Talk To Me About: Tripod Heads

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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Okay ... I think it's time to go searching for a new head for my Manfrotto.

I've been using the Manfrotto ball head that supposedly uses the Arca Swiss style plate, but the key word there is "style". This thing is so particular about only working with certain Arca Swiss plates, I'm thinking it's time to find something else. Love the Manfrotto tripod for home/studio use, just not digging the head the way I thought I would.

So ... what are the good options for another ball head that would mate up to this tripod and provide true Arca Swiss functionality so that I don't have to sweat whether the next Kirk or Really Right Stuff bracket will work?
 
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ScottinPollock

Banned
Manfrotto makes great legs, but lousy heads (even the pricey ones).

Can we assume a Kirk or RRS ball head is out of budget? If so, what is that budget?
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
RocketCowboy said:
So ... what are the good options for another ball head that would mate up to this tripod and provide true Arca Swiss functionality so that I don't have to sweat whether the next Kirk or Really Right Stuff bracket will work?
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You do want Arca-Swiss, if no other reason than that the Kirk L bracket plate works.

I went many years with a standard pan head (specifically, the original Marchioni Tilt-all was my favorite, for many years, a really rugged and smooth tripod). When I finally realized ball heads had been invented, I could not imagine why I might want one. Like I already had a fine solution, why was spending more money necessary?

But I hit a snag with the Nikon 24-70mm lens, it was just too heavy, and when hanging off the side of the head in portrait orientation, its weight just slipped and rotated around the tripod screw, and sagged pointing down. Would not say up and level.

So I added a Markins ball head and a Kirk L bracket, and it was a miraculous change. Cannot imagine being without it now. Just the L bracket would have solved my specific problem (except that it required Arca-Swiss), but the Markins also showed its stuff everywhere.

So the L bracket always keeps the camera and weight directly above the head, sitting on a flat plate that cannot slip down. But the Markins is very nice too. I may not even be using it right, since I never even have to think about it, it is just always there working.
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
Arca swiss z1 buddy if you have the money, is what I would highly recommend! Mine is awesome with no complaints from me at all! :)
Spendy but well worth the cost so far as I'm concerned! :D

Glenn can tell ya too! Lol :)
 
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oldsalt

Senior Member
I've got "Acratech" ball heads on my three tripods, and they work with my RRS lens mounts... good quality stuff.
cheers
 
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ScottinPollock

Banned
RocketCowboy said:
I didn't realize they made heads as well. Need to check that out before I say whether in or out of budget. :D
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IMHO, they make some of the best in the business, albeit pricey. I settled on a Benro (a Chinese knockoff of the Kirks). I have the predecessor to this puppy. It has served me well for a number of years. While not as smooth and precise as the best, it is solid, nicely made, and works well.

Edit: I should probably elucidate on what I mean by "smooth and precise". The precision is about, if you have a 500mm lens on a crop sensor, whether the camera moves noticeably when you lock it down. The Benros do. It is not much, but it is discernible in the frame. It is usually the same amount and direction so you can compensate for it before hand, but it is one more thing to think about.

By smoothness I am referring to the friction setting. With heavy lenses, and the friction setting dialed up to support them, the movement can be a little 'sticky'. You can dial it back a bit for more smoothness, but you will get the ball drooping a bit at some positions. The horizontal pan bearing is very smooth, but not damped enough for smooth slow pans with video (it's close, but not perfect).

I have read articles online of folks disassembling the Benros and re-lubricating them for some noticeable improvement, but it was never that big of an issue for me to bother.
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
Not sure this fits into the discussion But....The last ball head I bought was the Pistol grip type. It is great since you can move it and lock it with one hand. So much better when you have limited strength in your hands.
 
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oldsalt

Senior Member
RocketCowboy said:
I see a gimble in my future too, but need to get the ball head sorted first. ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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P1090688.jpg
I've got a "Jobu Design" gimbal, and love it...
cheers
 
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STM

Senior Member
I have a MOVO gimble head and with 20 pounds of camera/battery pack and lens, it works terrifically well. The gimble head itself weighs in at almost 3 pounds. It is much better dampened then the Wimberly head, which I actually found too loose, which for a lens that long and especially with a 2x TC-300 attached, it s perfect. Panning and tilting is buttery smooth
 
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RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Going to give the Benro V3E head a try. It's a little higher weight rated than the B0, more comparable to the rating of the Manfrotto head it replaces, but we'll see how she does.
 
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