Manfrotto tripod paired with a Markins ballhead, good idea?

Hey everyone

I've been reading good things about the Markins ballheads, and I've decided to go for an M10 ballhead (know called Q10 if I'm not mistaken), to be paired with a Manfrotto 190Xprob or 055Xprob tripod (the budget is tight and does not allow for a better tripod).
Am I right to think it's better to invest on a good ballhead such as the M10 than on legs (and possibly upgrade the tripod later)?
Will this combination work well for 60D and a 70-200 F/2.8 (at the maximum)?

Thanks

A good ball head saves you time and frustration. To me the tripod itself is more important. If you don't mind the weight, those legs are pretty much what everyone starts with. Just know that if you're looking to upgrade them to something better, you'll be losing money. Most people here have bought twice (or more) and regretted it. It's better to save and get the one you really want. Of course, that doesn't always work out, and if you really need a tripod, you have to buy one you can afford.

I'm using a Kirk ball head on my manfrotto 055 and it works very well.

O-Ren wrote in post #11925358
Am I right to think it's better to invest on a good ballhead such as the M10 than on legs (and possibly update the tripod later)?

Yes. Many think that the ballhead is the more important component of a support system. If you're on a budget, better to spend first on a seriously good ballhead and the Markins Q10 certainly comes into that category. If you get a sturdy & rigid tripod that's a bit heavy, you can always upgrade to a nice CF model when funds allow. If you get a great tripod and a ballhead that droops ever so little you will not be happy.

why not. should be quite an upgrade, moving from manfrotto's head.

klr.b wrote in post #11925442
..., and if you really need a tripod, you have to buy one you can afford.

Yep, that's pretty much my philosophy as well.

peter_n wrote in post #11925720
Yes. Many think that the ballhead is the more important component of a support system. If you're on a budget, better to spend first on a seriously good ballhead and the Markins Q10 certainly comes into that category.

That's good to hear!

peter_n wrote in post #11925720
If you get a great tripod and a ballhead that droops ever so little you will not be happy.

That pretty much sums it up then.


Thank you all for your insight!

I have the Q10 on the 055xprob. I have no complaints.

With a couple of threads focused on this exact issue circulating around here the past couple days, it's pretty much made the decision for me. I definitely the 055XPROB, but the 498RC2 was always kind of iffy to me. The Markins seems top notch and worth the investment.

I would say go for a Arca clamp type ballhead. It annoys me Manfrotto uses their own RC2 plates. Their tripods are fine tho!

themadman wrote in post #11933124
I would say go for a Arca clamp type ballhead. It annoys me Manfrotto uses their own RC2 plates. Their tripods are fine tho!

Every company uses their own plates, though. Gitzo does it; even Arca does it. It's just now more companies are adapting to the popular Arca style plates which is better for the customers. If a company stops producing a certain plate, users have other options and don't have to abandon a whole system.

Oh, and go into a store and try and find an Arca-compatible plate. You probably won't find one. An RC2 plate, on the other hand, is pretty easy to find. I use Arca-compatible plates myself, but you have to buy them online.

try to find an RC2 compatible L bracket.

get clamps and plates from a vendor that makes L brackets. Then you can build a nice system. If they also build good ballheads...so much the better.

Manfrotto L Bracket

drama wrote in post #11933530
Manfrotto L Bracket

yeah, but just look at the thing.

Compared to an L-Plate from Kirk or RRS that thing is hideous. Even the "universal" plate from Kirk is a cleaner design.