Need a BH for my Tripod

<p>Can anyone recommend a light / small, yet fully capable ballhead (BH) that can support a (Nikon) 70-200 f/2.8 lens? If it can hold the 70-200 in place, it will do so equally/better for the 24-70 and 14-24 (Nikkors).<br>

I have much heavier BHs, but the issue is they are "heavy". I want something light, but capable.<br>

Cheers</p>

 

<p>The lens is 1540g if I have the right one.</p>

<p>I think the pistol grip (ball head) Manfrotto 322RC2 might work - it supports 5kg and masses only 635g.</p>

<p>Problem I've encountered with Manfrotto's quoted "Safety payload" is that it's only so when everything is perfectly level - so best case scenario. I wouldn't place my bets on it being steady with the lens under angles. So, frankly, I'd think about something like a <a href="http://www.markinsamerica.com/MA5/Q3T.php">Markins Q3</a>; or similar from RRS (BH30), Kirk etc. Assuming your better ballheads also have Arca-Swiss plates, these should fit right in. They're about 350 grams, and not overly large. I have no experience with them, but the few postings and tests I can find about them suggest it should suffice for a 70-200 f/2.8.</p>

<p>When I first saw these they looked pretty promising, but I already had a couple of Kirk ballheads:</p>

<p>http://www.acratech.net/categories/ballheads/gp.html</p>

<p>Besides, they look cool!</p>

<p>https://www.novoflex.com/en/products/camera-support-systems/ball-heads/magicball/</p>

<p>i have one since 16 years.<br>

still working.<br>

bashed it real hard against..well..whatever, accidents happen.<br>

it is bruised but still works.</p>

<p>used a d3 with nikkor 70-200 on it with long exposures, nothing moved.<br>

great stuff</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'm wary that I end up recommending this in absolutely every thread in this forum, but a Triopo RS-3 (with a replacement Arca-compatible clamp) is reasonably light (especially compared with a big ball head) and easily solid enough for the lenses you mention - though it's not the most refined of things, nor easy to find in a store. The Joby Ballhead X is tiny, but might be pushing its luck to hold a 70-200 at an awkward angle (it's certainly not as solid as big heads). Acratech heads do have a reputation for being an "open" design, and therefore have less metal than some others and are lighter. Some of the smaller RRS heads might be worth a look, too. Finally, if the Markins titanium heads are still available, they're probably stronger than average per unit weight. HTH.</p>