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10-01-2015, 05:37 AM   #1
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Tripod heads?

I like to shoot wildlife/nature mostly, but I am also getting into some astrophotography. I need to get a newer, sturdier tripod.

My question is, What type of head should I get? Pan or ball?

What are the pros and cons of each?

Should I look for a tripod with a removeable head, i can try both styles and see what works best for me?

10-01-2015, 06:07 AM - 1 Like   #2
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I do birds mostly and love my Manfrotto joystick ball head.

Joystick - Heads - Photo Supports - Products | Manfrotto

It usually sits on top of a 055 aluminium tripod.

Down the track, you might want to upgrade to a Wimberley head, which I'm sure would also be the bomb for astro.
10-01-2015, 06:19 AM   #3
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Most certainly you need a removable head. Cheap tripods are terrible because they sucker you in with features and leave out the ONE THING YOU NEED : STABILITY.

Pan vs. Ball - most people have decided to go for ball head over pan heads because they are easier to manipulate for still photos. Generally speaking good higher end ball heads have panning controls separate from the ball itself.

But I would rather have a pan head on a high stability set of legs that was sufficiently stable with my equipment than the best ball head made on unstable legs.
10-01-2015, 06:38 AM   #4
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For me tripods divide up into three general categories;
1. cheap rubbish as sold in eg walmart - avoid
2. middle of the road medium weight - wide range here, Alu or carbon fibre, varying features, number of leg sections, all the usual brands: manfrotto, Gitzo slik etc.
3. top end pro

And then you have a range of choice ball head, p&t, gimbal.

So whats best for you from #2? I have no idea but my best suggestion is that there is no substitute for some diligent trials with your lens and camera combo. Maybe any decent tripod will do because your combo is well balanced and not so heavy. Or maybe you need to be more particular.

At least that reflects my experience. i have a s/h old alu tripod that I acquired for next to nothing, with a slik p&t head that's just ok, but works fine with eg DA 55-300, my MF 300 f5.6 etc. But with my "bazooka" tamron 200-500mm which is horribly front heavy even a super heavy old slik SL67 is struggling (I really need a gimbal).
Plenty more advice around just google. One last point however: don't take any notice really of the weight the tripod is supposed to be rated for. IMO this is pretty meaningless. it's all about rigidity, not strength.

10-01-2015, 06:53 AM   #5
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Nature & astronomic photography are quite different.
Astrophotography is or can be a challenge requiring special technique and equipment. People really committed to it generally use a German equatorial mount with electronic drive and PEC (periodic error correction = a way to adjust alignment during a very long exposure), although there are some simpler, less expensive tracking devices for cameras fitted with relatively short FL lenses (ask me for more info if you're really interested). Sometimes long exposures are used (up to several hours), sometime several short exposures which are then stacked using special software devoted to astrophotography (a slightly different algorithm from a focus stacking program such as Zerene stacker, although the latter can be used with some success). Stacking short exposures reduces some of the problems of accurate tracking. There are additional complexities, such as combining exposures taken through different filters. For wide swaths of sky, camera lenses can be used directly, even down to fish eyes. To photograph details, such as a single galaxy or planetary nebula, you essentially must purchase an astronomical telescope, typically a reflector of 8" diameter, with most coming with their own tripod, fork or equatorial mount, and motor drive for tracking. Meade and Celestron are the Canon-Nikon equivalents, but there are other makers of excellent telescopes both reflector and refractor (eg. Televue and Takahashi).
Nature photography is quite different and there is no uniformity. For general use with lenses of modest FL (no more than ~200mm) most prefer a large ball head because they are quick and compact. I personally prefer a pan-tilt head for macro work because I feel it is easier to make small adjustments to alignment (I can adjust only pan, only tilt, or one then the other, whereas with a ball head perfect pan alignment may be lost when the ball is loosened to adjust the tilt). For long telephoto nature work (400mm and up) many/most nature photographers go to a gimbal head, especially the Wimberley (Bogen makes a much less expensive "heavy lens support" that works just as well). An exception is BIF photography where hand-holding is most common.

ALSO: The Arca-Swiss style "quick release**" system has become so popular it is essentially a full fledged industry. Many tripod heads, both ball and pan-tilt now come with an Arca-Swiss type mount permanently attached. An exception is Bogen which uses several different proprietary "quick release" systems on their ball, pan-tilt, heavy lens, and geared heads.

** The Arca-Swiss system is better than the classic 1/4 or 3/8 screw, but it is not really "quick." For many years I used a system that employed a 42mm square dovetail mounted on camera or lens, and several different designs from different manufacturers for the clamp on the tripod head. This system was truly "quick" - - MUCH quicker than Arca-Swiss. However, that system had its drawback (no custom plates, therefore no adequate anti-twist flanges on the camera plates and no double-screw plates for long lenses) and is now disappearing from the market. I have begrudgingly started shifting to Arca-Swiss, but it is a flawed system.
10-01-2015, 07:21 AM   #6
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I tried the pan head before but it takes time to fix, the ball head is very quick to adjust but might be trickier to fine tune (absolute precision).
I just get a Vanguard 263AT + SBH100 ball head, I really like it, it's < 200$ and has many interesting features (it won TIPA award a few years ago), the tripod is very sturdy (support ~ 7kg) and not too heavy ^^ you might want to give it a try
10-01-2015, 09:01 AM   #7
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gimbal. Then you won't have to buy one later when you decide you'd like to be able to easily track moving wildlife

10-01-2015, 09:24 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Billk Quote
I do birds mostly and love my Manfrotto joystick ball head.

Joystick - Heads - Photo Supports - Products | Manfrotto

It usually sits on top of a 055 aluminium tripod.

Down the track, you might want to upgrade to a Wimberley head, which I'm sure would also be the bomb for astro.
I love my Manfrotto tripod (I have the carbon fibre version of the 055) and joystick ball head. I wasted money going through several tripods until I finally spent the $ (money well invested) on something that works for me. Two reasons for me that made the joystick ball head worth it: 1) I'm not very mechanically adept, and I have pre-arthritic fingers; and 2) I photograph outside, sometimes when it's cold. So having a tripod head that is super-easy to maneovre (squeeze it and tilt it) was a HUGE plus for me. My hands were too clumsy and stiff-fingered to use other tripod heads easily.
10-01-2015, 09:47 AM   #9
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I note several posts advocating a gimbal head for astrophotography. I would say no. For the price of a Wimberley (a lot) you could get a device intended for astrophotography that has a tracking motor that will follow for perhaps half an hour (going on memory - have not looked at the specs for that gizmo for a while). BUT, the device would ONLY be good for astrophotography. As stated above, astronomic and nature photography are very different, and the equipment is different. Even tripods. A much lighter weight pod is acceptable for nature than for astro.
10-01-2015, 10:18 AM   #10
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I have a Manfrotto Joystick but honestly I have never warmed to it. I find it very difficult to adjust to be smooth - it feels jerky and rough - or loose and floppy. Gripping the release reduces the friction but not in a way that I found easy to use. I could never adjust it so that I could grip, move and the release and have it stay where I put it without making it too stiff.
10-01-2015, 10:38 AM   #11
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BTW V-A-V ball heads. Sirui makes very good ball heads @ reasonable cost. They have a very nice progressive lock that increases frictional resistance to ball motion at just the right gradual pace.
10-01-2015, 10:54 AM   #12
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I like a standard ball head. I have a few of them, all Manfrotto so that all the QR plates are compatible with each other.
The one I use the most is a 498RC2 and it usually lives on my 190cxPRO3 legs. It has a nice ball head with easy control knobs. There a main one to open or lock it and a smaller one to change the amount of friction present when the main knob is in the open position. In addition there is a separate panning base and knob that works independently that is great for panoramas.
If I lost this head I'd buy another one just like it.
10-01-2015, 10:56 AM   #13
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My favorite thing about that Manfrotto (previous post) is that they labeled the functions of each knob! So easy and helpful when you first start using a ball head.
10-01-2015, 10:58 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by UncleVanya Quote
My favorite thing about that Manfrotto (previous post) is that they labeled the functions of each knob! So easy and helpful when you first start using a ball head.
They are also laid out nicely and each knob feels different so once you are comfortable with it you can easily adjust it in the dark.
10-01-2015, 11:13 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by narual Quote
gimbal. Then you won't have to buy one later when you decide you'd like to be able to easily track moving wildlife
tell me why I want a gimbal over a pan head.... I'm looking at replacing a cheap (!) ball head soon and this is my dilemma right now.....

on the other hand - a geared head like a Manfrotto 405 would be nice, too.....
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