Gitzo Ball Heads

[bradley_rice]

I will be purchasing a Gitzo 1348 carbon fibre tripod soon, and I'm looking for suggestions on a tripod head. The largest lens I have at the moment is a 80-200 2.8 although I have plans to add several larger lenses to my arsenal. I'll probably go no further than a 500 or 600.

I know I want a ball head...but which one? Also, why are the Gitzo heads not very popular, everyone raves about the tripods, why not the heads? I need some suggestions...thanks in advance.

[don_baccus]

Well, folks rave about the tripods because they're really good.

 

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People don't rave about the ballheads because they're not as good as those made by folks like Arca Swiss.

[bruce]

Brad,

I have 2 uniquely different heads that I use on Bogen Tripods. The 1st is an NPC ProHead... it's a "modified" ball head that also functions like a pan tilt head. I love this head for Landscapes with my Hasselblad and My N90's with a 300mm lens. It is strong, durable, and can easily hold 500mm. It costs $220 to $250 in quick release version and unlike any other head of it's type, it comes with 2 arca-swiss type plates. It's limitations are in macro photography. Because it is a modified pan-tilt type head, you can not get all of the angles that you might desire to square your image.

My second head is a Foba mini-ball. While I know that there are some on this forum that are not wild about this head, I have found it to be ideal for me. It too holds my 300 steady like a rock, performs incredibly well at temps down to -17deg F, & it is a true ball head. This is my macro head... I can orient my camera in any angle and get the precise shot I want... cost $295 with arca type quick release.

 

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hope this helped

regards, bruce

[tom_shea]

I have two of the smaller Gitzo ball heads. They are fine for light duty work, but they cannot begin to match the smoothness of an Arca Swiss B1. I have one of these on my 1228 and can recommend this as an excellent combination. For the sive of you lens, I would recommend the B1.

[kferris575]

Arca Swiss B1 or Foba Superball heads are good (both have minor faults). Of the two, the Arca is generally considered to be the better of the two. Whatever head you get, get one with an Arca Swiss type quick release and get your mounting plates from Really Right Stuff (805)528-6321. These plates are dedicated to the make and model of camera or lens. They are the best I have seen and they cost about the same as standard Arca or Kirk plates. You will not regret buying these plates.

[dick_ginkowski]

The Gitzo ballheads are not user friendly nor do they have much load capacity.

 

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Arca-Swiss B1 ($379) is the first choice. If you can't swing that, spend $329 for the Kirk.

[ydobon]

<P>Bradley,

 

<P>You are about to dump a fair-sized wad of cash on a 3-series Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. Forget any suggestions about "saving" US$50 on this or that ballhead - you can afford the Arca-Swiss B1. The design, user interface, relative size and weight, stability, etc. make this the best available on the market (especially when it appears that you have the fat bank account to afford larger lenses).

 

<P>My biggest lens is a puny 80-200/4 zoom, but I have <B>never</B> regretted the acquisition of my B1 (which replaced a Bogen 3001/3030 that was my original tripod/head purchase).

 

<P>If you eventually acquire a smaller, backpacking tripod, then you can worry about a smaller ballhead, but by then, you'll know what a good ballhead is and you can probably make sense of the various comments about "lightweight/cheap hiking ballheads" in this Q&A forum and you won't need to ask which one to buy.

[paulo_bizarro]

I have a Gitzo G80 tripod (series 3) with a Gitzo 1376 ball head with Quick Release. Not user friendly? It allows me to position the camera in any position I want, it is fuss free, and rock solid. I call that user friendly...

[james_tarquin]

Gitzo ballheads are as user friendly as any other ballhead. They have smooth movement can be locked in any position that you want. However, they do not have a wide following because their shape is unusual, and they are not "Top Quality".

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When I say top quality, I mean that Gitzo, as a maker of outstanding tripod legs, would be expected to make outstanding ballheads. Yet, I would not put the Gitzo 1275M that I owned (past tense) in the same category as the Arca Swiss. It's construction is adequate, and it works just fine. But the Arca Swiss supports 8 times more weight (for only 2.5 times the cost).

<p>

If you are never going to need 20+ lbs. of support, then you don't "Need" an Arca Swiss. However, I sold my Gitzo and got an Arca Swiss because...I looked in my camera bag and saw a several thousand dollar investment in equipment...my 70-200 2.8 lens wasn't a compromise...my Gitzo Mountaineer carbon fiber tripod wasn't a compromise...why would I compromise on the ballhead???

[bobatkins]

Forget about the Gitzo heads and buy an Arca Swiss B1. Everybody

does in the end. It's <em>slightly</em> small for a 600/4, but anything

bigger is overkill for smaller lenses like the ones you now own.

[stephen_raia]

I want to second James' comments here about the Gitzo ballheads being perfectly useable. I am quite happy with my 1276, except for the quick release system, which has the oft-cited flaws that the Arca-Swiss quick release does not. I have found a bit of a workaround to the unintended twisting of the quick release plate, however -- pack a screwdriver and screw the plate on **tight**.

 

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If you are going to buy a 600/4 or a 300/2.8, the Gitzo won't work for you. It will, however, be plenty strong for your 80-200/2.8.

 

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Although I like my Gitzo, I have to say that if I had $600 to spend on a tripod and ballhead, I would probably reverse your plan and buy the Arca-Swiss ballhead and a set of $150 Bogen or Gitzo legs rather than the Mountaineer.

[paulo_bizarro]

"If you are going to buy a 600/4 or a 300/2.8, the Gitzo won't work for you. It will, however, be plenty strong for your 80-200/2.8."

 

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Of course the 1276 won't support a 600/4, but that is not its intended use. Want to support such a lens get a 1576 ball head instead. My 1376 ball head is fine for the 1N+70-200 L.

[cliff_kolber]

I'm laughing here... I originally bought a Gitzo 1276 ballhead... thought it would be good because of the Gitzo reputation. yeah, it's good... but when I finally bought my Arca Swiss B1.... i realized that I had pretty much wasted $130 or $140 on the Gitzo.

Just go with the Arca Swiss B1, and buy the plates from RRS... you don't have to think twice about what to buy, just do it and move on. You will never look back.

 

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P.S. If you get into a 600mm/f4 lens, you'll want to look at Wimberley "ballheads". They're a totally different style than the Arca style, but totally support the really long lenses.

[paulo_bizarro]

Cliff,

 

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You may laugh all you want... It was your mistake to buy the 1276 in the first place, wishing for it to support heavy lenses. It does the job for lighter ones though. I am sorry you have wasted your money, but you should have got more information before wasting it, apparently. Actually, it is very easy, Gitzo have a nice web site with all the specs, so before I bought my ball head, I contacted them for a full brochure. That way, I didn't waste any money when I bought the 1376, which is plenty support for me (I will never need a 600/4).

 

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It just seems sometimes that this forum is sponsored by Arca Swiss:-)

[jim_campbell]

Does anyone out there know the "kosher" way to attach your camera to the Gitzo 1376 ball head? I was just given one to go with my 1128 tripod. I'm fairly new to the whole ball head scene.