p.1 #2 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
I use my Flexshooter Pro as a general purpose ball head as well as a gimbal. It's the most accurate and stable ball head I have ever used. The only thing I don't use it for is video.
p.1 #3 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
I tried a Flexshooter Pro for a short time and returned it for an Uniqball 35XC. Neither is a good replacement for a gimbal head, but both are more versatile and should be an adequate replacement for a ball head. I would recommend the Flexshooter mini if you intend to use it mainly as a Ballhead replacement. The Flexshooter Pro does not work well with smaller cameras and lenses due to the build in tension spring.
The Uniqball does not has the spring so it cannot easily hold the camera in position like the Flexshooter does, but that is actually the main reason why I returned the Flexshooter for an Uniqball. The spring on the Flexshooter gets stiffer and stiffer as the tilt angle increase, and even with a medium weight load such as Canon 70-200/2.8 on a 5D 4, the last few degrees of tilt becomes so stiff that it is barely usable, which severely reduces the usable tilt range to only about 15 degree in each direction. With a smaller lens like a 24-70/2.8 on the same camera, the spring can actual push the camera back, so you cannot use those last few degrees at all.
p.1 #4 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
I have owned the Uniqball (larger model) for a while, and then was tempted into buying the Flexshooter Pro after watching Art Morris' videos about it. I was happy at first, as its gimbal-like features are impressive. However, the unit I received simply does not lock down tightly under any kind of load. With my Nikon D850 and 600mm f4 lens (14 pounds at most) mounted on it, the inner ball moves with any kind of pressure; even this might be tolerable (perhaps), but when I carried the tripod/ballhead/camera/lens combo vertically over my shoulder using the Lenscoat leg cushion, the unit flopped progressively downward. It just wasn't tight, this with the "silver handle" tightened all the way. This is bad. I went home and changed the ballhead to the Uniqueball 45X, and that ballhead held completely tight, with no creep or movement at all. I am assuming for the moment that the Flexshooter sample I received is defective somehow and I will exchange it.
p.1 #5 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
I purchased an open box Flexshooter Pro which turned out to be defective. The outer ball was so stiff that it could barely be moved, with or without a load. I emailed the company about it and never received a response, so after a week or so of waiting, I returned it. That was probably a month or more ago and the company still has not responded. That is too bad as it does not bode well for their customer service. The product seemed to be well designed and I was looking forward to using it.
p.1 #6 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
Yes, not responding to customer inquiries is a bad sign, isn't it? In my case, a ball head that won't lock down firmly is a pretty basic defect, very disappointing. I am returning mine and I guess I won't get another until I find out more about what is going on with this product and this company.
p.1 #7 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
Flexshooter has not responded to my inquiry, either. Getting a bad reputation for customer service is not the pathway to long-term success in the high-end photographic market. Just one man's opinion. I will not be buying a replacement Flexshooter Pro (I sent the "defective" one back; I put defective in quotes because I honestly am not sure whether or not the problem I detected in my ball head is normal for this item or not). For bird photography I will stick to my gimbal head, and for other kinds of photography I already own a couple of ball heads that lock solidly (e.g., Uniqball, plus an older Arca-Swiss B1, the old war horse I bought during the 1980s).
p.1 #8 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
GrandNagus50 wrote:
Yes, not responding to customer inquiries is a bad sign, isn't it? In my case, a ball head that won't lock down firmly is a pretty basic defect, very disappointing. I am returning mine and I guess I won't get another until I find out more about what is going on with this product and this company.
It certainly is a bad sign. I wonder if they are having manufacturing problems. In any event, a company that does not respond at all to customer inquiries or service requests gets crossed off of my list.
p.1 #9 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
There is a Flexshooter thread over in another forum (in Steve Perry's Backcountry Gallery Forum). Lots of happy users. Since I like the concept, I am tempted to give the thing another try, surmising that I got a lemon. I don't like the lack of response to customer inquiries, however. Very weird.
p.1 #11 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
Ok, new developments in the thread! I tried emailing the "ballhead" website that is ballhead.eu instead of ballhead.com; the latter was the (American?) site that had not answered three inquiries and hence incurred my wrath . I almost immediately got a response from a Flexshooter person on ballhead.eu. He claims that he received no messages via the other web page contact form. So there was/is a glitch? Abuttolph might try the second, "european" page. In any case, I was invited to submit my problem Flexshooter Pro for an exchange. Too late, as I already returned it to B&H. He also said that they disapprove of people carrying their tripod/ballhead/camera/lens rig over the shoulder. Well, I understand that one must be mindful and careful and all that, but that is how most of us carry our rigs out in the field. Yes sometimes I attach the camera/lens to a BlackRapid type strap and carry it separately from the tripod, but the truth is that setting up again for a bird or animal photo takes more time that way. Meanwhile, several companies market shoulder padding of various designs to cushion the weight of such an over-the-shoulder rig.
Anyway, I am going to try a second Flexshooter Pro, since I do like the concept and I don't want to admit defeat :-). I will report back after I have received it and tried it out.
p.1 #12 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
This is the first time I've paid attention to these ball-heads. While it appears that the Flexshooter is a refined version of the Uniqueball, according to the "about" sections of their websites, they were not invented by the same people (even though they are of almost identical design and both manufactured in Hungary). They look like interesting ball-heads and it will be interesting to watch the evolution of the design. It's good to learn.
p.1 #14 · Has anyone replaced their ball head with a Flexshooter mini?
Ok, I couldn't help it: I purchased a second FlexShooter Pro after returning the first one. This one does lock tightly (hooray). I will say, however, that locking the inner ball, the one controlled with the "silver handle," requires tightening that knob fully and with some conviction. Most ballheads lock down with less effort than this. But I really can't complain; now I have a fully functional FlexShooter ballhead that does what it is supposed to do.
. I almost immediately got a response from a Flexshooter person on ballhead.eu. He claims that he received no messages via the other web page contact form. So there was/is a glitch? Abuttolph might try the second, "european" page. In any case, I was invited to submit my problem Flexshooter Pro for an exchange. Too late, as I already returned it to B&H. He also said that they disapprove of people carrying their tripod/ballhead/camera/lens rig over the shoulder. Well, I understand that one must be mindful and careful and all that, but that is how most of us carry our rigs out in the field. Yes sometimes I attach the camera/lens to a BlackRapid type strap and carry it separately from the tripod, but the truth is that setting up again for a bird or animal photo takes more time that way. Meanwhile, several companies market shoulder padding of various designs to cushion the weight of such an over-the-shoulder rig.