Ball head for light weight 4x5?

[rustyair]

Hi,

I was looking at 3 way heads and thought of getting a manfrotto 410 but I think it's over kill for my Shen Hao and schneider 210mm which weights 6.49 pounds in total.

Currently I'm using a HorusBennu LX-5 ball head which has 26.45lb max load and it works find with dslr but it has creeping problem with shen hao( problem of it moving once locked). I'm a trekker and looking for a 'light weight' ball head under $200 that don't have any creeping problem. Please recommend me one. Manfrotto 468MGRC2 looks interesting...Thanks

 

[Marc B.]

I have never appreciated a ball head with LF. Wastes too much time fiddling with getting camera level/vertical.
A 3-way head provides much better control for LF with fewer headaches, especially when working closer.
I have a 410. It's a great head. I would never go back to a ball head with LF. And, 3-way heads aren't 'creepy.'

 

[cjbecker]

I dont like using a head for tripods. I work much faster without one.

 

[Yamaotoko]

On my little Manfrotto 190 which I use for hiking and when travelling by motorbike, I have a 488RC2 Manfrotto ball head. Probably not 'ideal' for 4x5 (with my Wista metal field), but you know what, it's never let me down. Maybe traveling with the smaller tripod has got me into some good habits as far as being careful to minimize vibration. I do know I'm a little rougher in the studio using an 075.

 

[PKM-25]

I own and use 6 ball heads from micros for strobes and rangefinders to a big Arca-Swiss, I only own one pan and tilt head and that is for video only. I have no problems using a ball head with LF, easy peasy since you just flip the back to go vertical.

If I am trekking, and I do a lot, I use a Manfrotto 496 on a medium set of CF legs, center colum weight is key. The head weighs .71 lbs, supports over 13 pounds so it handles my 4 to 4.5 pound 45N-2 and lens easily. It costs $61 from B&H, hard to beat, no creep.

The best head out there for the money is the Acratech GP at $400, it is one pound, handles 25 and is in another league in design, I use it for both fresh underwater time exposures and as a gimbal with my gyro for HDSLR video work, sick piece of gear...

 

[Mark Fisher]

Kirk BH3.....love it

 

[EdSawyer]

2nd the acra-tech. Any of their heads are a good choice. I have a GV-2 and use it with a canham DLC and a variety of lenses.