Ballhead shopping question - with a bunch of links

[jonstock]

I have just got a Induro cx-213 (the "CARBONFLEX" model with "a quick switch center column that's easily

positionable from vertical to horizontal and just about anywhere in-between." It seems OK.

 

I don't have a heavy weight set up. I shoot an Olympus E-3. My largest current lens is a 50-200mm. The Sigma

150mm macro is tempting me. The Olympus 90-250mm/300mm f2.8 are over $5000 so I probably will not get

either. The Sigma 50-500mm at $1000 is more in line with what I am willing to spend. I don't use long telephoto a

lot.

 

I am looking for a good quality ball-head. I have included a shortlist of the heads i have been looking at. I also

included a bunch of links someone may find useful.

 

Unfortunately the camera stores near me don't carry these heads so I can't compare them personally.

 

I have a few questions I hope someone can answer:

 

 

Acratech GV2 with Gimbal feature.

 

How good the sweet-spot is on a GV2? The early Acratech heads tended to sag after tightening. Does the GV2 sag?

 

http://www.lightcafe.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8311&p=75867

 

http://www.f-8andbethere.com/notes/gv2-gimbal.htm

 

 

Markins m-10 or M20

 

People say that the Markins panning base does not lock. Is this true? I have a tripod with a center column that can

tilt and extend horizontally. I need the panning to lock. The markins Sweet-spot demo video is cool to watch.

 

http://www.markinsamerica.com/downloads/nikon_800mm_high.wmv

 

 

Really Right Stuff 40 or 55.

 

How smooth do you find the movement on these heads? Build quality is supposed to be good. Sweet spot is

sometimes criticized for slipping and or sticking. Is this true?

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/rrs-bh55.shtml

 

http://mgphotographyworkshops.blogspot.com/... ...-stuff-bh-55-ball-head.html

 

http://www.butzi.net/reviews/rrsbh55.htm

 

http://www.nathangriffin.com/technical/other/rrs_bh-40.htm

 

 

Arca-Swiss Z-1

 

Is currently has questions being raised about it's construction. See this link

http://www.tripodhead.com/faqs-ballhead-recommendation.cfm

 

The stem between the ball and the clamp is made of two parts glued together. This worries me. It should be fixed

soon. I could wait I guess. Is the knob on the quick release captive or not?(can it unscrew and fall off?)

 

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/... ...ss-Monoball-Z1-Ballhead-Review.aspx

 

 

Kirk BH-1 or -3

 

If you have/had these did you like them?

 

http://www.naturephotographers.net/je0901-1.html

 

 

Some more links on ball-heads:

 

http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/ballhead/

 

http://www.wilsonism.com/Blog/tabid/53/EntryID/19/Default.aspx

 

Thank you for any comments you can provide.

[howard_m]

you should cruise over to nikonians.com and check their tripod forum. HUGE amounts of information & experience

[Lou_Meluso]

Jon, I have only one word to say about your need.........Kirk. Best ball head made IMO.

http://www.kirkphoto.com/ballheads.html

[craig_gillette]

I think you are going to find passionate adherents for all of the good ones and periodic complaints as well.

[ken_yee]

I think at this point, you probably have to look at your budget and narrow it down. Sounds like you don't want to spend big bucks or you would have bought a Gitzo tripod instead of an Induro, so I can only say I have the GV2 so far and think it's good bang for the buck. If it sags after tightening, it probably wasn't tightened down enough.

That said, the Markins/ArcaSwiss elliptical ball should solve this. They both have negatives as you also found out (bad pan lock on Markins, and also no degree markers on the pan part of the AS).

 

One thing that surprised me was the GV2's odd shape...all the other ballheads are cylindrical...the GV2 is wider than I expected. It's a good hiking ballhead though...easy to clean, light, etc. and has a gimbel mode that is better supported than other ballheads in their slot because of the pin on the bottom of the ball (others can probably copy this easily).

[ken_yee]

and on the value tangent, I've got a like-new GV2 w/ the detent pin clamp if you're interested in one for $300+shipping. That's $50 less than what it'd cost new and it's only a few weeks old and was never taken into the field...thought she might have wanted an upgrade to her setup (my wife liked the cylindrical shape of the other ballheads better which seems like a silly thing to reject the GV2 for :-), but I guess that's one of those things you should ask about first before giving it to them ;-)

[bennett_richards]

I would buy a last generation of the ArcaSwiss B1.. the one with the small gray drag adjustment wheel.

 

There is no other ball head with the asymetric configuration which makes the B1 so great. They also stand behind their products even years later. If you are lucky you can find a used B1 on ebay.

[jonstock]

I still have some thinking to do.

 

Ken:

I went with Induro instead of Gitzo because I was not sure about the flexi-multi adjustable head thing.

 

I am still not sure. It seems good for Macros but I will need to see how stable it is with a heavier head on it.

 

If I get the Sigma 150mm macro and a heavy weight head I will see how far it can be extended horizontally. Hopefully

I will not find out the hard way.

 

I have only had the Induro a week, but I like the build quality.

 

Thank you for the offer to buy your GV2. I will need to think about it some more before I can buy it.

 

Thanks to everyone who has responded back. Please keep adding any comments.

 

Have a good week.

 

Jon

[bill_bayless]

I just purchased the Acratech GV2, with the gimbal feature, and so far I like it a lot. The gimbal seems to work well

and mine does not sag after it is tightened. The Induro DM-23 is also a good ball head but does not have the gimbal

feature.

 

I have the Induro C314 tripod and like it also. Your choices sound good to me.

[jonstock]

Thanks Bill

 

Does the GV2 have a good "sweet spot"?

 

The sweet spot is where the tension is enough to stop the camera/lens from moving unintentionally but will allow them to be repositioned deliberately.

 

Just curious. The Markins video makes this look like a useful feature to have.

 

http://www.markinsamerica.com/downloads/nikon_800mm_high.wmv

[bill_bayless]

If the lens is balanced, and my 300mm seems to be, then you can take your hands off and it doesn't move. It does require a slight amount of friction, but I was pleasantly surprised with how good it feels.

[jonstock]

Hi Bill

Thanks for the answer.

[ken_yee]

Not sure if this will sway you Jon, but I put my GV2 up on ebay. There's also a 25% MS Live.com cashback promo right now on Buy It Now items, so you can get it for $240 which is nearly $100 off the $350 price...