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Archive 2017 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?

  
 
Max_Pain
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Hi guys. I did some research in November of last year and based on what I read on this board and what I wanted it to do, I ended up buying the SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ball head. Specifically, I purchased it from Amazon from this listing:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007IVT794/

At first I was amazed. Coming from the tiny ballhead that came with my MeFoto Roadtrip tripod, this thing is a beast. But for the last few weeks I've noticed what I can only imagine is a defect ... or a very silly user error that I can't figure out.

If I tighten the ballhead hard enough that I think it's the right amount of tension to hold a big lens (biggest I used it with was the 800mm f/5.6L), then sometimes I can't loosen it back without significant effort or using a tool to beat it into submission (literally). If I don't tighten too much, it's not a problem, but then it doesn't have enough tension for even my 100-400II and 5DIV combo. For a ballhead with claimed load capacity of 132 lbs, that doesn't seem right. But it can't possibly be right that I can tighten it enough (without effort) to support that combination, but then need a hammer to beat the knob before it'll let me loosen it enough.

Am I missing something here? Is that a typical sign of failure? Is it something I did or am doing to damage it? Or is it a defect? I know it's not the top of the line ballhead, but at $320 it's not exactly a cheap one either...and it had glowing reviews here and on Amazon. So, what gives?



Jan 31, 2017 at 04:06 PM
peter_n
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


You don't mention using the friction knob to vary the tension for different loads, only tightening the main locking knob. Some ballheads can lock up if the friction knob is incorrectly set, Markins heads are susceptible to this issue but I've not read of Sunwayfoto heads having the problem. The instruction manual that came with the head has fairly clear guidance on how to vary the tension for a given load using the friction knob.







Jan 31, 2017 at 09:29 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Can you figure out if the problem is with the main ball lock or the tension control?

EBH



Jan 31, 2017 at 09:32 PM
Max_Pain
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Huh. I can swear I never saw an instruction manual with mine, and the box is now in storage so I can't readily get to it. But that graphic really helps. I will play around with it this weekend and report back. I figured it would be something that I just wasn't aware of, since I've never owned a ballhead with friction controls like that. Thanks!


Jan 31, 2017 at 11:00 PM
peter_n
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


You can download the user manual from Dropbox. The attachment is Sunwayfoto's FT-01, good for unlocking recalcitrant friction controls - its available from Adorama or Amazon.







Feb 01, 2017 at 09:42 AM
Max_Pain
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Hi guys.

I read the manual. I tried changing the friction setting. I'm still confused as all heck as to why this isn't functioning the way I want. In messing with the friction, the main knob got stuck again, and again required a friendly hammer to loosen it. This makes no sense to me.

My biggest issue maybe is born out of inexperience. I've seen pictures of some of you guys walking with big Gitzo tripods and Big Whites hanging from the ballhead. It seems like a natural way to carry a big lens while carrying a big tripod. So that's my goal. To have a ballhead that can let me throw the tripod over the shoulder and be able to carry the camera and attached lens without worrying about it falling suddenly.

I played with the friction and tightening controls and then tried doing just that with the 200-400 EXT + 5DIV attached. Sure enough, the ballhead drops within a couple of seconds and can't hold the weight. Granted, that's a heavy lens, but this is rated for 100lbs+ load and the lens and camera combo don't get to 15lbs.

Am I just hoping for something that isn't possible at all? Or is it still user error?



Feb 18, 2017 at 08:55 AM
EB-1
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Max_Pain wrote:
My biggest issue maybe is born out of inexperience. I've seen pictures of some of you guys walking with big Gitzo tripods and Big Whites hanging from the ballhead. It seems like a natural way to carry a big lens while carrying a big tripod. So that's my goal. To have a ballhead that can let me throw the tripod over the shoulder and be able to carry the camera and attached lens without worrying about it falling suddenly.


I have used a BH-55 (typically with a Sidekick) for that, though a full Gimbal head is better.

EBH




Feb 18, 2017 at 09:09 AM
Max_Pain
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


According to the RRS website that ballhead is rated for 50 lb / 23 kg ... so why wouldn't this very well reviewed and nearly as expensive Sunwayfoto rated for 122 lb do the same? It's not like this is a cheap knockoff ... at least I don't consider $350 a cheap knockoff


Feb 18, 2017 at 09:17 AM
EB-1
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Rated 122 lbs. by whom, the Chinese manufacturer? There are many ridiculous load clams in support systems. RRS, Kirk, Jobu, etc. are conservative in their claims.

In any case, you may simply have a substandard copy. Is it still under warranty?

EBH



Feb 18, 2017 at 09:29 AM
sjms
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


Max_Pain wrote:
According to the RRS website that ballhead is rated for 50 lb / 23 kg ... so why wouldn't this very well reviewed and nearly as expensive Sunwayfoto rated for 122 lb do the same? It's not like this is a cheap knockoff ... at least I don't consider $350 a cheap knockoff


in the world of the marketing there are many ways of looking at reality. I can dump a 122lb load on most of these devices it they will hold it. so the statement can be considered true in that specific measurement of overall capacity (and that is not telling you the positional state these were in). that unfortunately tells very little about the overall operational characteristics in "normal" photographic use.
RRS tends to be conservative in their views of their own manufactured product. so that in use across a current photographic spectrum their products should perform (meet or exceed) as advertised.

I really do doubt any "reviewer" has tested any of these products to their proposed limit. most people are predisposed to what they think a product should or should not do before actually using it and be damned to asking questions before.

Edited on Feb 18, 2017 at 10:43 AM · View previous versions



Feb 18, 2017 at 09:46 AM
Max_Pain
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


I see. Thanks.


Feb 18, 2017 at 09:51 AM
peter_n
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


sjms wrote:
in the world of the marketing there are many ways of looking at reality.


Yes, my theory is that most of these marketing folk use a random number table when looking for a load bearing spec.

A very small number of manufacturers are conservative in their specifications.



Feb 18, 2017 at 11:17 AM
sjms
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


mine's a little simpler: "alternate truth" purveyors AKA: BS artists. just like a certain Jersey girl.


Feb 18, 2017 at 12:00 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


sjms wrote:
in the world of the marketing there are many ways of looking at reality.

peter_n wrote:
Yes, my theory is that most of these marketing folk use a random number table when looking for a load bearing spec.

A very small number of manufacturers are conservative in their specifications.




Cheap 3rd party batteries come to mind. Some of the capacities defy the laws of physics.

EBH



Feb 18, 2017 at 01:19 PM
sjms
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


advertising and gullibility can/do go hand and hand. people will to believe what they want to no matter what, even if it's lacking in reliable defendable and provable facts. this is what makes mankind "great".


Feb 18, 2017 at 04:26 PM
Gochugogi
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


My Sunwayfoto ballhead got really stiff and adjusting that strange screw head on the main friction made it as smooth as silk. Only a tiny adjustment was needed and I made it worse before making it right...


Feb 18, 2017 at 05:47 PM
sjms
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


that is the drag screw and it can create "mayhem" when not done with moderation. it is the identical design on arca swiss and many of its "emulators".


Feb 18, 2017 at 05:55 PM
Two23
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · SUNWAYFOTO XB-52 ballhead gets "stuck"?


There is a reason that the expensive ballheads are expensive, and the control of tension is one. As for throwing tripod over shoulder with camera + expensive lens attached and walking around, I no longer have the guts to do that. I once had a Bronica 645 camera attached to a big A/S ballhead, and when the clamp came loose the Bronica smashed to the ground. I'm not going to let that happen again.


Kent in SD



Feb 19, 2017 at 08:13 PM





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