Ball Head Ideas

Hi all.

Nope, not bald head ideas...BALL head ideas. I am thinking that in the future I may need to replace my Bogen Pistol Grip ball head with something a little bit lower profile and a little bit more heavy duty. That head will hold 5.6 lbs it says. My D70 and new Sigma 180 macro will weigh around 4 pounds, so I am getting up there.

I honestly don't know that I will ever have any 'big glass', but I might want a little bit better ball head. I don't have the money to spend on a Kirk or RRS head, though I have heard the arguments about buying the better head now rather than upgrading later.

Are there any other good options for ball heads?

Thanks!

Nathan

Nathan: I faced the same dilemna you have a number of years ago. I gulped real hard and waited until I could afford a Kirk BH-1. It was worth the wait. It has and continues to perform flawlessly. IMO its only weak point is the tensioning system which is semi-lame. It is either on or off with no predictable middle ground. My biggest lens is a 300 f2.8 which it handles without breaking a sweat. If I was buying now though I would probably go with the RRS. With either of these heads you will not need to buy another for a long time if ever. That helped mitigate the wallet bruise. >=))>

You will get many good suggestions on this forum. I totally agree with get the best you can afford now and you will never be disapointed. After much research and fretting I decided to buy the Markins Q-10. I find it outstanding in every way. It will hold any combination of camera and lens I will ever own. It is a little pricer than some, but not as much as others. It is very popular on the Nikon forums. The RRS and Kirk are also great choices as is the Arcatech. For me however ball head weight was important. The Markins is just about a pound!

Good luck and have fun looking.

Head aside, buying one of these commits you to AS plates, for everything. Figure that into the equation. It is great that we have several choices in AS compatible ball heads now. I still the first one I bought, an Arca-Swiss B1. I also have a small Kirk head that I won in a contest, but haven't used yet. The design of the Arca-Swiss quick release system was a stroke of genius that hasn't been replaced yet.

Pete D.

My AcraTech Ultimate is still going strong despite nearly three years of almost daily use. It has never once even hinted it was going to jam, is simple to keep clean, and locks tight exactly where I want with no slipping. It's solid enough to hold even my 4x5 monorail at weird angles. It's rated for 26 pounds and is one of the few heads that actually weighs less than a pound. It's $280 at B&H. You will wonder how you put up with the 3265 for so long after trying the AcraTech for just one day. I consider the tripod head to be the most crucial item of all for sharp photos.


Kent in SD

I have been very pleased with all aspects of my Kirk BH1's except the weight. They are just over two pounds, I guess they have to be to support substantial glass. I use mine for everything up to a 500 f/4 on a 3 lb ID MkII N. If you don't plan on going beyond a 300 f/2.8 lens, the Kirk BH3 would do nicely, save you a pound over the BH1, and save $100 over the price. You get one camera plate with the head, but as someone mentioned, factor in the cost ($55.00 approximately) of the lens plates for each of your collared lenses.

Nathan - I understand the money limitation - any idea on what your max $ limit is? I would suggest looking on ebay. When I was looking on my new head I noticed quite a few Kirk's on ebay, Acratech as well; very seldom did I see a Markins or RRS, and when they did show up they went for almost retail price. The Acratech's were usually cosmetic blems (but new), and the kirks were usually actually used heads in a variety of condition. To me it's worth a look/see, some of the Kirk's were going for awfully nice prices occasionally.

I can also recommend Kirks BH-3, a very good and solid ball head.

Regards

Nathan have a look at Benro! I bought one as a back-up for my Black Widow Gimbal head. Its very nice and not expensive.
Rene de Heer

Hree's an alternate approach worth checking: With so many newer, lighter models on the market lots of folks are dumping their older heads. Some of these, especially the Arca Swiss B-1 with quick release, are excellent. Larger and heavier for sure, but still a great head. We haven't parted with ours yet, but it has been sincerely tempting simply to get something smaller and lighter. Mine in particular looks like someone dragged it down the highway behind a truck, but it still works great. Others may be able to tell you about other brands and models, but I suspect there will be great savings in buying a quality used model.