Replacing my tripod head?

[wildbill]

I currently use a manfrotto 3275 or 410 geared head that i've had for about 4 years. I love the geared movements and i've grown to love the fine tune adjustments its capable of: panning w/o any tilt, etc. But it's getting more and more play in it and it's not cutting it with my Pentax 67II. I've sent it in once for gear adjustments and it's expensive to ship. I also shoot 4x5 and will eventually go bigger. If i decide to replace this thing is there anything ball head wise that has independent movements? I've never used a ball head so i'm not familier with them.

 

[Baxter Bradford]

You can mend the 410 yourself in a few minutes the first time and far quicker subsequently! I learnt after I had bought the more robust (and expensive) 405 head..... This is good incidentally, but after a strong knock, one knob is now stiff.
It is a while since I did this, so have just quickly gone through the process on my 410 - it is that quick!
Carefully peel back the circular stickers to reveal an allen bolt. Remove this and the Aluminium circular plate.
Pull the head away.
Then twist the course control to disengage gears and pull out the hollow Aluminium liner which has teeth on bottom face.
Rotate this liner about 90 deg and reinsert. Essentially you are just engaging a different section of the gear teeth. I then packed my gear teeth with silicone grease to reduce wear.
Place head back on spindle and the Aluminium circular plate.
Insert allen bolt and retighten. Try to get sticker back in place for full aesthetics. Mine is partially bald! You will probably only need to do roll and tilt knobs, the yaw on mine has always been fine.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The larger Bogen gearhead or a Majestic head are probably overkill for 4x5", but if you plan to go larger might be a worthwhile investment. Majestics are only geared on one axis, but I quite like mine.

The Gitzo low profile pan-tilt heads are a good choice for large format. The G1370M is adequate for 4x5", G1570M for larger.

If you haven't used a ballhead, I recommend trying some out first. For a heavy camera, I'd want an Arca-Swiss, which is the ballhead that seems to be least like a ballhead.

 

[Pinholemaster]

Tripod and head source

Take a look at this web site for excellently made tripod and head equipment.

I've bought from them, and everything I've gotten was excellent.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/index.html

 

[wildbill]

I tried taking it apart once before and doing exactly what Baxter described but the problem with the head is that the teeth on the bottom surface of the aluminum collar aren't an exact match for the teeth on the opposite surface. In other words i'm screwed since manfrotto can't fix something like this and i know they won't refund my money. Four years isn't much of a life for a $180 item. If i was only doing 4x5 i think i'd be okay but the 67II shutter is quite ferocious.

 

[MikeSeb]

Take a look at this web site for excellently made tripod and head equipment.

I've bought from them, and everything I've gotten was excellent.

http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/index.html

I second this recommendation. Their BH-55 ballhead would be just the ticket for a medium- or large-format camera, and if you get the QR version it is of course A/S compatible.

I have this ballhead on a Gitzo 1548 CF tripod and leveling base, for my Contax MF setup. Absolutely rock rigid and not back-breaking heavy.

RRS has also introduced the BH-40, which is slightly smaller and lighter than the -55; check the specs, as it might work for you.

RRS products are exceptional, as is their service.

 

[juan]

If you have not used a ball head, I'd recommend borrowing one or taking a close look at one at a camera store. With a ball head, loosening the head means that it will move in all directions at once - some people like that feature. I much prefer adjusting each axis independently. Try one out first.
juan

 

[sanking]

If i decide to replace this thing is there anything ball head wise that has independent movements? I've never used a ball head so i'm not familier with them.

Ball heads are nice and compact but for LF work I personally much prefer heads like the Manfrotto 3039 and 3047 that have separate levels on the side and back of the head. A single bubble level is virtually useless for LF cameras. If you are going to be doing a lot of 4X5 work you might want to work with different heads for a bit before investing money in a ball head.

Sandy

 

[roteague]

I don't like ball heads at all - when you shoot a lot of ocean scenes, it is too easy to get the horizon line unbalanced with them.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The Arca-Swiss B2 is the "ballhead" that's really a pan-tilt head with independent movements. Arca-Swiss balls are elliptical so that as the head tilts, the resistance increases, so the camera doesn't flop over, and the B2 uses two concentric balls, I believe, so that you can adjust tilt and yaw independently, just like on a pan-tilt head, and it's rated up to 150 lbs. Neat concept, hefty price tag (around $700).

I looked today at a Levelhead, which is a leveling platform with an Arca-Swiss type clamp (comes with one plate) that is attached to a tripod head for fine leveling, or might be usable as a head by itself, if you don't need much tilt. It's really nicely made, but also not cheap ($495 at Photo Gizzmo--which is not as bad as it sounds, if you consider that it comes with the clamp built in and a plate).