Kirk BH-1 thoughts/review

I also ended up testing an Arca-Swiss Z1 and a Markins Q20i ballhead.

The Z1 is very nice. It is a little more compact and lighter than my BH-1. I saw no shifting during lockdown at any tension setting. The ball remains smooth and precise at every tension setting I tried. The panning base also locks tighter than my BH-1. Nearly everything about the way it is made is well-done. While the Z1 is better in most regards, the differences are minor. If I ever lose the BH-1, the Z1 is the one I'd get.

The Markins is even smaller and lighter than the Z1. It looks tiny compared to my BH-1. The Q20i is supposed to be a bit of an upgrade over the older Q20. It seems just as strong as the Z1 and BH-1, and like the Z1, does not shift during lockdown, which is nice. However, the Markins (at least not the copy I rented) is not as smooth under tension, and exhibited a lot of stick/slip. That was disappointing to see because precision macro adjustments with a tension "sweet spot" was impossible. I was very surprised given all the raves I've read about Markins. Perhaps the rental needed a little TLC? The Markins definitely wasn't as smooth as my BH-1 or the Z1 under tension (even though my BH-1 is not perfectly round, it does not stick/slip). Too bad.

I also noticed a couple of other odd things with the Markins. The Markins main knob will keep turning long after the ball is firmly locked, and as a result doesn't provide much in the way of tactile feedback, in contrast with the BH-1 and Z1. The panning base doesn't tighten as easily as my BH-1, but it could be made just as tight when I deliberately used more force. If you don't tighten it, then when you try to turn the ball under tension, the panning base is likely to give way. One other odd thing that I'm sure means nothing, but I saw the main knob move from side to side (like a wiggling motion) when you move the ball while under tension.

The Q20i rental also came with a lever clamp, which I'd never used before. The experience gave me a lot more confidence in the concept of a lever clamp. The lever clamp also proved that my 10-year-old Kirk plates are not quite as wide as my new L-bracket; I was able to push them sideways out of the clamp with my thumbs (until I hit the safety stop in the clamp), which I could not do with the L-bracket. With the right size plates, the lever clamp seems just as secure as a screw knob.

If you need a big ballhead I think the Z1 and the RRS BH-55 are the leaders of the pack. I really like my Z1 but I'm probably going to sell it as I no longer use DSLRs and I really don't need the 54mm diameter ball. The Markins heads are copies of the Z1 and are well made and finished, but I had functional issues with mine (I had three of the smaller Markins heads). The panning base on a Markins doesn't tighten because it's not meant to. It's designed as a brake and not a lock, and it doesn't help that Markins continues to call it a locking knob in the user manual. I believe that the design reduces the transmission of vibration. I've found Markins heads to be a bit finicky in use.

Speaking of raves, another favorite on this forum is the RRS lever clamp. I finally bought one in January of this year and I've got used to it, but I don't find it any better (or worse) than a well designed knob release. The one thing I like about the clamp is that it self-adjusts to just about any plate and the mechanism works really well. I use a lot of different cameras and have Arca-Swiss type plates from 6 different manufacturers. The clamp provides a secure connection with all of them. If you're thinking of buying a lever clamp RRS make two self-adjusting versions and one of them fits the Z1.

Peter, what camera(s) are you using now? What will be your head of choice?

I had thought I would stick with a knob release but I'm now planning on the RRS lever clamp on my BH-1. I'll get the model that fits both the BH-1 and the Z1. We'll see if my older Kirk plates are too small or not.

I'm a B&W film user and use 3 Leica M bodies with rangefinder prime lenses from 15mm to 135mm, an Exakta SLR with Carl Zeiss Jena lenses, a Fotoman 617 panoramic with a Schneider 110mm lens, and a Rolleiflex f3.5 E3 TLR. For digital I have a small Sony P&S that's 10 years old and a Sony NEX-7 and I use my Leica lenses on the NEX.

I have an Acratech Ultimate ballhead on my travel tripod and I rented an Acratech GP during the summer to try it out. My Z1 sits on a RRS leveling base with long handle on my Gitzo 3-series systematic and the rig is a little cumbersome and top-heavy. If I replace the Z1 the prime candidate is the GP because you can invert it and it becomes a leveling base and a ballhead that weighs just 1 lb. as against 2 lbs for my current setup.

I live near the sea in New England where it gets cold in the winter and I'm on or near beaches in the summer. The open design of the Acratechs means they don't lock up in severe cold and if you get them mucky you just run them under a faucet. I've used the Ultimate for almost a year without issues and it's been on several trips already without any issues. So I'll probably get a GP in January and give it an extended run out on the Gitzo to see if it does the job for me.

I find the Acratech design very intriguing. I wish they had a larger ball option. Users say my gear is easy to handle with any of the Acratech models.

Well they seem to think the 38mm ball can handle most things. If I had long lenses like most on this forum I'd be doubtful of that. But the ballhead handles my heavy Fotoman (on the left below) no problem, and the right picture below shows the range of leveling angle of the inverted ballhead which is around 45º, way more than the average leveling base with is 15º.

Well the main criteria for me is locking solidly, and not shifting during lockdown (which the BH-1 doesn't do when I avoid using tension). I've read mixed things about the Acratech models shifting, some say it does, others not. Beyond that is ergonomics, which is important of course, but only once you have a functional head.

The Z1 is about 1.5 lbs, right? The Acratechs weigh around 1 lb. Generally, since I am used to the BH-1's 2 lbs, I wouldn't be concerned with that 1/2 lb. The GP's functionality is really neat though. I will get to try a GP within a month or two.

I have a Markins clamp on my Z1 and the whole thing weighs 1.4 lbs. The difference for me is that I use the Z1 with a leveling base but with a GP the leveling base becomes redundant, so I'm looking at a bigger weight difference. However I'll try the GP for quite a while before deciding.

Great job on this write up!

Thanks Ben, much appreciated.

Why would you not use the tension control? That's what it's designed for.

Al_at_MMO wrote in post #16592390
Why would you not use the tension control? That's what it's designed for.

Because my BH-1 shifts up or down (depending on the direction the camera faces) when I tighten the main knob while using tension. That is a big problem for me when I do closeups. And the tension knob design makes it impossible for me to find a sweet spot.

What I have found is I can get the tension to a nice point using the main knob, make an adjustment pretty precisely, and lock it again. I just can't set a minimum like the Z1.