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Archive 2023 · Alternatives to ball head?

BPsmith511
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Alternatives to ball head?

After getting lost down a rabbit hole started by watching Thomas Heaton's tripod setup, I think I'd like to try something akin to that for my landscape photography to slow down a bit. Reviewing some options from different sources, I'm deciding between a fluid head (ala Hudson Henry) or something more geared - either fully geared or a more simplistic setup like Tom.

having never used anything other than a ball head - what quirks or issues am i not anticipating running into? I'll be using a leveling base for any option.

Mar 15, 2023 at 02:10 PM

Alan Olander
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Alternatives to ball head?

The only negative about Heaton's setup is the flop that can occur if you don't keep an eye on the tilt tension. A fluid head reduces the tendency to flop because of the counter balance tension. However, that is only effective with lighter setups. With a heavier lens, like a telephoto, it still can flop. You just have to keep some tension on the tilt. Some of the more expensive fluid heads have adjustable counter balance, but they're usually much larger and heavier than say a Manfrotto 500ah. I've used a Benro geared head which is inexpensive but solid. Some of the operation of it is a pain sometimes, though.

Mar 15, 2023 at 03:30 PM

Todd Warnke
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Alternatives to ball head?

I have both the HH fluid head setup and the basic Heaton setup. Well, and I also have three or four ball heads as well.

I'm not really a fan of the HH fluid head for landscape shooting as I tend to hike and move around and find it cumbersome at 14000 feet. That said, I do use it when video is the primary use.

I've been using the Arcatech head from Heaton's setup along with an Arcatech leveling base a fair bit lately. You're right, it certainly slows you down. And for certain types of shots that's either an advantage or not an issue. Still, when it comes to dialing in the very fine particulars in fast moving scenes, I find it not just slow, but also counterproductive compared to a ball head. I think that's just because I really haven't mastered it yet.

That's why when I'm headed to the Oregon coast later this week where I will be doing some run and gun shooting, I decided to leave the Arcatech and grab my RRS BH-40 instead. I'll keep the leveling base so I can set a true level to work from but use the RRS ball head so I can quickly frame up my shots. I feel like I'm not giving the Acratech a fair chance and am just retreating to the familiar, but shooting on the beach is often a game of quick shots, instantly composed and so the RRS seems like the way to go. If I were going to be at the beach for a week, I'd for sure bring the Arcatech, but I'd also bring the RRS as well.

Mar 15, 2023 at 05:03 PM

runamuck
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Alternatives to ball head?

linkee thingy please? I just spent a few minutes trying to find this setup you are referring to.

Mar 15, 2023 at 05:43 PM

Cinstance
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Alternatives to ball head?

If you are looking into a fluid head, I recommend the Benro BV4H which is a true fluid head and is very affordable. I have both the Benro BV4H ($250) and the Sachtler FSB 4 ($1200). The Benro is lighter, is actually slightly smoother and can counter balance a little more weight. I tried the Manfrotto MVH500AH, MVH502AH and the Nitrotech 608. None of them even came close to the Benro in smoothness.

Mar 15, 2023 at 10:17 PM

jeffbuzz
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Alternatives to ball head?

I really prefer 3-way heads, both geared and smooth. For landscape and most studio work I use a simple 3-way head (non-fluid). Fluid heads are great for video / cinema but I don't see any benefit to lugging one around for stills. For macro and close product style shots I like a geared head.

If I'm shooting a long lens from a gimbal, I'll use a nodal slide on my wide angle camera so I can mount it on the gimbal. I never carry a second head.

Mar 15, 2023 at 11:32 PM

BPsmith511
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Alternatives to ball head?

runamuck wrote:
linkee thingy please? I just spent a few minutes trying to find this setup you are referring to.

Thomas Heaton

Hudson Henry

Mar 16, 2023 at 08:56 AM

IndyFab
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Alternatives to ball head?

BPsmith511 wrote:
Thomas Heaton

Hudson Henry

2 components for this set up

1) Acratech or Leofoto >>> LONG LENS HEADS
2 )RRS, Kirk, or Leofoto >>> Leveling base
3) Manfrotto >>>> Fluid head

I have 2 set ups
1) Manfrotto fluid head with leveling base / working out of car / heavier
2) Leofoto long lens head with leveling base / hiking / liter

Mar 16, 2023 at 10:10 AM

elkhornsun
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Alternatives to ball head?

Ball heads are not the best for landscape photography but they are OK and convenient to use. The best head I have used and which I own is the Arca-Swiss D4 GP geared panning head which is fast to adjust and one can make micro adjustments along any axis. It is however expensive and 3x the cost of a any ballhead.

Equally valuable is a tripod that has quick leveling features like the ones from Feisol. The discontinued Gitzo 2531 LVL was a great tripod for landscape and video photography and worth tring to find a used one on ebay.

Mar 16, 2023 at 08:19 PM

Chris Court
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Alternatives to ball head?

I have a similar setup to Heaton’s, and love it. It may not the best for every type of photography, but I shoot almost exclusively landscapes these days and the Acratech pano head on a leveling base is just the perfect setup for this. It’s lightweight, sturdy, and has all the movements I need and nothing superfluous. I’m a gear whore, so I’ve owned ballheads and geared heads from almost all the big players, but right now you couldn’t pay me to go back to any of those.

I frequently use two tripods – the big Bertha 3-series and the small and portable 1-series, both RRS – and I have Acratech pano heads with levelling bases on BOTH of them.

C

Edited on Mar 18, 2023 at 03:00 AM · View previous versions

Mar 17, 2023 at 01:59 AM

BPsmith511
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Alternatives to ball head?

Yeah, the Acratech head is on my short list of options, it's just a bit hard to stomach the price... I'll get there though.

Mar 17, 2023 at 01:19 PM

EB-1
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Alternatives to ball head?

Chris Court wrote:
I have a similar setup to Heaton’s, and love it. It may not the best for every type of photography, but I shoot almost exclusively landscapes these days and the Arcatech pano head on a leveling base is just the perfect setup for this. It’s lightweight, sturdy, and has all the movements I need and nothing superfluous. I’m a gear whore, so I’ve owned ballheads and geared heads from almost all the big players, but right now you couldn’t pay me to go back to any of those.

I frequently use two tripods – the big Bertha 3-series and...Show more →

That head is an interesting concept. However, we have the leveling base and don't find it that smooth or strong without really tightening hard. (The angle is also somewhat limited.) How are you able to use it without a ball head at all? I've always used it under a ball head or small gimbal head.

EBH

Mar 17, 2023 at 01:53 PM

rdeloe
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Alternatives to ball head?

Another option is the FLM ball head.

I've used multiple geared heads and ballheads, including the AcraTech GP-SS, which is very good. The FLM CB-43FTR Professional Series Ball Head I have now is the best of the bunch. It's the only head (ball or geared) that locks down securely enough to be able to walk around with a heavy load on the tripod, with no sagging or movement.

The catch is FLM is discontinuing this series of heads and making different ones, so when these (and the bigger and smaller version) are gone, they're gone.

Mar 17, 2023 at 01:57 PM

kdphotography
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Alternatives to ball head?

Once I tried the Arca Swiss Cube nearly fifteen years ago, it's remained my top-choice of heads. For lighter travel options, the Arca Swiss Leveler L-75 is my go-to tripod head. No more ball heads for me.

Ken

Mar 17, 2023 at 07:06 PM

Craig Gillette
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Alternatives to ball head?

I'm trying a couple of video heads these days. The ability to use Arca Swiss clamps and plates really helps with getting the load balanced, and with L brackets common, the extra added tilting top plate from the old monster 3 way pan/tilts and it's control arm and added bulk isn't needed. It took me a while to connect the dots with the video heads and the AcraTech long lens head. The video heads attempt to control smooth directional moves and have enough tension to preclude tilt flops.

Pan tilts/video heads really give nice control of flat pans and vertical tilts. Ball heads are great for fast positioning but rough on weight control, consistent 90 degree moves and handling flops.

My smaller video head really isn't too much larger than a middling size ball head, and the pan arm can be removed. It does seem that the smaller and/or more budget conscious video heads with fluid/drag damping have it tough getting set to where they hold steady, prevent droops but allow smooth motion. The big one works very well with my 200-600 (a la Acratech big lens head).

The 1 axis monopod gimbal heads or a ball head in the gimbal notch are interesting. On a tripod it works very well with a balanced long lens, too. Maybe it's the friction of moderate quality finish to the ball and notch?

Mar 17, 2023 at 09:16 PM

Cinstance
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Alternatives to ball head?

For landscape shooting, the 3 Legged Thing Cine Airhed works the best among all the light flat base style fluid heads I tried. It is noticeably smoother than both the Manfrotto MVH500 and MVH502, and most importantly does not stick at the start and has no push back when stop. Both of the Manfrotto heads have the annoying push back in the panning motion when stopping, which makes precise framing quite challenging. The 3 legged thing weighs just over a pound without the panning bar, has Arca Swiss compatible clamp built in, has just about the right counter weight for a DSLR with a 24-70/2.8 lens, but it’s quite expensive.

The iFootage K5S should be very similar in performance to the 3 legged thing and is much cheaper, but I have never tried it.

Mar 18, 2023 at 07:51 AM

Ischgl99
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Alternatives to ball head?

My tripod and ball head got stolen a couple years ago and I went with the Manfrotto video head. I don’t hike long distances, so the extra weight and bulk is not a big deal. The ball head was faster to use, but I like the stability of the video head. I was considering the Acratech, but I also do wildlife and the video head is great for my big lenses as well, so I have been able to avoid getting a gimbal head so far.

The disadvantage of the video head, it uses the Manfrotto video style plate that you can screw a quick release clamp on to, but there is limited room for the tightening knob on the clamp, making it a bit more difficult tightening and loosening it. If I want to use the clamp with my 70-200, I need to loosen it and position it all the way to the back since the tightening knob is not high enough above the video plate. The Long Lens head from Acratech has a nice, simple solution for that.

You will also need an L bracket if you want to shoot vertical, on a ball head, you could just flip it to the side.

Mar 23, 2023 at 07:56 PM

hiepphotog
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Alternatives to ball head?

IMO, a ball-geared hybrid is the best for landscape. I bought the Arca Swiss P0 hybrid ball-geared since its release. I haven’t seen the need for another tripod head since. There are other lighter cheaper alternatives from China now so I might get one when my Arca head stops working, probably another 10-year 😁

Mar 23, 2023 at 09:12 PM

bobby350z
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Alternatives to ball head?

I use sunway photo geared head and for $250 it is pretty good. Haven't used ball heads in 5+ yrs now.

Mar 23, 2023 at 10:43 PM


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