The new Natural Image magazine from George Lepp has an extensive discussion of
high-quality ballheads in this issue. I don't have it here, but my
recollection (paraphrased) is this:
"The Arca-Swiss B1 is just about the best there is in all respects, but it's
relatively heavy and expensive."
"Several others: Kirk, Bogen, Giotto, and Gitzo (and others), came in a close
second, but his unswerving recommendation was to immediately chuck any QR plate
except one compatible with the Arca-Swiss system. Buy a replacement QR
mechanism from Kirk or Really-Right-Stuff."
If you follow that recommendation, you have to figure the price of any ballhead
plus a high-quality QR system. I've used QR systems from Gitzo, Bogen, and
Arca-Swiss, and I can tell you that the RRS plates with an AS system are
absolutely the best solution. They are rock-solid, they are metal-to-metal
(preventing tripod hole stress), and they come in more shapes and sizes than
you could ever use. I have four RRS plates, which I'll likely have until I'm
old and gray.
As I've said before, you will NEVER regret the purchase of an AS-B1 head. You
might not want to carry it far though.
I can do a summary tonight of the article if anyone wants to know, just ask.
Skip
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Please reply to [skipwilliams at pobox.com]
Direct responses to the email address on the header may get lost
----------------------------------------------------------------->
>Subject: RE: [OM] Ball Heads
> From: Tris Schuler <tristanjohn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 09:55:32 -0800
> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>The controls on the Bogen head you mention sound ill-conceived--must be if
>they're in the way. The controls on my ballhead are never in the way and
>work smoothly.
>
>Some ballheads (perhaps many) are poorly designed, I've no doubt about
>that. This is why it's good advice to buy superior equipment to begin
>with--then the issues you mention ought not to arise. To save a buck here
>and a buck there, then complain about how the gear doesn't work right out
>in the field, this strikes me as a kind of unwisdom.
>
>The ballhead I own from Gitzo is okay (i.e., it does its job as billed). As
>I've written here several times, my next full-fledged ballhead (should I
>ever buy another) will be the Arca Swiss B1. This is based on feedback I've
>received over the years from working photographers which seems to agree
>that the B1 is the best all-around available.
>
>Re the B1: there was an interesting forum exchange over on Fred Miranda's
>site re the friction factor of that head vis-a-vis "binding" which, as it
>turned out, was laid properly at the doorstep of operator
>ignorance--apparently, users were improperly loosening the friction control
>knob instead of the lockout knob, thus causing the first action to jam
>against the second action. Meanwhile, the "word" was being spread that the
>B1's were "no good."
>
>Right.
>
>By the way, I've no ax to grind either way. I fully understand that
>pan/tilt heads have their proper place, as do geared heads. I can easily
>see the use of either with larger, heavier gear, or when working in a
>studio setting with light set-ups and plenty of time to get everything just
>so. In fact, my first head was a pan/tilt job which sat atop my old Leitz
>Tilt-all tripod. It worked just fine. I finally changed over to a ballhead
>scheme because after working with a few owned by friends I discovered that
>for most applications ballheads are simply more efficient, and furthermore
>take up less space when packed. As far as weight goes, I'd guess my present
>ballhead weighs about the same as the pan/tilt job I used to use. The Arca
>Swiss is somewhat massive and I doubt I'd want to haul it around Europe on
>vacation, just for example--in that instance I'd opt for one of the
>mini-heads, like the one from Gitzo I mentioned earlier.
>
>Tris
>
>
>
>< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
>< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
>< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|