Which Markins ballhead for medium format camera

[nathan_cenower]

Has anyone had any experience using the Markins M10 ballhead with either the Pentax or Mamiya 645 cameras?

[howard_m]

<p>no personal experience but I do have the M10. Honestly, given the slight size/cost difference, I'd probably suggest the M20 in your situation for additional stability.</p>

[hugh_j.]

<p>None of them, until they fix the panning lock slip issue. Besides, the Markins products are pretty much knockoffs of Arca-Swiss, and I haven't seen or heard any indication that they've improved on the original. Therefore, the Arca-Swiss Z1, with its unique anti-flop elliptical ball, would be my choice for medium format and up.</p>

[tmckusker]

<p>I have used the M10 with a Mamiya 645 Pro quite a bit as well as my Nikon D200/battery grip and 100-300mm zoom. Per Markins the head is rated at 99 lbs, so it should be fine.</p>

[roland_vink]

<p>I have a predecessor of the Markins M10. It is only just adequate for the Pentax 645, but needs to be locked down firmly to prevent slippage. It is also helped by the fact that Pentax has an additional tripod mount on the side so you never need to flop it over for vertical framing.</p>

<p>I believe the current M10 model is better than the one I have, but I feel the slightly larger M20 would be a better choice.</p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>I prefer geared heads for medium and large format.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/site/bius/pid/6780?kindOfProductCollectionRequest=productDetail&productCode=410&productDescription=JUNIOR%20GEARED%20HEAD&curBrandId=MAN&market=MKT1">http://www.bogenimaging.us/Jahia/site/bius/pid/6780?kindOfProductCollectionRequest=productDetail&productCode=410&productDescription=JUNIOR%20GEARED%20HEAD&curBrandId=MAN&market=MKT1</a></p>