jeetsukumaran wrote:
Yes, it is. Solid product, both literally and figuratively. The base plate fits both the Acratech and Markins well, is well-made and light. Only functional negative about the system is that is that the quick release clamp is a little heavy (about 0.5 lbs) and adds a small but not really trivial bit of height. The weight may help stabilize the setup, but when using a light ballhead like the Acratech (~1lb) it is not an insignificant overhead. Also, more superficially, if I had a choice I think I would have preferred all black rather than the satin-finished components.
Krzysztof Hejnar makes a very nice black anodized 60mm dovetail. I use four of them on geared heads and ballheads along with my Kirk dovetails. The Hejnar dovetail has a very nice feature; an almost imperceptible marker on center front and center back of the dovetail. The first pic below shows shows the front one (it's over emphasized because of the reflection).
This one is mounted on an Arca-Swiss d4 geared head which has a really odd shape; I'd describe it as triangular with the top and bottom cut off and it can be awkward to point in the right direction on initial setup. I've marked the dovetail and center base of the d4 (second pic) at the back of both and now it's crystal clear where the camera is pointed.
Hi all, I have had the RRS BH-55 QR head and found it the most stable and reduces vibration times over the BH-40 and other ball heads that I have tested. Now what we all need to understand is it 1 of the most important factors reducing or minimizing the vibrations as fast as possible. When I decided to look at something of a newer design and lighter weight since many of us are using a carbon fiber tripods and I was thinking my 2-LBS BH-55 QR is almost half the weight of the better carbon fiber tripods.
From the Dave site TCC, great work! But the Acratech ball heads don't perform as well for the $ as others, and so I kept looking and came back to the Acratech GXP Ball-Head with Lever Quick Release Clamp head, in Daves testing the Acratech lever don't perform as good as the knob tighten clamps in stability and vibration dissipation testing I see, so at half the weight 1-LBS I am hoping it's as good in the RRS BH-55 QR but in reality it won't be. But since no one can confirm I ordered the Acratech GXP Ball-Head with Lever Quick Release Clamp and will some vibration testing and see if it's good enough? If anybody is also interested in my findings I would be glad to post my thoughts. I felt the RRS at 2-LBS there would not be any better or more stable ball head out their and if I am wrong please post which one, but the more I think what's the point of spending $500 for something as good as the RRS so might as well test the GXP with my Sony 200-600 and A7R4 body...More to come..
Christopher
I'm glad they make one with a knob clamp. I have never had a desire to use a lever clamp, and I don't see that ever changing....I just don't really trust them. I know that when used with compatible plates, they lock solid, but that then requires that all your plates are the correct size (though I guess both this and RRS can 'adjust', though the Acratech's adjustment looks to have potential issues). Plus the fear that the end of the clamp lever will snag on something and suddenly release the clamp.
I've been using A/S knob release clamps on all my heads for 15 years and I've never had a single instance of them slipping in any way, and they work with any clamp from any maker (even the cheap generic plates), and I don't really see a time savings on the lever clamps either. I'm actually surprised at how popular and common they are.
I've used Acratech and RRS lever release clamps for many years and have never had a single issue. I currently use four Acratech ballheads and one FLM ballhead, and three Arca-Swiss geared heads. They all have Arca-Swiss type dovetails and my tripods have Desmond Arca-Swiss type lever release clamps screwed onto their apex so I can swap heads easily and quickly. Never had a problem with the Desmonds either.
I've used the GP and Gitzo 1541T for 10 years without complaint, and now that I have switched to mirrorless, load bearing weight is less important. But I would never switch to a GXP: the bottom plate does not have index markers every 30 degrees, which makes the GP & GPSS the best pano heads in the business. You can stand in one spot behind the tripod, and keep rotating, knowing exactly how many degrees you have panned for each shot.
Over the years I really had a lot of ball heads. But the GXP is by far the worst I've ever had. The first one was broken right upon arrival. The panoramic axis had an enormous amount of play. According to my dealer after consulting with Acratech, it was an assembly error. When I got the head back everything seemed to be fine. After a week there was a cracking noise while taking pictures and it was broken again. Again the panoramic axis. Then I got a new one. This one lasted for about 4 months. Again a cracking noise and the panorama axis was wobbling like a seesaw. The heaviest equipment that was used was less than 7 lbs. For a ball head that is rated at 50 lbs that should not be a problem. After that I got a new head again. The third one. Due to Corona I have rarely used this one and I hope it will last longer. But after the two defective ones there is always a bad feeling.
dg23 wrote:
I've used the GP and Gitzo 1541T for 10 years without complaint, and now that I have switched to mirrorless, load bearing weight is less important. But I would never switch to a GXP: the bottom plate does not have index markers every 30 degrees, which makes the GP & GPSS the best pano heads in the business. You can stand in one spot behind the tripod, and keep rotating, knowing exactly how many degrees you have panned for each shot.
Perhaps I'm not understanding your needs, but from the images the GP and GXP have 5° increments on the panning base and numbers every 15°. For a medium head it is commendable compared to some heads that have a crude, hidden, or no indicator at all. I prefer the 2.5° increments of the BH-55 for my tele pans, but that is a larger head with a larger, heavy duty base.
blackforest wrote:
Over the years I really had a lot of ball heads. But the GXP is by far the worst I've ever had. The first one was broken right upon arrival. The panoramic axis had an enormous amount of play. According to my dealer after consulting with Acratech, it was an assembly error. When I got the head back everything seemed to be fine. After a week there was a cracking noise while taking pictures and it was broken again. Again the panoramic axis. Then I got a new one. This one lasted for about 4 months. Again a cracking noise and the panorama axis was wobbling like a seesaw. The heaviest equipment that was used was less than 7 lbs. For a ball head that is rated at 50 lbs that should not be a problem. After that I got a new head again. The third one. Due to Corona I have rarely used this one and I hope it will last longer. But after the two defective ones there is always a bad feeling....Show more →
Well I've only had mine since August and have been out and about using it. Certainly no issues here.
BTW can I ask where you're getting yours from? I got mine from B&H.
Yeah, I always buy my gear from authorized and/or reputable dealers. I had a conversation with the owners of Acratech, and they said B&H was one of their authorized dealers (in this case authorized as in they do a lot of business with B&H). I'm sure B&H isn't their only sells outlet so....
Anyway I was just wondering if the item came from say e-bay where fraud seems to rain a lot there. And for the record, I have an e-bay account, and do shop e-bay; I just don't buy electronics or expensive gear from there, thus my preference for authorized dealers.
jeetsukumaran wrote:
I recently picked up the Acratech GXP ballhead, and have been putting it through its paces in the rough and tough across a couple of states and biomes. This includes freezing rain in the Laguna mountains, the hot and dusty in the Anzo-Borrego deserts,as well as cool and wettish in the Arizona palo verde deserts. It has held up not just very well, but honestly superlatively, and compares very favorably with my Markins Q-20i which I've been using for the last decade plus.
It is superbly crafted and engineered --- like a custom machined part from an F-35 --- and very well built. Sturdy and robust. Smooth motion under tension, and locks up solid like concrete block. It's a size class smaller than the ballheads I've been using or tried out extensively in comparison (FLM 48/58, RRS BH-55, etc.).And in every respect it has held up in the best way possible: it Just Worked. No muss. No fuss. Just solid support with precise positioning. It did it's job so well while staying out the way and not causing problems, that most of the time I forgot that I was using and trying out a new ballhead. Using a Sony A7RIII body, while the biggest lens I used on it was the 100-400GM (anything larger and it's gimbal time), it was a solid platform in some very challenging settings (e.g. shooting at 100-400mm on a wet mountain ridge at 40F pre-windchill with 30-35 MPH winds).
Out of curiosity, did you end up keeping the Markins Q20 or are you using only the GXP? If so, what do you bring the Q20 out for and what do you bring the GXP out for? I got a GXP and love the ergonomics, size, weight, durability, and overall versatility of it but it means the Q20 haven't been used much so trying to decide whether to keep or sell it.
I still have the Q20. I don't use it at all. I'm keeping it around for a back up ... and also, honestly, because it is a such a beautiful piece of work! Art in engineering and all that
jeetsukumaran wrote:
I still have the Q20. I don't use it at all. I'm keeping it around for a back up ... and also, honestly, because it is a such a beautiful piece of work! Art in engineering and all that
Have your views regarding the Acratech GXP changed since you got it 5 years ago? Is it still your go-to tripod head? The Acratech GXP does seem very interesting as a lightweight head which can do occasional panos and occasional pseudo gimbal functionality.
I have the Markins Q20i and love it as my main tripod head - and also an RRS BH-30 for travel tripod. I have the BV attachment which makes it amenable to use as a pseudo gimbal which is of course a great lightweight addition instead of a full gimbal.
I do wish I had the panorama quick shoe (http://www.markins.com/4.0/html_en/pc_qr-70p.php) on my Q20i instead of the knob turn quick shoe. I would then be able to use the Q20i as a regular ball head, for occasional panoramas (if not carrying leveling base) and for occasional pseudo gimbal functionality (with lighter lenses like the Nikon 600mm f/6.3 S and 100-400mm). And maybe faster to use than using the GXP as panoramic quick shoe would not need a separate installation and the pseudo gimbal functionality is also straightforward addition of the BV-20 (or BV-24) on top of the head.
Another necro thread, eh? I still have the Q20i and BV plate as well. I have the lever-lock and rapid screw tops, though only use the screw one now. I disdain the top panning clamps.
I don't use the whole setup anymore since the offset "gimbal" is too much of a compromise for heavier lenses. The Jobo Jr.3 Deluxe full gimbal actually weighs less than the Q20i + BV-20 and can balance a 500/4 easily in a loose position. The Q20i by itself is still a really nice, smooth head.
I was just casually interested in the Acratech GXP and came across this thread with an excellent user review by jeetsukumaran. Also, him using Markins Q20i for a long time and switching to the GXP, piqued my interest as I also use the Q20i.
Jeet seemed to be very thorough person, so I thought would be interesting to see whether his opinion had changed after 5 years of use.
I still have the Q20i and BV plate as well.
I don't use the whole setup anymore since the offset "gimbal" is too much of a compromise for heavier lenses. The Jobo Jr.3 Deluxe full gimbal actually weighs less than the Q20i + BV-20 and can balance a 500/4 easily in a loose position. The Q20i by itself is still a really nice, smooth head.
EBH
The Jobu Jr 3 does seem to be an interesting product.
