klr.b wrote in post #10934109
i agree. test it, and if it performs the way you need it to, then great. you should even do a review on it so others can benefit.
.
I've had the ballhead for a few months so I've certainly "tested" it. I also have a Manfrotto 410 gear head (that cost me exactly what I paid for the Benro B-3). I like them both, but they serve very different purposes. the 410 is slow and precise and I use it for product shots with small lenses...I use the Benro for sports and for outdoor portraits with long lenses. 410 holds 11 pounds, the B-3 holds 66 pounds.
I could do an more extensive review, but there are plenty on the Internet as it is. I have used the RRS 55 head and the Arca Swiss Z1 (which can hold over 100 pounds, but I don't have nearly that much weight to get on a head at once time 
- I thought both were VERY slightly better than the Benro B-3 in finish, but almost immeasurably so (which seems to be the consensus of all the reviews I've seen on the B-3 "99% of what a Z-1 is for a quarter the price" (to paraphrase). One review I read said he (or she) found the B-3 to be less smooth in operation (that reviewer still gave it 5 our of 5 stars), but to my experience I find it equally as smooth as the A-S or the RSS heads.
Unlike the performance or finish difference, the cost difference was very measurable.
I didn't get a chance to try the Gitzo with a heavy load capacity - I'd imagine it's comparable to all of them...less expensive though (except for the Benro). I'd have liked to have tried the Acratech heads but the shop I but my gear in does not carry them (nor does anyone in Florida).
I could have bought any of the heads, but the Benro seemed to have the most bang for the buck. I'm not "cheap", but I don't see any reason to spend 400% more on a product that seems to be virtually indistinguishable from something so close in every respect. As I mentioned, I didn't get a chance to try some other high capacity ballheads, but I shop at one pro-shop and that's what they had. The good thing about shopping there is they buy with their customer base in mind...they sell primarily to pro photographers and serious hobbyists and it is the only remaining "real" camera store in quite a large area. (Delray Cameras...Delray Beach, Fl.). They are extremely accommodating so if I were to see something I liked better, as long as I keep my equipment clean I can exchange it with no real time limit.
I'd like to try the A-S 'Cube" head, looks cool, but for over $1500, I just can't see a way to justify it. And the shop doesn't keep any in stock - I wouldn't expect them to order one just so I can play with it. LOL
Peace,
D.
