I've been using a Sirui K-20x for 2 years now, and am as pleased now as I was when it arrived. Utterly brilliant head, and one of the best accessories I've bought - extremely well designed with high-quality engineering and build. Easily as good as heads many times its cost. Amazon had the best price then...
Friends have bought Sirui heads after seeing mine, and they too are delighted - one describing their Manfrotto head as utter s**te in comparison!
A tripod is essential for me, as nearly all my photography requires one, whether in my studio or outside, so I'm really fussy. I use it with my two main cameras - a Nikon D800E and a Mamiya 645, neither light cameras.
My base requirements were ease of use; smooth, well-damped movement; and minimal droop when letting go of the camera after making an adjustment. The head had to meet these with no compromise - which it did, and still does. Because it's such a nice bit of kit, I actually enjoy using it - not something I ever expected to say about such a mundane object as a tripod head!
Sirui produces top-notch products - they bear no comparison with cheap low-end Chinese items that so often disappoint (I once bought such a head - truly horrible!).
PS: I have no connection with Sirui!
As for tripods, I think that's an easier choice, as above a certain price they're all pretty sturdy, and the choice boils down to personal preference and specific needs. For example, I prefer flip locks to twist locks as the former are faster to use; also for speed, I like tripods with few sections (i.e. two locks). It also has to be light enough and sensibly sized so I can carry it outdoors without hating it!
Carbon fibre is lighter than metal for the same level of performance and has better damping (give a sharp tap to your camera on decent carbon and metal tripods, and be astounded - there's a massive difference!): I took a deep breath because of the cost, and bought a carbon tripod, and am glad I did - it's lighter and works better than my old alloy one (the new carbon tripod has thinner lower leg sections so seems less sturdy, but isn't in practice - the better damping means my camera is actually
less prone to vibration). I won't go back to a metal tripod.
Adjusting the position and framing of a tripod-mounted camera is a pain! So, my current tripod has a multi-adjustable centre column (i.e. it doesn't just go up and down): the price paid for this convenience is a slight loss in sturdiness. Although common advice is to ignore centre columns, in practice I've found they are very useful, and on a decent tripod and if not fully extended and waving around in the wind, I've not noticed had a shake in my photographs.
My current Tripod is a carbon fibre Giottos Silk Road. I wanted a sturdy but lightweight tripod that had the above features. It's OK and does its job, but it's not designed, engineered nor built to the same high standards as my Sirui head.
DP Review has done a
thorough review of larger ballheads, including the Sirui K-40x. Though I've not tried all the heads reviewed, their conclusions match mine for smaller heads: .
