Ball heads

I'm about to spring for a new tripod for hiking, and I am considering 3 ball heads. Anyone have any experience with these?

--Induro BDH0

--Oben BB-0

--Benro B0 (supposedly almost identical to the Induro in terms of internal construction)

Thanks

Those are all very small ballheads (30mm - 32mm ball diameter). Without knowing what tripod and what camera and lenses you plan to use, it is impossible to make a recommendation, one way or the other. You will probably get more useful responses if you post that information here and add it to your profile.

Kerry Thalmann

Kerry,

Thanks. reasonably lightweight: 50D, heaviest lens is a 70-200 f/4. Total weight around 1500g (3.3 lb). I'm looking for small because this all gets carried on my aging back.

Dan

What sticks are you on? The most weight savings will come from going with carbon-fiber and a travel series.

The Markins Q3t has the largest ball in the smallest housing. It will be much more expensive than the other heads you're considering, but the larger the ball, the more the stability and the less risk of drooping of the camera and lens on it.

I'll be using carbon fiber legs. Not considering Markins, which is three times the price. Anyone have experience with any of the three I posted?

Many thanks.

paddler4 wrote in post #12615829
I'll be using carbon fiber legs. Not considering Markins, which is three times the price. Anyone have experience with any of the three I posted?

Many thanks.

Which CF tripod legs?

just to throw this out there, I have a benro b2 with benro c-158 legs great match. I would not want anything smaller in size then the benro b2. this is with 7D with grip with 17-40 or 70-200 2.8.

dont get to small and or light.

paddler4 wrote in post #12615829
I'll be using carbon fiber legs. Not considering Markins, which is three times the price. Anyone have experience with any of the three I posted?

Many thanks.

But three times the quality. A small ball will be not as stable if you shoot in any other direction but straight ahead unless you tighten the tension all the way down. If you do that, you'll be fine. Stability is what you want the tripod and ballhead for.

Re-read what Kerry said. But also, go to www.reallybigcameras.c​om and see if any of his heads fit what you want. The Photoclam heads seem to be OK around here. You will get what you pay for.

Can't comment on the heads you mention, as I have never tried them! However I do have a TRIOPO RS3 (250 Gram & £30 UK) - available on FleaBay. Add an Arca type QR clamp and you have a nice CHEAP, light setup. Don't be fooled by the price, this simple (only one control lever) little ball head is the smoothest I have tried and the lockup (with only a light touch on the locking lever) has to be tried to be believed. I cannot say what it will hold as my heaviest setup is too light! My heaviest setup is a 600 F4 IS + 1D4 + T/C's, I cannot be certain but I think the RS3 might manage a 1200 F5.6, it is within it's claimed weight rating!

paddler4 wrote in post #12615709
Kerry,

Thanks. reasonably lightweight: 50D, heaviest lens is a 70-200 f/4. Total weight around 1500g (3.3 lb). I'm looking for small because this all gets carried on my aging back.

Dan

Dan,

What tripod are you using/planning to use with this ballhead? Selecting the right camera support system is a multi-variable problem. The result will only be as good as the weakest link.

You need to match the tripod to the photographer (height, desired usage, budget, etc.) and the equipment. You also need to match the ballhead to the tripod and the equipment - as it's what connects them together. We now know what camera you are using and the longest/heaviest lens you plan to use. So, what tripod will you be mounting this ballhead on?

When selecting a ballhead, manufacturers' maximum load ratings are pretty useless. There is no standard for measuring these values and they typically represent a catastrophic failure. Nobody really puts 100 ponds of camera gear in a compact, lightweight ballhead (at least they shouldn't). All else being equal, ball diameter has a bigger impact on ballhead performance than maximum load ratings. Ball diameter will affect the size of the sweet spot, smoothness of movement and vibration dampening. The problem is "all else" is never really equal. Different brands of ballheads use different designs, different quality of materials and specify different acceptable manufacturing tolerances. A good quality 36mm diameter ballhead (with high quality materials manufactured to tighter tolerances) may very well out perform a competitor's 40mm design. Without controlled testing, there is really no way to know for sure.

Even user reviews are somewhat lacking as most users haven't done any controlled testing of multiple brands side-by-side. But, a pattern of consistently good reviews is generally indicative of a high quality product.

So, my usual recommendation is to start by identifying products that meet your needs (if you don't know what products meet your needs, describe your needs in great detail and ask for input), search for as many reviews as you can find, read those reviews carefully and look for a pattern of over all positive user experiences from users with similar needs to your own.

You've asked about three specific ballheads, and now we know what load you expect the ballhead to support. Please also let us know what tripod you will be using. We also know that your budget appears to be somewhere between $129 and $269 (based on models you are considering and those you rejected). Do you have an absolute upper limit, or are you just looking for the best value for the money in an under $150 (or under $200) price point? We also know that weight is an issue. So, there are some trade-offs to be made between the the variables of size/weight, quality/performance and cost.

The more information you provide the higher the quality of the feedback you will receive. There are many choices and many options to consider. You have a good start, and with a little more input from you, I'm sure you'll get even more help from your fellow forum members.

Kerry Thalmann

Great response, K.

Thanks for the comments.

I'm considering several choices for legs, but the most likely are Velbon E530 and Oben 2310. Leg choice is constrained by my needing these to serve two different purposes, hiking and macro (hence the Oben, which unlike most CF legs in this range has a reversable column). All this stuff has to be carried up mountains on my back, and my back is neither young nor in great shape, so weight is of paramount concern. The only time highly precise motion will be an issue for me is macro, and for that, I am buying a second (geared and heavy) head. I don't do panoramas.

Because of those constraints, all of the heads I have been looking at have had small balls (as do some on reallybigcameras--the two lightest photclams).

The problem is that there are so many of these, and unlike, say, lenses, there are no trusted review sites. And because there are so many, it is hard to find people who have had any one of them long enough to know not only how it works out of the box, but how it holds up over time.

I have a Benro B0 head on one of their Travel Angel tripods. It is fine for something that needs to be light and will be fine with your gear. You will need to be careful when the 70-200 is mounted on it as it can drop suddenly. My other tripod has a Arca-Swiss Z1 which is in a different league. However I use that one when I'm close to the car. When I'm hiking a long distance the Benro is my choice.

Thanks all--consider thread closed. I've made my selections. I appreciate the comments