Anybody else here hate ball-heads?

LeDave · 01-03-2010, 05:27 PM

I really hate my ball head. Reason for this is because there's only one knob to twist the top and sometimes you only want to twist it side ways and to do that, you have to watch your bubble meter to make sure the head is still straight. Maybe I'm just lazy but I hate it, I prefer two knobs since it appears to be more efficient.

pxpaulx · 01-03-2010, 05:42 PM

hey dave, want to check out my photoclam sometime? a higher end ballhead will give you alot more precision (coming from an amvona head I know what a crap head is like!)

we should get a twincities meetup sometime...when it is alittle warmer though!

pop4 · 01-03-2010, 05:53 PM

Nope, I like mine

My thoughts regarding ballheads is that if you get a crappy one, then it's going to suck and you're not going to like it. Get decent one, and you'll be sweet. Mine has two knobs, well, actually three. One is to adjust tension so that I can move the camera around without it actually flopping around, one is to lock, so that I can lock the camera into place, and the third knob, it locks/unlocks the panning mechanism of the whole head.

For me, a ballhead is way better than a three-way head.

Damn Brit · 01-03-2010, 05:55 PM

Would you like me to change the title to '.. ball-heads with one knob'?
You seem to be contradicting yourself.

LeDave · 01-03-2010, 05:59 PM

pxpaulx, that would be great but I think most Pentaxians here in MN are scattered a few hours apart from where we all live. Despite seeing a load of Pentax users from the K-7 Road Tour, I've posted a suggestion for a "street photography" meet in the MN Pentaxians Group, but guess there's no interest since there's no incentive to travel that far.

And Pop4 I've never heard of such a ball head that had those features, I should've done some more research to see what other ball-heads offer. I am using a cheap Dolica Proline tripod that costs about 45-50 bucks on Amazon and it came with a ball-head, so now I am not surprised to why it feels so inaccurate and lifeless.

And Damn Brit, lol ^^ I should've done some more research. I thought there was only one type of ball-head, but it appears there are more after all.

pxpaulx · 01-03-2010, 06:09 PM

Originally posted by LeDave

pxpaulx, that would be great but I think most Pentaxians here in MN are scattered a few hours apart from where we all live. Despite seeing a load of Pentax users from the K-7 Road Tour, I've posted a suggestion for a "street photography" meet in the MN Pentaxians Group, but guess there's no interest since there's no incentive to travel that far.

And Pop4 I've never heard of such a ball head that had those features, I should've done some more research to see what other ball-heads offer. I am using a cheap Dolica Proline tripod that costs about 45-50 bucks on Amazon and it came with a ball-head, so now I am not surprised to why it feels so inaccurate and lifeless.

Well, yeah I suppose it is tough to get people together around here isnt it! Perhaps we should plan some camping trip up north, that could get more people out in the summer...if theyre into that sort of thing.

As to what Pop4 said, your response nailed this one on the head. A nice ballhead with a tension knob is so great to use. the tension knob allows you to set a minimum tension so that the camera can be moved by your hand WITHOUT having to unlock the ball, while the camera stays in place after you have made the adjustment. Once you try it, you wont be able to go back! Not sure which head pop4 has, but the photoclam head I have is a very nice head (newer company from S Korea, terrible name but great product, haha). Essentially it is a Markins knockoff, which itself was a knockoff of Arca swiss some years ago.

Ratmagiclady · 01-03-2010, 06:48 PM

Yeah, it sounds like you could be happy just trading in that single-knob ball for one with more controls. Or a Tiiltall type head.

I'd probably be happy enough with the one or two knob type, the way I use tripods, though.

A good ball head is a whole different matter than a crappy one. (I actually got darn lucky with an Amvona Ebay bargain, (three knobs) back when they were flooding the place: I don't expect it to necessarily last forever, from what I've heard, but it works real nice. I wouldn't pay their asking price these days, though. (I think they want like a hundred bucks for one of these on their site. ) One can do much much better. But I basically paid a token amount and shipping for it, can't complain there. It was a real boon to my budget to get a hold of the stuff at the time: I was trying to replace just about everything at once. )

Photoclam does have some nice stuff I'd been eyeing since someone mentioned them on one of their threads. And I think the name's just delightful. Still, there's lots of nice things out there.

Wheatfield · 01-03-2010, 07:36 PM

I disliked ball heads until I got a good one.
I like them fine now.

Light_Horseman · 01-03-2010, 09:34 PM

A good ball head makes a big difference. Now a hate pan/tilt heads!

stevebrot · 01-04-2010, 07:26 PM

I was fortunate to have been able to try a number of heads before I purchased. My conclusion is that while there are a few inexpensive ball heads that perform well, you pretty much get what you pay for. The value point starts somewhere around $100 and goes up, up, up from there.

The comments regarding additional screws/levers are well-made. Separate controls for ball lock and azimuth (pan) are essential. A separate tension adjustment is also nice.

Steve

creampuff · 01-04-2010, 08:59 PM

Start your research with offerings from Markins, Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Kirk, Arca Swiss, etc. Even Manfrotto doesn't make good enough heads imo. Forget the Amvona junk...
A good ballhead and tripod is an investment. Buy cheap and you'll pay twice because that cheap head will either under perform or won't last, really false economy in the longer run.

stevebrot · 01-04-2010, 10:42 PM

Originally posted by creampuff

Start your research with offerings from Markins, Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Kirk, Arca Swiss, etc. Even Manfrotto doesn't make good enough heads imo. Forget the Amvona junk...
A good ballhead and tripod is an investment. Buy cheap and you'll pay twice because that cheap head will either under perform or won't last, really false economy in the longer run.

Good advice. Look at the good stuff and then work your way down price-wise. I originally was going to buy Manfrotto until I played with an Acratech. I finally got a Giottos 1301. 80% of the bang for 50% of the buck and far nicer than the Manfrotto I was looking at.

Steve

dragonfly · 01-04-2010, 11:36 PM

Some of my best friends are ball-heads. I don't hate them, though.

raider · 01-05-2010, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Some of my best friends are ball-heads. I don't hate them, though.

LOL!

Man...u are funny

snostorm · 01-06-2010, 01:35 PM

Originally posted by creampuff

Even Manfrotto doesn't make good enough heads imo.

I'll disagree a bit here, but only specifically -- generally, the statement is accurate, though, IMO. My main head is a Wimberley clamp modified 468MG (used to have an RC2 QR), and this is a very good head. Magnesium cinstruction, separate lock, tension, and pan controls and a hydraulic lock system that locks the ball dead solid with very little effort. It only weighs about 1 lb, and with the added security of the Arca Swiss compatible Wimberley clamp, this light and relatively compact head is all I need for lenses up to the 300/2.8 class by itself, and it makes a very good base for my Sidekick as the panning base works very well with the offset load of the gimbal attachment.

I used to like Amvonas because they were dirt cheap -- mine cost $13-17 for the small and medium sized A S compatible units, but after some use, the design faults of these made them pretty much unusable. They look good, but are junk inside.

I recently played with a Vanguard SBH-250 head at a local camera store, and was impressed. Separate lock, tension, and pan controls, A S clamp, two spirit levels. It seems to be very well made and smooth in operation. They had it priced at $89 USD, so I imagine it could be found for less online. I'd buy one. . .

Scott

01-03-2010, 05:27 PM	#1
LeDave Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minneapolis - St. Paul Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,067	Anybody else here hate ball-heads? I really hate my ball head. Reason for this is because there's only one knob to twist the top and sometimes you only want to twist it side ways and to do that, you have to watch your bubble meter to make sure the head is still straight. Maybe I'm just lazy but I hate it, I prefer two knobs since it appears to be more efficient.

01-03-2010, 05:59 PM	#5
LeDave Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minneapolis - St. Paul Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,067 Original Poster	pxpaulx, that would be great but I think most Pentaxians here in MN are scattered a few hours apart from where we all live. Despite seeing a load of Pentax users from the K-7 Road Tour, I've posted a suggestion for a "street photography" meet in the MN Pentaxians Group, but guess there's no interest since there's no incentive to travel that far. And Pop4 I've never heard of such a ball head that had those features, I should've done some more research to see what other ball-heads offer. I am using a cheap Dolica Proline tripod that costs about 45-50 bucks on Amazon and it came with a ball-head, so now I am not surprised to why it feels so inaccurate and lifeless. And Damn Brit, lol ^^ I should've done some more research. I thought there was only one type of ball-head, but it appears there are more after all. Last edited by LeDave; 01-03-2010 at 06:06 PM.

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01-03-2010, 05:42 PM	#2
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	hey dave, want to check out my photoclam sometime? a higher end ballhead will give you alot more precision (coming from an amvona head I know what a crap head is like!) we should get a twincities meetup sometime...when it is alittle warmer though!

01-03-2010, 05:53 PM	#3
pop4 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: YMML Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,879	Nope, I like mine My thoughts regarding ballheads is that if you get a crappy one, then it's going to suck and you're not going to like it. Get decent one, and you'll be sweet. Mine has two knobs, well, actually three. One is to adjust tension so that I can move the camera around without it actually flopping around, one is to lock, so that I can lock the camera into place, and the third knob, it locks/unlocks the panning mechanism of the whole head. For me, a ballhead is way better than a three-way head.

01-03-2010, 05:55 PM	#4
Damn Brit Guest	Would you like me to change the title to '.. ball-heads with one knob'? You seem to be contradicting yourself.

01-03-2010, 06:09 PM	#6
pxpaulx Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 2,867	Originally posted by LeDave pxpaulx, that would be great but I think most Pentaxians here in MN are scattered a few hours apart from where we all live. Despite seeing a load of Pentax users from the K-7 Road Tour, I've posted a suggestion for a "street photography" meet in the MN Pentaxians Group, but guess there's no interest since there's no incentive to travel that far. And Pop4 I've never heard of such a ball head that had those features, I should've done some more research to see what other ball-heads offer. I am using a cheap Dolica Proline tripod that costs about 45-50 bucks on Amazon and it came with a ball-head, so now I am not surprised to why it feels so inaccurate and lifeless. Well, yeah I suppose it is tough to get people together around here isnt it! Perhaps we should plan some camping trip up north, that could get more people out in the summer...if theyre into that sort of thing. As to what Pop4 said, your response nailed this one on the head. A nice ballhead with a tension knob is so great to use. the tension knob allows you to set a minimum tension so that the camera can be moved by your hand WITHOUT having to unlock the ball, while the camera stays in place after you have made the adjustment. Once you try it, you wont be able to go back! Not sure which head pop4 has, but the photoclam head I have is a very nice head (newer company from S Korea, terrible name but great product, haha). Essentially it is a Markins knockoff, which itself was a knockoff of Arca swiss some years ago.

01-03-2010, 06:48 PM	#7
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Yeah, it sounds like you could be happy just trading in that single-knob ball for one with more controls. Or a Tiiltall type head. I'd probably be happy enough with the one or two knob type, the way I use tripods, though. A good ball head is a whole different matter than a crappy one. (I actually got darn lucky with an Amvona Ebay bargain, (three knobs) back when they were flooding the place: I don't expect it to necessarily last forever, from what I've heard, but it works real nice. I wouldn't pay their asking price these days, though. (I think they want like a hundred bucks for one of these on their site. ) One can do much much better. But I basically paid a token amount and shipping for it, can't complain there. It was a real boon to my budget to get a hold of the stuff at the time: I was trying to replace just about everything at once. ) Photoclam does have some nice stuff I'd been eyeing since someone mentioned them on one of their threads. And I think the name's just delightful. Still, there's lots of nice things out there.

01-03-2010, 07:36 PM	#8
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	I disliked ball heads until I got a good one. I like them fine now.

01-03-2010, 09:34 PM	#9
Light_Horseman Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Coffs Harbour, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 297	A good ball head makes a big difference. Now a hate pan/tilt heads!

01-04-2010, 07:26 PM	#10
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	I was fortunate to have been able to try a number of heads before I purchased. My conclusion is that while there are a few inexpensive ball heads that perform well, you pretty much get what you pay for. The value point starts somewhere around $100 and goes up, up, up from there. The comments regarding additional screws/levers are well-made. Separate controls for ball lock and azimuth (pan) are essential. A separate tension adjustment is also nice. Steve

01-04-2010, 08:59 PM	#11
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Start your research with offerings from Markins, Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Kirk, Arca Swiss, etc. Even Manfrotto doesn't make good enough heads imo. Forget the Amvona junk... A good ballhead and tripod is an investment. Buy cheap and you'll pay twice because that cheap head will either under perform or won't last, really false economy in the longer run.

01-04-2010, 10:42 PM	#12
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by creampuff Start your research with offerings from Markins, Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Kirk, Arca Swiss, etc. Even Manfrotto doesn't make good enough heads imo. Forget the Amvona junk... A good ballhead and tripod is an investment. Buy cheap and you'll pay twice because that cheap head will either under perform or won't last, really false economy in the longer run. Good advice. Look at the good stuff and then work your way down price-wise. I originally was going to buy Manfrotto until I played with an Acratech. I finally got a Giottos 1301. 80% of the bang for 50% of the buck and far nicer than the Manfrotto I was looking at. Steve

01-04-2010, 11:36 PM	#13
dragonfly Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: on the wall Photos: Gallery Posts: 715	Some of my best friends are ball-heads. I don't hate them, though.

01-05-2010, 09:34 PM	#14
raider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,989	Quote: Some of my best friends are ball-heads. I don't hate them, though. LOL! Man...u are funny

01-06-2010, 01:35 PM	#15
snostorm Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Chicago suburb, IL, USA Posts: 1,535	Originally posted by creampuff Even Manfrotto doesn't make good enough heads imo. I'll disagree a bit here, but only specifically -- generally, the statement is accurate, though, IMO. My main head is a Wimberley clamp modified 468MG (used to have an RC2 QR), and this is a very good head. Magnesium cinstruction, separate lock, tension, and pan controls and a hydraulic lock system that locks the ball dead solid with very little effort. It only weighs about 1 lb, and with the added security of the Arca Swiss compatible Wimberley clamp, this light and relatively compact head is all I need for lenses up to the 300/2.8 class by itself, and it makes a very good base for my Sidekick as the panning base works very well with the offset load of the gimbal attachment. I used to like Amvonas because they were dirt cheap -- mine cost $13-17 for the small and medium sized A S compatible units, but after some use, the design faults of these made them pretty much unusable. They look good, but are junk inside. I recently played with a Vanguard SBH-250 head at a local camera store, and was impressed. Separate lock, tension, and pan controls, A S clamp, two spirit levels. It seems to be very well made and smooth in operation. They had it priced at $89 USD, so I imagine it could be found for less online. I'd buy one. . . Scott