I'm still using a ~12 year old Markins M20 that looks and functions like new so I am not up to speed on all the alternatives, however Markins recommends a single, very tiny drop of WD-40 (or gun oil or sewing machine oil) spread over the entire area of the ball to keep it from getting stiff in cold weather (wipe off any residue). The WD-40 basically creates a barrier that keeps moisture out. I've yet to see a ball-head that doesn't lose some smoothness in very cold weather, but I would at least try the above before getting a new one.
Again I am probably not up to speed on the latest ball heads, but the reason I chose Markins to begin with was how light they were, and the load capacity was over double that of even the latest RRS ballhead, which makes me feel better when I have a huge Tele on it.
I also love their L-brackets for similar reasons, they are the slimmest and lightest I have found, but they are extremely slow to get them out for new camera bodies to the point that I usually end up using something else.
As for the locking up, make sure the smallest knob inside the main knob wasn't inadvertently set too tightly, that might be causing you problems. I have accidentally tightened mine in the past and wondered the same thing. Ball heads are relatively simple designs, so if it's locking up, something is clamping when it shouldn't be.
WD40 is a water disbursement fluid and can be used for cleaning, where "gun oil" or "sewing machine oil" are lubricants. the use of a lubricant will reduce the balls capability to function properly as it was designed. the polymer surfaces (upper and lower), built in, are the lubricant materials.
sjms wrote:
WD40 is a water disbursement fluid and can be used for cleaning, where "gun oil" or "sewing machine oil" are lubricants. the use of a lubricant will reduce the balls capability to function properly as it was designed. the polymer surfaces (upper and lower), built in, are the lubricant.
I'm guessing Markins is well aware of that as the recommendation came directly from their technical support. If you feel like you know better than their engineers, you may want to reach out to them
yes, i think i do. basics are you don't lube a surface that you want to in the end have good grip. like i said the polymer material that supports the ball is the low friction surface. keep it clean and set up the drag reasonable and it should function.
oh, you can lube the ball if you wish but then you will need to increase the locking force to make up for it and most likely induce another issue.
i did look up operating temps of some advertised gun oils -60F to way up there. but then there is the attraction of particulate matter to a surface and what affect might said oil have on the polymer parts.
look at the manual. who wrote that? i've been here in the land of inconsistent info since 2003 . i'd be using that term "engineer" as a relative idea. if you want to get into technicalities, what is the working temp range of those mentioned lubricants and how do they react to the temp variables. how much additional force must one use to prevent slippage?
Wee now return to our originally scheduled programming
The are many alternatives
1) RRS BH40: many love it, I have found it peculiar. The low profile design is a bit cramped and not the easiest to operate in cold weather with heavy gloves. On a couple of occasions I have had the washer they use instead of spacers jam the QR clamp, which required taking off the mitts to release. No bueno in sub -20F weather.
2) Acratech GXP: open design that supposedly is not as susceptible to dirt. This sounds like marketing mumbo jumbo. I have never owned a ballhead that has jammed because of dirt and I am pretty rough on my gear.
3) FLM (not sure of the equivalent model): many love them, I find the knob design hard on the fingers.
4) Kirk BH-1: works fine, I don't think you can buy them with QR clamps
I own #1 and #2, used to own #4 many years ago, and have bought and returned #3
Hun7er wrote:
I found my Markins Q10i not very reliable, one return to warranty because it locks up, recently tested in cold condition it was very stiff.
There are more reliable alternatives in the same level of load capacity ?
Thanks
The Q10i claims 45kg of load capacity. Do you really need to mount a young boy on that head?
I own an Arca Swiss Monoball that I used on a Gitzo series-3 tripod. Me too had to return to warranty because it locked up. In cold weather I had no problem though. I do not use it anymore.
At present, I use a Sunwayphoto FB-44 II (on Gitzo series-2 tripod). Excellent quality-to-price ratio. I haven't used it in cold weather yet.
I now have 2 of #1 and as you know for me it works quite well under most conditions. No, it’s not perfect for all needs but for mine about 90%. Swapped in the ARC-LR clamp to see how usable that can be. It has proven to work very well with and w/o the R Lock system built in.
Flowernut wrote:
markins used to recommend wd40 for this problem. It does work. I tend to use an arca ball in winter for this reason even though it is heavier.
My Markins Q10i go under warranty 1 year because it lockup.
3 months ago the friction control knob becomes strange, even fully release the ballhead is sometimes stiff sometimes smooth.
Previous Q3i had lockup too.
For me Markins it's over.
I use the ballhead for landscape photography, the heaviest combo is the Canon R5 + RF 100-500. I could use it for several seconds of exposure for blue hour so I need a very good ballhead.
I use the R5 & 100-500 on the RRS BH-55 with Wimberly Sidekick for landscapes.
I tried the BH-40, but the ergonomics were bad so I replaced it with the Q20i (which you don't want).
I would be looking at Gitzo and FLM of a similar ball size as the Q10i (44mm).
Have you investigated moving away from a ball head to perhaps a two way head mounted on either a leveling base or set of legs with a video bowl that can act as a leveling base? Or maybe a fluid head? I'm pretty sure that my next 'head' purchase will be something other than a ball-head. Never been a big fan of them.
I find the term “ergonomics” to be one of those words abused and bandied about without any real solid reasoning or explanation behind them when used. It’s placed in a sentence by those who want to sound like they know what they are talking about when they just can’t say “I don’t understand it”.
Hun7er wrote:
I use the ballhead for landscape photography, the heaviest combo is the Canon R5 + RF 100-500. I could use it for several seconds of exposure for blue hour so I need a very good ballhead.
The picture below was taken with my Sunwayphoto head (4 sec. with Nikon Z6 + FTZ + AF-S ED 70-200/4G VR; 1660 g total weight).
I have taken several seconds exposure pictures even with a Manfrotto table tripod.
I didn't want a bulky or too heavy stuff.
As I'm hiking in mountain with my tent.
and that is smart.
well, then there are decisions to be made. how much compromise are you willing to work with. how much are you willing to carry in weight and stability.
so how much total weight are you actually carrying (hiking) up in the mountains with and for how long?
i know you have a tent to start
I have several ball heads, and up till two weeks ago, temperatures of 10 Fahrenheit have not cause issues in any of them .
That all changed once exposed to minus 25 F....
the acratech gps kept on working, the Arca-swiss p0 not.
keep in mind that most budget mnfrs use viscosity lubes to emulate ball bearings smoothness...the sticky nasty stuff of low quality and performance - and guess how well they will perform in extreme temperatures.
So, invest in quality and reliability, and do investigate if indeed the mnfr warrants functionality at temperatures you likely to encounter in your ventures.
in sum, I think you would e happy with an Acratech GXP or even GXP-ss
well, then there are decisions to be made. how much compromise are you willing to work with. how much are you willing to carry in weight and stability.
so how much total weight are you actually carrying (hiking) up in the mountains with and for how long?
i know you have a tent to start
Currently I take my Gitzo Mountaineer GT2542 tripod mounted with the Markins Q10i-P + Canon R5 + Sigma 14 24 2.8 art + RF 24-105 or RF 24-70 + RF 100-500 + accessories so about the photo gear I carry about 8kgs.
About my hiking/bivy gear I think it's towards 10 kgs.
A ballhead that have the same weight of the Markins Q10i-P it's OK, that means 600 grs, if I can save some weight I will be happy.
I'm leaning towards these ballhead
Acratech GXP but the ball diameter is only 38mm and my Q3i that has the same ball diameter lack stability for long lenses
FLM CB-48 F II with my panorama plate Markins QR70-P, but tension knob need pratice to be properly used
Arca Swiss Z1 with my panorama plate Markins QR70-P, don't how it's reliability
. i'd be using that term "engineer" as a relative idea. if you want to get into technicalities, what is the working temp range of those mentioned lubricants and how do they react to the temp variables. how much additional force must one use to prevent slippage? 
