Ballhead and tripod for reasonable cost?

[mark_sam]

I've never had a nice tri-pod. I don't need carbon, but wondering if all good

ballheads are around $250.00 and higher? Is the ballhead just so much easier

to make quick adjustments? I shoot local football games, basketball, soccer.

Can you make quick adjustments with a good ballhead? Any real "bargains" out

there?

[phoneguy]

While I am no tripod expert, I love my <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=140&A=details&Q=&sku=303591&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation">Bogen Grip Head</a>. It can be set for left, or right handed use, or used upright (Great for fast action). It's about a hundred bucks, but has been well worth it for me. I put it on top of a slik tripod. ($100). Great set up for me.

[keith_van_hulle1]

You're shooting football, basketball, and soccer and you want to use a tripod?

[mark_sam]

On occasion, yes. Low light and distance once in awhile.

[craig_gillette]

If you are looking for a ball head that is readily adjustable for tension so the camera can be moved easily and left in position, without more dealing with the head controls, then yes, you are looking towards the roughly $300 and up heads.

 

The Bogen 3265 and the newer horizontal (number escapes me) grip action head can allow you to use a single control squeeze, then it locks on release. Other heads , you loosen, then must tighten with 1 or more controls.

 

If extra support is needed, most sports are shot using either a monopod or just handheld.

[dbcooper]

Quick adjustments, like with your finger on the shutter and your eye in the viewfinder? Than I'll second Mike on the Bogen grip, only mine is the vertical model. For most things, I use an Acratech V2, but for speed, you can't beat the Bogen.

[jcuknz]

Personally I would put the money towards a lens/camera with OIS or else an anti-shake/super steady shot body for sports work.

 

Main thing apart from the pistolgrip ballheads is that the ball is of sufficient size for the camera. Without knowing the camera it is hard to say. I have tiny 16mm ballheads which are only suitable for a simple digicam and larger 42mm ballhead* which I trust for my heavier cameras.

 

I have noticed that many sport togs mount their big lens directly on the monopod since the lens presumably has a collar to permit changing from portrait to landscape mode.

 

*I used a golfball as the pattern to cast it myself.

[wgpinc]

Bogen series legs 3001, 3011, 3021 going light and small to bigger/taller and heavier. Bogen 486RC or 488Rc very decent ball heads under $100. You can spend a lot more but these do a great job and are in your bucget. Good luck.

[godfrey]

Buying a "bargain" tripod is a waste of money. You want quality and the ability to handle

your shooting needs, and good usability. Nothing's worse than a tripod which is a pain in

the tookus to use...

 

I have Bogen/Manfrotto tripods and generally recommend them as good quality at a

reasonable price. There are others (Giottos, Gitzo, some SLIKs).

 

A Bogen/Manfrotto 3001BPRO or 3021BPRO fitted with either the Manfrotto 488RC2 or

322RC2 ball heads are excellent performers, cost around $200 or so, and allow plenty of

room for the future. The 3001 is a bit smaller, lighter than the 3021, would be my choice

for a lightweight DSLR with up to about a 200mm lens. I'd pick the 3021 legs for heavier

cameras/longer lenses and if you need a bit more altitude to work with.

 

Godfrey

[cameradude]

Number 1, a tripod won't stop the football player's movements.

 

Get a monopod for sports, its a better bargain than the OIS/VR systems mentioned above, smaller and more compact, easier to move from one end of the field to the other without setting up your tripod legs.

 

Number 2, a monopod won't stop the football player's movements either.

 

-Bobby