So I needed a new ball..... (head) recently, and decided after agonizing over the various options that I'd give one of the "newcomers and lesser-knowns" a shot.
Specifically, the Induro BHL3.
The specs appeared to compare favorable with the RRS-55 and other "full-size" heads. I wanted something that would be very comfortable with my 7D and 70-200L but could also handle whatever I might throw at it in the future -- which could easily include a 400 prime somewhere down the road. In short, I decided to "buy once rather than cry twice."
This afternoon Mr. UPS brought the package. Opening it revealed what you see here, and it got immediately mated to the legs underneath which I already owned. You'll note that the center stick on those legs has a bit smaller diameter than the head. Not to worry; the head's "bearing surface", the machined metal part of the mount, is securely interfacing with the center column -- it does not hang over and tightens up cleanly.
It came with a plate with the safety-stopper screws on it (thank you very much) which makes it an even better deal; price was $311 out the door with the plate. The plate is generic and has both a lateral slot that mounts on my 7D with the index mark in line with the lens plane (important for panning shots using the head's panning feature) and also has two lateral slots that may be better-suited for screwing into a lens collar. I have a collar for my 70-200 on the way and will update this when it arrives as to whether the included plate is suitable. It does work reasonably well on my 7D body but is not form-fit and anti-rotation is only from the rubber inserts. An "L" bracket may be in my future. The plate is tightened with a quarter, the included hex key or large screwdriver; it does not have a flip-out thumbscrew.
First impressions -- this thing is extremely stable. When locked down it stays where you put it -- period. The only trick is making sure you have the camera plate appropriately tightened of course, otherwise the rubber pads on the plate compress slightly and shift the camera a tiny bit when you let go of the camera after locking the head down. But that's not the head moving or the plate/head interface, it's the camera moving on the plate.
Motion with the ball in "free" is nice and smooth and tension is easily adjusted. There is a tiny bit of "grab" when under tension but not locked down -- this may go away with a bit of use; we shall see.
But when locked down, it's locked. I have experienced no creep problems at all.
The plate tray has a rather interesting arrangement on the knob -- when unlocked about 1/2 turn the knob stops. The plate is then free to be slid but cannot come out, and the stop screws prevent it from sliding free laterally. To release the plate you pull the knob outward against spring tension and rotate counter-clockwise past the detent. This should make it nearly impossible to accidentally drop your camera/lens combination by accident provided your plate has the stop screws. The plate lock knob is captive; it cannot be unscrewed all the way and lost by accident (thank you Induro!)
The residual tension adjustment is made with a coaxial thumb screw inside the main tension knob (left side of the head, large knob.) That coaxial screw sets the range of the main knob and has a wide range of adjustment; it is not an actual "preload" as with some other designs but rather sets how far you can back off the main tension knob. Backed all the way out the main knob releases tension such that the ball moves with very light finger pressure and if tilted toward the vertical slot will drop right in. Screwed in a fair bit the ball can be locked up even with the knob all the way out. This should permit plenty of range as parts wear in over the years. From essentially "free to move without resistance" to locked down VERY hard the rotational requirement on the adjustment knob is about one turn; over typical adjustment ranges in actual use it's a bit over a half-turn, which is just about perfect -- slightly less would be better, but not much less as you want a fair bit of precision in the tension. The ball tension knob does not unscrew all the way; it is "captive"
The pan lock knob (smaller knob on the right side) can be completely unscrewed. Don't -- it could be lost! There's no reason to back it out more than about one turn however; it goes from locked down to "free" within that range, and requires many turns to back it out of the mechanism. Panning is smooth and there is a 0-45-90-45-0 index around the base with an index mark on the side where the pan lock is.
The mounting plate has a spirit level that is visible with a plate in the unit, assuming you face the knob forward.
All in all it may not be a RRS BH-55 but it didn't cost like one either. It is easily manipulated, moves smoothly when unlocked and locks solidly in place. The assembly is rigid, the plate carrier works well and the thumbscrew arrangement is both captive and is well-protected against accidental release of the camera (provided your plates have the requisite stop screws.) The panning is smooth and the head itself is reasonable in mass yet sturdy.
As you can see I have it on a set of Slik 700DX legs, which I've had for a while and like. They're not Gitzos and ARE metal rather than carbon-fiber; the combination of the legs and head mass 6.4lbs; not the lightest setup out there but manageable and very stable. The legs and mounted head fit easily in the provided Slik bag which is nice for transport.
IMHO recommended; I consider this head a keeper, at least from initial impressions.
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