What's your favorite ballhead?

[Rob-F]

I have several Manfrotto ballheads, and have been looking at other brands lately. I would be interested in experiences and preferences of others.

I kind of like the looks of the Acratech V2, though it is pricey. Any user comments on that one? What about Induro?

I like the ones that have two separate tensioning knobs. I just bought an off-brand one on eBay to fool around with.

So let's hear about experiences, preferences, thoughts and opinions.

 

[felix5616]

Photo clam. Well made and reasonably priced. I have 2, a smaller one for 35mm and small MF and a larger one. Same features as markins and arca.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

You have several Manfrotto ballheads already ?.....how many more ballheads do you need?😕

 

[markwatts]

I am in Korea..Markins of course!
Actually I cannot conceive of a better product. I own three of them

 

[murpograph]

ballhead

ballhead

Arcaswiss, heavy and very reliable. Bears even MF and lighter LF-cameras.
Novoflex, innovative and reliable.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Novoflex. My wife uses the Classic Ball 3 with variable drag; I use the Magic Ball.

Arca Swiss are also very good.

You tend to get what you pay for.

If you can find one -- it's no longer in production -- consider the NPC Pro Ball, though it is even less conventional than the Magic Ball.

Cheers,

R.

 

[lynnb]

RRS BH-40. It works. It's rock-steady and easy to use. It's beautifully made. And the accessories are of a similar high standard.

Regards,
Lynn B

 

[FPjohn]

RRS BH - 25 Pro. Light and convenient, it fits well with my Minolta/Polaroid pocket tripod.

Two ARCA fitted 056 3-Way Heads from Manfrotto suffice for all other needs . 🙂

yours
FPJ

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I use a Kirk BH-1 on my tripod and a Kirk BH-3 on my monopod. Very solid and quick to use ballheads.

 

[Rob-F]

You have several Manfrotto ballheads already ?.....how many more ballheads do you need?😕

I have one Manfrotto with a QR plate, that goes on the Bogen 3001. I have a second one with a very small ball that goes on my monopod. Then I have another one of those on my small Gitzo. The new ball head is a Fancier (ever heard of it? It's new to me) that's going on the heavier Manfrotto tripod for the Hasselblad. It has a 2" ball and seems very sturdy and capable.

No, I probably don't need another one right now. But I have become interested in them--just from a gearhead standpoint, I guess.

 

[dleibow]

Arca-Swiss

Arca-Swiss

I have been very happy with it. OK for a digital SLR with a 400mm lens.

 

[Shac]

Arca-Swiss - very good

 

[peter_n]

I use a Linhof Profi II With a Markins Arca-Swiss type QR clamp. It sits on a Markins base in place of the center column on the tripod. An excellent ballhead, no creep under any circumstances, very good ergonomics with simple, big rubberized controls you can use wearing gloves.

If I were buying now I would seriously consider a Markins, they are extremely well engineered and the build quality of their stuff is excellent.

 

[Honu-Hugger]

I have also been very pleased with the Linhof Profi heads. I use a Profi II on a large tripod, a smaller (Profi III ?) on a monopod, and a small Gitzo ball head works well on a little Gitzo carbon fiber travel tripod.

 

[photogdave]

Kirk BH-3. It can handle every piece of equipment I own from 35mm RF to medium format SLR w/ 200mm lens.
It is quite light for its payload capacity and very sturdy. It uses the Arca plate system so I can get specific plates for my gear from a number of sources. It has a synthetic lubrication system that never gets sloppy in heat or stiff in cold. It never produces globs of grease on the ball like the Manfrotto and Gitzo heads I've used before.
You do get what you pay for!

 

[Ted2001]

Arca-Swiss Z1. Works perfectly, holds large lenses and doesn't weigh much. Use it with the RRS lever release, which also functions flawlessly.

 

[maddoc]

Gitzo GT2941 + G1177M ball-head. Stable enough to carry a 500 C/M with 80/2.8 or a Leica M + 90/2.0. 🙂

 

[Bill Kapinski]

I use a Linhof Precision Tiltop 2 Handles my dslr w/ 70-200 2.8. Big lever for adjusting and a separate pan knob. Mounted on a Gitzo Safari