Ball Heads

[deaner66]

Hey Pentaxians. A quick question. I have an older, heavy duty tripod I snagged

at a antique shop. It has the normal size screw for the bottom of any camera.

And it has a large, flat plate that is also solid. They only problem is that my

K10 won't sit completely level on the plate. To get that, I must fiddle with one

of the legs.

 

I'm not an expert on tripods and ball heads. And I don't have a lot of money for

a new tripod. What I'm wondering is if a decent Ebay ball head will screw on the

plate and the standard size screw that fits the camera. Is that how a ball head

connects to the tripod?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Steve

[personalphotos]

This little adapter will let you use any standard 3/8" tripod head. A good reasonably priced head is the Manfrotto 486. There are also a number of others that could do a fine job as well.

 

Check this link:http://cgi.ebay.com/All-Metal-3-8-inch-to-1-4-20-Tripod-Bushings-Set-of-2_W0QQitemZ360031211868QQihZ023QQcategoryZ30091QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

[bob_stevenson]

All tripod heads screw fit using the same threads as cameras,....basically, either a 1/4inch or 3/8inch thread....

 

You may decide against a 'ball head' as they tend to be heavy/expensive to give adequate facility and offer poor function with modern cameras. A 'video' type of head such as a 'pan and tilt' will be much better in use especially with zoom lenses and if you use the cameras spot meter.....probably safer too.

[bob bielecki]

Amvona (sp?) sells heavy duty ball heads on ebay at very low prices. Customer reviews have been very positive. I have one the works well and cost me under $50.

[personalphotos]

Bob, I'm not sure what you are saying about the fit with heads. Having owned 10-12 tripod/head combinations over the years (and probably tested 2x as many more), all the heads used 3/8" screw as the standard to mount to the tripod. Only the cheap video camera (department store) heads used a 1/4" thread as the standard mount.

 

As for the style of head, ball heads are more than satisfactory. At the moment, my main big tripod has a Benro (Arca knock off) ball head similar to this:http://cgi.ebay.com/BENRO-KS-2-Ballhead-Newest-Tripod-Ball-Head-Smooth_W0QQitemZ140214064623QQihZ004QQcategoryZ30095QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem the head is secure and well featured.

It can be locked done on either side (or both), it can freely move in a 360 deg arc as well as pan on a horizontal plane for panorama shots. Not much this head can't do. I also have a Manfrotto 3030 on a second tripod http://cgi.ebay.com/Bogen-Manfrotto-3030-Pan-Tilt-3-way-head-quick-release_W0QQitemZ300206012351QQihZ020QQcategoryZ30095QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem that is very sturdy but the handles can be a bit of a bother and it's s little slower to set up. The monopod has a pistol grip head the same as this http://cgi.ebay.com/Bogen-Manfrotto-3265-Grip-Action-Ball-Head-w-QR-Plate_W0QQitemZ260219091591QQihZ016QQcategoryZ30095QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem and it is a very solid head with super quick adjustments. It would be perfect for many tripods as long as you aren't shooting with super long/heavy lenses.

 

In all cases they are totally secure heads with no fear of the camera becoming detached. The Benro above has the most secure quick release plate system around with 2 procedures to just release the QR from the head. As for weight, they are all similar and any head that is good quality will have a bit of weight.

 

I wouldn't

[personalphotos]

I need to finish my sentences Lol. I was going to say; I wouldn't recommend a video type head for an SLR because the long handle will get in the way when you are looking through the viewfinder. For large video cameras the handle is quite a distance from the viewfinder and the smaller ones have live view screens so the shooter is not putting their head near the camera.

 

Bob B., I agree that the Amvona (sold by Dynatran on Ebay and direct online http://home.amvona.com/). The only issue with them is parts. It's tough to get extra quick release plates, handles etc. But the quality is pretty good and the price is a third or less than the OEM stuff. I think I paid $62.00 for my Benro ball head (same type of knock off gear as Amvona).

[stemked]

I've purchased many a tripod head in my day. Point one, cheap isn't the best way to go.

 

You need to asses what your needs are and namely those concerns are, weight issues (if you plan to carry the tripod a lot), longest lens you will be using with the tripod, and quick release options unless this is going to be for studio use exclusively.

 

If you plan to do a lot of nature work it is hard to beat a head with an Arca Swiss plate. But Bogan/Manfrotto is a better price option although the plates are generally more likely to slip and the camera more likely to pop-off a tripod than an Arca Swiss plate. If you do go without a quick release you will find it generally slow to put the camera on and take the camera off the tripod.

 

What is about the top price you are willing to pay?

[deaner66]

I'm around $50 for the ball head. I have no big zooms right now either, so I'm not real worried about the camera falling.

[personalphotos]

Doug has given you some very good advice and $50 isn't much for a ball head or any head for that matter. You won't find one of the original equipment manufacturers for that price.

 

I'd advise you save a little more money and have a look at some of the suggestions above. You may get lucky and find a good used head for a reasonable price. In the long run you'll be much happier you went with a study head. Nothing is more annoying than setting up the 'perfectly framed' shot and locking the head to have the camera droop 5-10 Degrees and you've missed the shot. Or having the cheap head break and you wind up tossing that money away (or worse if the camera should fall)

[dawn_kelly]

Check out Amvona. Their stuff is inexpensive and high quality. They will hold quite a bit of weight.