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Archive 2014 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......

  
 
Charlie N
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


I know this might not be a good idea, but I think I'll be moving away from ballheads. I think I spend too much time leveling them, and I'm better off with a leveling base and smallish gimbal like head. A leveling base is super fast to setup, and a pan/tilt type head keeps my horizons level.

I've looked at a few heads that qualify for this:

acratech panoramic long lens head
Sunwayfoto DT-02 Monopod Head + panoramic clamp on top
Induro PHQ1

What use would there be for a ballhead if I've got a leveling base and one of those mentioned heads? I'm trying to figure out whether or not to keep my ballhead around..... if it's even needed.



Oct 17, 2014 at 01:00 PM
sjms
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


more of a geared head i'd think.

http://www.manfrotto.us/junior-geared-head

but then again why is it taking so long to level your setup? a few minutes should be all you need.

i have leveling bases built into 2 of my tripods as is.



Oct 17, 2014 at 01:11 PM
gwaww
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


Yup! Once I got a geared head I found a whole new love for tripods.



Oct 17, 2014 at 01:33 PM
Charlie N
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


I've looked into geared head, and not sure if thats a solution for me.

Do they pan ok? Occasionally, I would like to be able to pan living objects, such as nice birds near the beach (purely incidental). Can they handle a larger lens like a 70-200F2.8?

leveling once isnt the problem, but I find that I do it too often, constantly searching for that level horizon and angle at the same time, more of an annoyance than anything. Tilt down a little, out of level. Tilt up a little, out of level, just wish I didnt have to deal with the horizontal axis anymore.



Oct 17, 2014 at 02:06 PM
sjms
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


geared heads can handle view cameras which are i bit of a load. you just have to get the right one.

you sound like you want one tool to do it all. well there isn't. but i pretty much easily get

panning on a live moving object is the job of a gimbal setup. and mine is generally setup on my leveling base.

what ballhead are you working with?








Oct 17, 2014 at 02:24 PM
Charlie N
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


that's a sidekick setup right? Those seem hard to level lol, but I dont have firsthand experience.

I have a Kirk BH1 + gitzo 3530 + Acratech Leveling base. Yeah, I kinda want a single solution that can do it all. I find that a ballhead alone, cant do jack for panning, particularly annoying to re-level with up and down tilts. Doesnt take long, but annoying.

A head that can do incidental panning on occasion would be nice. Heck, I've even looked into video fluid heads, but those are generally too big and heavy. Tilting monopod heads + panning base and clamp look to be the solution. How they work in practice? not sure, but I'm putting one together, since I have a spare panning clamp.



Oct 17, 2014 at 02:46 PM
hiepphotog
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


A geared head would be your best bet. That or getting one of those cameras with a digital level. You might want to check out the Geared-ball hybrid head: Arca D4. It takes the best of both worlds with slightly less precision than the conventional geared head. Most of the expensive geared head have two panning bases so that would solve your problem. I'm using a Multiflex right now, and I can't be happier.

The monopod head can only do pitch but not roll so you can't truly level with it.



Oct 17, 2014 at 03:18 PM
sjms
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


don't be a surveyor.

i have little issue getting the sweep i need with what i have. i'm generally up and level in under 5 minutes and thats including mounting.



Oct 17, 2014 at 03:18 PM
sjms
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


hiepphotog wrote:
A geared head would be your best bet. That or getting one of those cameras with a digital level. You might want to check out the Geared-ball hybrid head: Arca D4. It takes the best of both worlds with slightly less precision than the conventional geared head. Most of the expensive geared head have two panning bases so that would solve your problem. I'm using a Multiflex right now, and I can't be happier.

The monopod head can only do pitch but not roll so you can't truly level with it.


sunwayfoto showed a similar setup but that was last year and still no sales on it yet.




Oct 17, 2014 at 03:24 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


I use ball, geared, and pano heads for scenic photography, depending on the situation. I recently got a Feisol PB-70 panning base to mount on an Acratech Leveling base, and I put a RRS B2-Pro II clamp on top of the Feisol panning base. I used it to make a series of twelve-image panoramas that I'm using for a very large print assignment. It worked very well and is relatively inexpensive. I think it's a great solution if you don't need to change elevation angle, or if you can do that using a shift lens.

Feisol PB-70 panning base, $39,
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/848913-REG/FEISOL_PB_70_PB_70_Panning_Base.html

Acratech Leveling base, $170,
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/834487-REG/Acratech_1170_LARGE_LEVELING_BASE.html



Oct 17, 2014 at 03:27 PM
Charlie N
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


I did some searching, and turns out there's a guy that has a similar setup to what I intend (same goals as well):




Oct 17, 2014 at 03:31 PM
howardm4
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


might want to take a look at the Arca P0 inverted ball head.


Oct 17, 2014 at 03:33 PM
Charlie N
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


jcolwell wrote:
I use ball, geared, and pano heads for scenic photography, depending on the situation. I recently got a Feisol PB-70 panning base to mount on an Acratech Leveling base, and I put a RRS B2-Pro II clamp on top of the Feisol panning base. I used it to make a series of twelve-image panoramas that I'm using for a very large print assignment. It worked very well and is relatively inexpensive. I think it's a great solution if you don't need to change elevation angle, or if you can do that using a shift lens.

Feisol PB-70 panning base, $39,
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/848913-REG/FEISOL_PB_70_PB_70_Panning_Base.html

Acratech
...Show more

I have the leveling base, and have looked into the feisol base

I need to tilt up and down head like the RRS MH-02

would much rather have something that has both panning base and tilt prebuilt rather than put together a frankenmonster. I'll be experimenting in the coming weeks.



Oct 17, 2014 at 03:38 PM
sjms
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


then there you have it.


Oct 17, 2014 at 03:39 PM
jeetsukumaran
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


Cannot have a "one-head-to-do-them-all" discussion without mentioning the head that promises to that without mentioning the Uniqball:

http://www.uniqball.com/

They claim gimbal, but like the various manufacturers that claim this (Markins, Acratech, etc.), what they really mean "like-a-gimbal-in-that-movement-is-restricted-to-two-axes".

This review shows that the Uniqball is actually a little clumsy to use in the landscape mode, especially when doing, e.g. panoramas.



Incidentally, I have not, nor has anyone that I know, actually tried or even physically seen this ballhead.

Another approach: stick an FLM ballhead with a pan-and-tilt lock on your leveling base.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?100042-New-FLM-Ball-Head

I think FLM is probably one of the more overlooked ballheads, especially in the DSLR community (US-based, at least), but the medium/large format folks rate them highly, and this is a community that actually detests ballheads! The FLM ballhead will let you use your ballhead like a ballhead, until you want to restrict movement, then the pan-and-tilt lock will give you a pan-and-tilt head. Kudos to FLM for not trying to pass a pan-and-tilt as a gimbal! Disclaimer: as with the Uniqball, I have never actually tried an FLM myself. Their leveling bases though have the highest rated strengths that I have seen, in a relatively small package.

I went the Markins Q20 +BV22 route. It works OK, though a little clumsier to set-up (have to attach a piece to the ball) than the FLM appears. I might have gone with the FLM pan-and-tilt if I had known about it in time. I have to say, though, that I am loving the Markins (incredibly strong, and significantly smoother than my BH40: to be honest, I do not think I can got back to RRS for ballheads after having been spoiled by the creamy smoothness of the Markins!).

Edited on Oct 17, 2014 at 04:04 PM · View previous versions



Oct 17, 2014 at 04:03 PM
SHVv
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


" put together a frankenmonster. "
****
Works quite well.







Oct 17, 2014 at 04:03 PM
Theron
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


Try this head, it works for me with H4d. I went away from the bullheads for the same reason, got tired of resetting the level. Arco Swiss D4 head.


Oct 17, 2014 at 04:33 PM
Charlie N
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


SHVv wrote:
" put together a frankenmonster. "
****
Works quite well.

Nice setup, glad I'm not insane. I have a panning clamp and leveling base already.

---------------------------------------------

Theron wrote:
Try this head, it works for me with H4d. I went away from the bullheads for the same reason, got tired of resetting the level. Arco Swiss D4 head.


Really last resort due to cost, but looks to be a very nice head.


jeetsukumaran, thanks for the mention of the FLM ball and uniqball. Both sound like they address the issue as well and both kind of expensive as well. Markins solution, not sure if that works if I swap out the orientation of the plate, may need a nodal rail to work with the L bracket. Does look like a viable solution but probably overkill since I will be using the "gimbal" mode full time.



Oct 17, 2014 at 05:43 PM
sjms
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


markins technically is not a gimbal. it is pretty much a pan and tilt. a gimbal works off of a centralized x, y, z axis


Oct 17, 2014 at 06:57 PM
jeetsukumaran
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Moving away from ballheads for landscapes......


sjms wrote:
markins technically is not a gimbal. it is pretty much a pan and tilt. a gimbal works off of a centralized x, y, z axis


jeetsukumaran wrote
They claim gimbal, but like the various manufacturers that claim this (Markins, Acratech, etc.), what they really mean "like-a-gimbal-in-that-movement-is-restricted-to-two-axes".


Yes, "gimbal" as used by Markins, Acratech etc. seems to me to be the tragic result of marketing trumping engineering, I am afraid.

Luckily, this is not a universal phenomenon:

jeetsukumaran wrote
Kudos to FLM for not trying to pass a pan-and-tilt as a gimbal!





Oct 17, 2014 at 07:08 PM
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