Hello all - getting ready to dive into better support with a new tripod and ball head. Since I've not handled these personally, I am wondering about this ball head. It's expensive but gets good reviews. Would love to hear fellow FMer's experiences, opinions on this ball head. Thanks!
I have had the BH-55 w/lever lock for about 3 years. Very well made, works great and yes expensive! It is pretty heavy duty so it really depends on how big a lens you are going to put on top of it and what tripod you are going to pair it with. I use it with a Gitzo 3 series. I think the BH 55 would be overkill for a lighter tripod.
I had the BH-55 and have the BH-40. The 55 is better, smoother, sexier, feels like a piece of NASA engineering and looks awesome to boot. So why did I sell it? It weights a half pound more than the 40 and for my style of shooting offers no more support. Even on the top of my 3 series Gitzo the 55 felt out of balance and top-heavy. On my 2 series RRS tripod the 40 is a perfect match. I anticipate that the 40 will serve me well for 15 years, just as the 55 would have.
I have a BH-55 and a BH-40 and have absolutely nothing to complain about with either one of them. If things continue the way they have been, then I don't foresee any issues in the future either. At least not for a very long time.
OK = Thanks everyone! I'll look at the BH-40, too. I'll be using a Gitzo three series with this ball head. Right now my heaviest lenses are the 100-400 and the 70-200 f 2.8. Body is a 1DIV. I just want to be prepared in case I rent a longer tele for a few days. Mostly this will be nature/landscape/wildlife shooting. I want to try my hand at some longer exposures. My gear will probably always surpass my abilities, to an extent, lol, but I want to be happy with my results, and tripod vibrations, etc. would be a real bummer. Cheers and happy weekend, and, in honor of Yakim Peled, Happy Shooting!
Edit: So the 55 has a 50 pound load capacity and the 40 is 18 pounds? That's quite a difference. How much credence do you give to these measurements?
I do like the weight of the BH-40 though. Are they essentially the same BH, just one is smaller and has a lower weight capacity? Thanks again, folks!
I'm going to disagree with Steve a bit here, for landscape and nature the 55 is nice but overkill. The reason I say that is that most landscape setups are not overly heavy and in all but hurricane winds you are not likely to see any difference between a shot with the 55 and a shot with the 40. Second, for wildlife with long lenses you may want a gimbal head rather than the 55 anyway.
I shoot mostly landscapes, nature, urban and night work and for those uses the 40 fits me better. It's lighter, just as easy to use and mates nicely with my RRS 24L. According to RRS the 40 is best mated to their 2 series tripod, and also according to RRS their 2 series tripod is their equivalent of the 3 series Gitzo, so as long it fits your intended usage I'd feel comfortable with the 40 on a 3 series Gitzo.
As for me, I use the 40/24L combo on Nikon, but my longer lens selection is very similar to your and I feel very comfortable with it using my D800 and my 70-200/2.8 and new 80-400VRII.
the values from RRS are about the most conservative in the marketplace.
i'd go along with Mr Warnke's statements overall. I do though think forward for future use. in some cases it can be better to have and not need and then later need and not have.
I won't disagree that the RRS ballheads are a fine piece of kit!
But for a mid-sized ballhead that is reasonably light AND has a very high load rating, also take a look at the offerings from Markins (either the Q3 or Q10 depending on how heavy-duty you want to go). I'm not sure how the Markins lever clamp compares to the RRS lever clamp, though....if lever clamps are your thing.
Q3 is under 1lb and has a 65lb load rating. I have the M10, which is basically the older version of the Q10. Weighs a bit over 1lb and has a load rating of 80lbs or something silly. It has always been rock solid with larger lenses.
I to have a M10. its in semi retirement. military green. it is good but there is a subtle difference leaning towards RRS. less tightening torque required to lock to begin with. the relevance of those capacities becomes diminished by reality.
sjms wrote:
I to have a M10. its in semi retirement. military green. it is good but there is a subtle difference leaning towards RRS. less tightening torque required to lock to begin with. the relevance of those capacities becomes diminished by reality.
Well sheesh, now you're making me look at my Markins all funny.
Thanks again for the discussion. I wish I had a camera shop nearby that carried these things so I could gauge for myself. I am looking to lighten the load, but not if it means forsaking stability. Always a compromise....
And Todd, I see your point about the Gimbal head. Back to researching!
The Markins M10 looks a little bit small on 3 series legs but works really well. Very smooth action and very minimal "settling" after locking into position. Less than the RRS BH-40 in my testing. The Markins also weighs almost a pound less than the RRS BH-55. And you can order it without a top plate and use the RRS lever release clamp.
I've had two RRS ballheads now, both were fantastic. That BH55 is a beast, I can't see ever needing anything larger than a BH40 personally, but I don't have any super - telephotos.
I won't be buying anything other than RRS in the future, their stuff is solid and works great. I'm sure there are other great brands (I've always heard good things about Markins as mentioned above for instance), but I'm partial to the RRS.
Buy once, cry once. I had two Manfrotto ballheads and a Giottos before I put down the cash for the RRS.
Mr Joe
I really kind of doubt it. but then there is a simple test for "ball settling".
you take a sharpie and run a line along the edge of the cup on the ball and then do your thing. if it doesn't move you better start looking elsewhere and you most likely will have too. most people when they set up their stuff hold things from below upwards. you tend to unload more then you think in just a small amounts and that people think is ball settling. the ball doesn't settle its locked in a cup. everything else is free to move. when you let go you unload the entire assy not just one little thing on it.
the markins q20 is a great ballhead. I have the bh-55 now but would be just as happy with my q20 except for the clamp. The markins lever is weak in comparison. When I got my bh-55 I was like "this is how it should be". This ballhead + the tvc-33 = awesomeness & is worth the cost. Though I've only played with it twice so far
I have a BH-55 and love it but mine is a thumb screw version and I wouldn't have anything else. Sure the lever clamp is the sexy in thing to have but I'm kinda ole fashioned and the thumb screw is better and will stand the test of time while the lever will fade away. Plus I'm frugal and the thumbscrew is cheaper
I have a RRS BH-40 and am very happy (largest lens - Canon 100-400L). I think either the 40 or 50 will work well for you. Just to let you know, I originally purchased the BH-30, and all though it would have worked from a strength standpoint, it was just too small for the tripod that I was using. I called RRS, and they let me send it back for a full exchange towards the BH-40. I did pay for return shipping and the BH-30 was returned as new (I just inspected it inside the house, mounted it on my tripod and tried a few lenses). Not sure this is always their policy, but when I called RRS, they were very friendly and helpful.
Jim
May 18, 2013 at 12:59 AM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
I own the BH-55 and BH-40 ballheads from RRS. Both heads are very good ballheads. I also own Arca-Swiss, Gitzo and Markins heads. And to be honest, even if the BH-55 is a very good head I use my Arca-Swiss Z1 a lot more.
When you gonna use it with a Gitzo series 3 tripod. And up to 400mm lenses, you should have a large ballhead.
(IMO)
Arca-Swiss Z1 ---the smoothest ball, and the best locking (no drop)
RRS BH-55 --- the best panning base, the best knobs, the best lever release clamp
Markins Q20 --- the best price
Gitzo GH 5380 SQR Systematic ballhead --- the best ball head for long tele lenses
(this Gitzo head replace the top-plate in your Gitzo tripod. And makes an very stable low profile head for long tele lenses) less good than the other 3 heads for short/normal lenses
