[blackest]

I know for many that trying to get the tripod reasonably level and attaching the clamp to the head is often as far as many people go.

Isn't it better to ensure the camera is actually balanced on the (ball) head rather than just hoping that the clamps will keep it steady enough?

I recently got a k1 and i was surprised to find even with a small lens the camera balanced better with the body behind the clamp.

kind of like balancing a seesaw the lighter lens actually has more effect on the balance being further away than the heavier body.

I guess partly because the tripod screw is pretty much centred on the body the front half and back half counter each other.

I'm using a combination of L bracket and a nodal slide rail the L bracket helps balance left right and the slide rail front back.

I think it reduces vibration too being better balanced and no lens droop either. What do you think?

[Digitalis]

With Gimbal tripods heads balance is essential - the whole idea of Gimbal heads is to balance the weight of the camera to enable smooth fluid motion. 6kg of unbalanced camera on a Gimbal head is a great way to get smacked in the privates*. On a Ball head, I don't think it is that much of an advantage regarding stability and vibration damping - Zoom lenses shift the center of mass quite a bit, even primes with front focusing groups have a similar effect. Many lenses below 100mm lack tripod collars, this really curbs any attempt to balance the camera system: which will nearly always be skewed towards whichever end is heaviest. Using slide rails is a good idea in theory - but it also reduces stability and weight capacity of your tripod head can handle by raising the camera above the attachment platform and adding weight of its own.


* I have personally witnessed this, and I have to admit: it is always funnier when it happens to someone else.

[pepperberry farm]

I stopped worrying about that when I replaced my last ball head with a 410jr.... would not want to go back...

[Digitalis]

I stopped worrying about that when I replaced my last ball head with a 410jr...

I hear you, all but the most expensive and expertly engineered ball heads droop. I'm still using my Manfrotto 405 - it hasn't been serviced since I got it about 7 years ago.

[UncleVanya]

Honestly I would think that a well balanced head would be less dampened than a loaded one. Any ringing in the system is likely to be dampened by the biased loading. At least that what I feel like should happen. You might try testing this by setting up the tripod and using both methods and then take some shots. If adventurous you could try to induce a repeatable vibration.

[Digitalis]

I would think that a well balanced head would be less dampened than a loaded one

In a nutshell: Using an unbalanced load to disrupt the potential for resonance. Makes sense.

[bobbotron]

I don't. I have a sturdy tripod, and the shots come out nice and crisp.

[blackest]

Honestly I would think that a well balanced head would be less dampened than a loaded one. Any ringing in the system is likely to be dampened by the biased loading. At least that what I feel like should happen. You might try testing this by setting up the tripod and using both methods and then take some shots. If adventurous you could try to induce a repeatable vibration.

I went looking for articles
https://www.digitalrev.com/article/use-your-tripod-smarter

"10/ Find your centre
Longer, heavier lenses, like fast telephotos, shift your setup’s centre of gravity forward and this can quickly reduce the stability of your shooting position. An unstable position means camera shake, already pronounced in telephoto shots, increases, and of course there’s the possibility that everything could fall over if your tripod is poorly placed. To prevent this, always make use of a long lens’s tripod collar. It can feel like a pain to swap the quick release plate from camera to lens as you swap optics, but it’s well worth the trouble. Better yet, buy a second plate and leave that on the long lens’s mounting point. "

Why have lens collars if they don't help with getting a steady shot?

[UncleVanya]

There ARE times I prefer to balance the lens and camera. Moon shots for example are easier if I don't have to fight the tripod every time I unlock it and it wants to tilt down - with a lot of magnification it is annoying to have to adjust the tension so high this isn't a problem so I prefer a more balanced position.

[DeadJohn]

It depends. I rely on past experience with the camera+lens+ballhead combination. For example, the 15-30 is a heavy lens with no tripod foot. It has never caused my larger ballhead to droop. With my travel tripod ballhead, though, the lens can slowly sag downwards, so I tend to shift the camera backwards to balance the weight.


My most extreme off-balance situation was for the August 2017 solar eclipse. I was using a lightweight tracking mount to follow the sun at 500mm. This was a horribly unbalanced setup, and I worried about the camera falling to the ground, but careful trial runs at home showed that it was stable enough.

[blackest]

There ARE times I prefer to balance the lens and camera. Moon shots for example are easier if I don't have to fight the tripod every time I unlock it and it wants to tilt down - with a lot of magnification it is annoying to have to adjust the tension so high this isn't a problem so I prefer a more balanced position.

Jobu make a thing called a hockey puck

Jobu Design Hockey Puck Counterweight JP-75G B&H Photo Video

Its about 4 -5 oz in weight designed to act as a counter weight to a big lens attaches to the tripod hole.

odd thing with the k1 is the left right balance ideally it would be under the axis of the lens but it feels like its to the right edge of the view finder even with an L bracket adding extra weight to the left side. I'm wondering if a longer base plate might be better or adding some counter weight. A lot of plates do have extra 1/4 screw holes.

[StiffLegged]

Aaarghhh, nooooo! Not more complications with tripod use! All the real experts agree the only way is to spend the price of a secondhand car on some exotic confection which will hold your camera and 800mm so tightly not even a nuclear explosion will disturb it, all the while allowing adjustment between ground level and further than you can reach using stilts.

Use something properly sturdy in both tripod and ballhead departments. Or cast a 1/4" screw end into a cubic yard of concrete – takes an earthquake to wobble it, but not terribly portable without a forklift truck.

Just kidding, I'm going back to bed now.

[cmohr]

I personally always balance my camera and lens on the ballhead, it's really easy with a macro rail on there, and it is easier to make small movements to frame your pictures as the pivot point is not directly under the camera but at the balance point, there is less tightening needed on the friction as well, I can have my set-up move quite easily , make the tiniest movement and not have to tighten or loosen the friction, and it stays exactly where I leave it.


There's a few pictures of it here.

K-1 L-Bracket... My solution - PentaxForums.com

[blackest]

I personally always balance my camera and lens on the ballhead, it's really easy with a macro rail on there, and it is easier to make small movements to frame your pictures as the pivot point is not directly under the camera but at the balance point, there is less tightening needed on the friction as well, I can have my set-up move quite easily , make the tiniest movement and not have to tighten or loosen the friction, and it stays exactly where I leave it.


There's a few pictures of it here.

K-1 L-Bracket... My solution - PentaxForums.com

That D850 bracket is quite something but so is the price.

PLND850 L-Bracket, Nikon D850, Arca-Swiss Type (L-Plate)

[cmohr]

That D850 bracket is quite something but so is the price.

PLND850 L-Bracket, Nikon D850, Arca-Swiss Type (L-Plate)

NOt much more than the Mestos at the end of the day, but the only solution that lets me open the battery door on the grip without having to take anything off. I have also put a coldshoe on the upright, and slid it out, and it makes a fine flash bracket.

cmohr