mm?

Stephen

[heatherslightbox]

I've basically decided to go with another ballhead. Whether I get the Cullman or one of the higher end heads, I want this to be the last head I'll need to buy. After looking at the high-end heads, I would most likely go with Arcatech--either the Ultimate or the GV2. For anybody who's interested, here's a link to a video that outlines what they have: YouTube - Acratech Ballheads; Features and Options.

Josh (heliphoto), the GV2 functions like a Gimbal--no more problems keeping up with those hummingbirds.

Now if only I could figure out how to get a money tree to grow in my backyard.

Heather

[heliphoto]

Thanks Heather, that GV2 looks pretty slick. Eventually, I will upgrade again, though honestly I may just put a RSS clamp on the top of my Cullmann ball and call it good. That way I could use custom Arca compatible plates to fit each lens and body, but realistically, the setup I've got is working great, and any more messing with it is really just gear fetishism taking hold.

The real reason I got the Cullmann was it was the nicest head I could find on amazon.com and within the constraints of the budget I had in amazon.com gift cards . That said, I'm very pleased with it and my tripod head is no longer on my A list of things to acquire or upgrade.


I think to get a money tree going just takes a little seed money ...

[hinman]

Hin, I agree that you probably need to upgrade your tripod head before the legs (as long as your legs seem to be supporting your lenses sufficiently well that you don't worry about them collapsing. That Markins head on ebay's a pretty good deal since it's got free shipping, but I would be inclined to buy one direct from Markins to be comfortable that I had the three year warranty etc. You can order plates from them as well, but of course you could also choose other arca compatible plates (I wouldn't know the details since I've got the Cullmann I mentioned above). Generally these high end heads won't come with plates, they expect you to order the specific lens plates and camera plates which are custom made to fit the lenses and cameras you intend to use them on.

My only complaint with the Cullmann so far is that the universal QR plates are fairly bulky and not nearly as slick as custom arca compatible ones (though they're holding tight for me and they're fairly cheap, so this is a minor complaint).

Thanks for the comment, information and link. Can you share with me the Cullmann ballhead model that you have?

Thanks,
Hin

[hinman]

Hi Hin,

The Markins Q10 will hold anyhting you can put on it. If I recall the load capacity is about 100 pounds or more and I don't think even you will acquire a lens beyond that. I use a Wimberley for my A*1200mm, but I would feel comfortable putting it on the Markins also, but the Wimberley lets me have a more stable panning platform.

I think you could easily use the Q10 on a mono. I do. You just need to practice utilizing it properly so you don't smash your lenses. You may need the 3/8 inch adapter because I believe the Q10 is 1/4 threads.

BTW... any chance you want to sell me back my Sigma 8mm?

Stephen

Thank you Stephen, I will look into Markins Q10 along with M10. I think you remember me wrong about the Sigma 8mm. I bought your other lenses with Pentax K 100mm f/4.0 1:2 Macro, Pentax A 50mm f/2.8 1:2 Macro and Pentax K 40-125mm f/4.0. All are wonderful lenses. It is a shame that I actually replaced them in the Marketplace. All lovely lens that I wish I can keep longer. But LBA bugs get into me that I need to manage in selling some before getting new ones.

Thanks for the comment and suggestion. If you have a monopod that you highly recommend for support K20D body plus a 300mm lens, and which works well with the Markins, please comment on model so that I can put it in to my research list.

Thanks,
Hin