Manfrotto Mg Ball Head

[miha]

I have a Manfrotto carbon tripod 057c3-g with a dedicated head to be used with a LF camera. Apart from that I would also like to use this tripod with my other cameras and was thinking of getting a ball head as well. Is their magnesium 057 ball head a good choice? Any experience with this or other ball heads in the 250-350 €/USD price range?

 

[jstout]

I have a Manfrotto carbon tripod 057c3-g with a dedicated head to be used with a LF camera. Apart from that I would also like to use this tripod with my other cameras and was thinking of getting a ball head as well. Is their magnesium 057 ball head a good choice? Any experience with this or other ball heads in the 250-350 €/USD price range?

My magnesium Gitzo 1278 doesn't support my 4x5, so I use a Manfrotto 3-way. The ballhead is too light-duty, but works great for MF.
Jeff

 

[miha]

The 057 from Gitzo is strong enough for my MF gear but I wonder how smooth and precise it is. There seems to be quite a price difference between it and other high-end ball heads from Sinar and RRS.