The great ballhead faceoff

[vandit]

As the topic of "which head" seems to spring up with surprising regularity, here

is an article comparing the Markins, Kirk & RRS unit, as well as a sidebar on

the Arca Swiss:

http://www.photosafariindia.com/articles/rev3-ballheads.html

 

Cheers,

Vandit

[parisbeans]

Vandit, this site won't open...

[vandit]

Hi Laura - the server was down earlier, I think. It is working now.

 

Regards,

Vandit

[Palouse]

Interesting, but far from great. Lots of purely subjective comments and it adds little to what we may know about these heads. A wee but out of date too, given that Acratech has their Mark 2 out now.

[photo5]

I don't get it. I spent $55 or so on my Bogen/Manfrotto 486 ballhead to use on my Gitzo

Reporter tripod with my

Nikon D70s, F3HP and other assorted cameras. I've also used a Hasselblad on it with no

problem. Granted, this doesn't have any kind of quick release plate on it like my huge

Bogen Automatic tripod with the big pan tilt head does that I used with my Sinar 4x5 and

Mamiya RB67 ProS cameras back in the late 1990s (oh those were the days!).

 

So...are you guys like using really big heavy cameras on these ball heads? I feel like big

heavy cameras are better suited to pan tilt heads myself.

 

Dave

[vandit]

Nick, your point is valid The author had not tested the various items from a formal review point of view, but just to make his own purchase decision. It is indeed a subjective review, and I think (hope?) the preface makes that clear. I havent come across too many people who have actually had hands-on experience with all these heads, and some of comparative points raised in it, while common knowledge to some, will hopefully be helpful to those starting out in their search. Appreciate the feedback, though.

 

Dave - pan & tilts may be good for static work like landscapes where you have plenty of time to set up, but for fast action, etc. a ballhead is much better (although a quality b/h is loads more expensive than a quality 3-way). The difference between a top b/h and a less expensive model is the progressive locking - there are a lot more gradations than just "fully loose" and "fully tight". Also, a good head allows for precise locking, preset friction controls and no creep - all of which come handy.

 

Cheers,

Vandit

[klix]

I don't get it. I spent $55 or so on my Bogen/Manfrotto 486 ballhead to use on my Gitzo Reporter tripod with my Nikon D70s, F3HP and other assorted cameras. - Dave Lee.

 

With what lenses? Typically, you'll start to see support quality differences with the longer lenses, such as 80-200mm, 300mm and longer (at some point, nothing short of a gimbal head will do). Also, it makes a huge difference in macro work.

 

KL

[GerrySiegel]

I think the love at first sight with the Markins will need some time to digest. I am not putting Korean technology out of the running (one day I may be driving a Hyundai),still, I would like to see how the product delivers in field use after three years. And how support from the company works out. Acratech is another name that needs some time to get its foot in the door. The lightweight feature is,for many,THE most important feature to look for in this item. I had never thought about the drop notch orientation on the RRS BH. RRS wins for the purtiest looking BH. Must have been a design reason for the notch locations I am sure... I would enjoy seeing a Markins one day. Is that ever going to happen in a storefront. Will they break into the limited store space for high end ballheads?... And that Arca Swiss still hold a place,but not first place for sure with that shopper is also interesting. (Thanks for the reference.) This will not end nor stoke the debate. It is one of the more interesting ones tho... A camera body is for three-4 years. A ball head/tripod is a long term relationship...GS

[julian_love]

Regarding the reliability issues raised by the above poster, I am a travel photographer and have been using a Markins M10 for over a year now and it has performed flawlessly. It has put up with relatively extreme environments ranging from the Namibian desert to Everest Base Camp. Locks down a 1Ds MkII with a 70-200 with absolutely no creep, is lightweight and easy on the fingers even in the cold. Beats the Linhof Profi head I used to use hands down. I haven't used a Kirk, Acratech or RRS head, and I am sure they are good products, but if I lost my M10 for some reason I would buy another one tomorrow. I could not ask for more from a ballhead.

 

Julian

[peter_n1664876959]

Julian that's an interesting post. I have two questions - (1) was it the Linhof Profi II you used previously? (2) Did you experience any major or minor lock-up with the M10 in very cold weather?

[douglas_green1]

Dave, these $350-500 pro class heavy duty ball heads are a whole 'nother class of interface than your Bogen 486, or for that matter, any other < $100 head. I use cheap ones too (Amvonas that are comparable to the Manfrotto low end stuff), but the smoothness of motion under heavy loads for those big, expensive pro heads is just something entirely different.