Acratech Ultimate Ball Head

<p>I am considering an Acratech Ultimate Ball Head purchase in the relatively near future. I am looking online, and I see in most of the descriptions a mention of 'right sided knobs' and 'left sided knobs.' These are left and right from what perspective? It may be important, since I am rather left handed. Up until this point, I have gotten by with a cheap Manfrotto consumer tripod with a built in ball head. The Ultimate Ball Head looks likes a good product, and I hope to mount it to either a Manfrotto 055XPROB (aluminum) or a 055CXPRO3 (carbon fibre). These appear to be a good compromise between price, weight and functionality.<br /><br>

I have a Canon 5D, and at this point the heaviest lens that I own is an EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro. The ballhead might be overkill, but I hope to own it for many years. What are your thoughts about the left and right knob, and the ballhead overall?</p>

<p>I've had the Ultimate Ball Head for years now. It is a great product, but it does operate differently than other ball heads. I don't find the operation to be a problem, but others hate it. (Basically if you go from severe upward tilt to severe downward tilt, you need to loosen the pan lock and the ball lock and spin the head around.) I've gotten to the point that I don't really think about it. If you talk to the Acratech people, they strongly recommend the left side knobs. I found this doesn't really matter since you will be spinning the head around depending if you are pointing the camera up or down.</p>

<p>The great thing about this ball head is that nothing will fall off-knobs have stops so they don't unscrew too far, the ball holds extremely tightly with only a little snugging of the locking knobs.</p>

<p>I might suggest looking at the V2 head. It costs more, but you don't need to do the gymnastics of the Ultimate Ball Head. If you are very left handed, it makes operation easier. You don't need the GV2 unless you are using very large, long lenses.</p>

<p>Thank you for the information, John. I did not know about the fact that you have to spin the head to get it to point severely down or up. I guess every head has it's limitations. I'll consider the Version 2, although it's a bit more money than I intended to spend.</p>

<p>Dillan,</p>

<p>You might try calling them up and seeing if they have a factory second. When I bought mine, went to Acratech and they offered me second. There was a tiny scratch in the anodization and that made it a second. Functionally it was and is perfect. I forgot how much less it cost, but it was maybe a 10% discount. This could get the V2 closer in price.</p>

<p>Thanks, John. I may do that. Buying direct or from Adorama or B & H in the USA is a lot cheaper than buying here in Canada, even with our currently weakened Canadian dollar. It might be a good idea to speak to them directly if I can get a deal. Cosmetic imperfections are not too bothersome to me.</p>

<p>I'm a big fan. I've used one for a number of years now. I originally purchased it based on the fact that it weighs only about one pound (great for my backpacking photography) and that it holds weight well. It has worked as promised.</p>

<p>As others point out, it is a different design. I like the design and don't find it to be a problem.</p>

<p>Dan</p>

<p>Dillan,<br>

I'll just second what others have said. I wouldn't get too hung up on the right knob versus left knob question since you do need to rotate the head depending on whether you are pointing up or down. Occasionally that can be an annoyance when you think you need just a small adjustment to get your shot perfectly framed and then find you need to loosen the pan lock and rotate the unit because you have reached the limit of tilt in that orientation. However, it isn't a big deal once you are used to it, and I really like how light and stable the unit is.</p>

<p>The left knob lets me adjust the alignment with that hand and steady the camera with my right (I'm right-handed). It's very easy to get used to, and I've used it for 360mm with success.</p>