I have been getting more and more serious about my photography in the last two years, and bought gear as and when needed. As my main focus is studio work (Product and Macro) I bought the manfrotto 410 junior geared head, which I am extremely happy with. Now I want to get outside for some great Macro shots of flowers, mushrooms and cacti. For this I bought the Berlebach Mini tripod, and the Manfrotto RC 310 Joystick head. It appealed to me because of the way it is so easy to adjust, and as I found one at a great price 2nd hand, I thought it would be the right move. I have not owned it for long, but I am starting to doubt my decision already. It is not as solid as I had hoped (especially for Macro), and it is also way too big to carry in my camera bag, especially as I am trying to keep the weight down when I am walking.
So, now I am thinking of selling it on and getting a much smaller and lighter one. So far I have my eye on the Novoflex Magicball 50 (I like the large range of movement), although it is probably bulkier than I would like, or the more 'traditional' 3LT Airhed Equinox (or its little brother) - attractive for its massive load rating and double pano plate. I am also open to suggestions, but my budget is not huge at this point...although I would like something that will last me for the forseeable future. Any help is much appreciated!
What kind of gear do you shoot with, camera body and longest lens ?
As you already found out the RC 310 joystick is all but precise and stable.
Getting a ballhead is good choice,the Novoflex Magicball 50 is a nice ballhead, albeit not as compact as many others in the same segment. (due to the handle) It also requires a clamp to attach to your camera/lens without having to thread it on each time. So i would consider the cost of the clamp and camera plate into the price as well.
My recommendation for a (traditional) budget ballhead would be the Sirui K30X It's hard to beat for the money.
It's quite compact and it's performs as well as many of the high end names costing 3x as much. (in most regards)
I personally use geared heads when i need precision, i use a Arca Swiss D4 which is smaller then the 410, and a lot smaller then my 405.(which i never use anymore)
For better precision with a ballhead you can add focusing rails, but then you add to bulk and weight and might not save that much compared to you'r 410.
For higher end ballheads there a lot to choose from, but they of course cost more and never comes with a camera plate, and some don't even come with a clamp.
A good head is important, but don't forget the sticks they are equally important imho.
Now some will surely advice you to get the best straight away, and claiming nothing but RRS ballhead will do for macro etc.
Nothing wrong in buying the best if you can afford it, but know you can start out with less and still get excellent results.
There is a German firm that makes what look to be good ballheads - maybe they distribute to the UK? They aren't seen in the US so we have little info on them.
In the US, RRS makes xlnt ball heads - not sure if that makes sense over there.
There is also Arca-Swiss.
Remember, as magnification increases, stability becomes much more important. OTOH, flash solves a LOT of problems.
From what i know RRS don't have a official dealer in Europe, which is a shame. And their products are really expensive in comparison to equivalent products. For example the the K-40X which did quite well in DPR 's Test cost about 1/4 of the RRS here in Sweden.
Arca Swiss (small french company) is of course a lot more accessible(well not entirely true, in Sweden it seems almost impossible to get them) , and makes just as good products as RRS. But they aren't cheap either.
I have a:
Markins M10*- this replaced my AS B1.
*semi retired
RRS BH55 one of the first 10 off the line. the do need a little "breaking in". use with big lenses and sidekick.
RRS BH40 fun right out of the box. my regular grab and go when not going on a plane. do a lot of close up work with it using a focusing rail.
RRS BH30 outstanding travel head with the right legset. mine has its own passport its been out and about so much. getting ready to pack up and go again.
since you're in a neighborhood where these are very low on the availability chain and high in price I would hit on the Markins Q10
that is way too many knobs and height for me. I manage to do what I need with the one. yep that is the OS version. I hardly ever use the OS unless i'm shooting handheld with it. optically it is an excellent tool. it is also my one and only "prime" lens.
I would not recommend Markins, i owned both the M20 and the M10 back in the day where there where little to no alternatives available to the big guys like Arca Swiss, RRS, Acra Tech and the likes. (in Europe)
While decent ballheads, they offer really not much in comparison to the budget alternatives that are readily available today. (apart from a higher price tag that is)
So a Sirui K30X would be performing just as well, the Markins only upperhand would be color variations.
The FLM on the other hand, simply outperforms the Markins on all levels, build, function and performance. It also cheaper then the Markins.
