The benefits of ball heads elude me...

jstraw · Jun 25, 2008

...having never used one.

I can't imagine trying to position a camera any other way than one axis at a time. You ball head fanciers, what am I missing?

KenM · Jun 25, 2008

For LF camera's, they're not very useful. Smaller cameras (MF, 35mm, dig) benefit from them since using a ball head is very fast. But as the camera comes heavier, it becomes more difficult to set the camera properly. That, and ball heads are just not as stable (read: more flexible) as a three-way head.

Ole · Jun 25, 2008

I use ballheads for everything that doesn't require a concrete block (30x40cm)!

The advantage is that the tripod doesn't have to be exactly level, you set all axes at the same time - just set to a suitable friction, move the camera around in any direction, and lock the ball when you're satisfied. When you're used to it, it's really very easy.

David A. Goldfarb · Jun 25, 2008

A ball head has much greater strength for weight than a pan-tilt head or a gear head, and is more compact than a head with long handles. I've always preferred three-way heads, but one can get used to a ballhead. I find it helps to use a circular bullet level with a ballhead, rather than a cylindrical level, so the bubble corresponds more directly to the motion of the ball.

My favorite head is the Arca-Swiss B2, which has the strength of a ballhead and the control of a pan-tilt head. If only they made a smaller version, because one doesn't always need a head with a capacity of 150 lbs.

vic vic · Jun 25, 2008

well it depends ...
for example, if u wanna make a portrait session and be flexible then ball-head is great. personally, i think for general use ball head is good and is no problem for accurate placement with ease. but for much more precise placement three-tilt head is the best - especially the geared ones (like manfrottos). but it is slower to work with. manfrotto ball heads are very good and super stable too (if u choose the rite size for your camera size/weight). also, with some larget format cameras that can be griped comfortably, a ball-head is still very valuable - example - linhof master technika, even without the anatomic grip. try a tripod+ballhead optimal for your camera and u will see that it is not problem at all basically.

MurrayMinchin · Jun 25, 2008

I'm happy with mine just the way it is as it has lots of hair, a nice moustache, lime green eyes, and I'm used to the way the brain inside it works. I'd be worried about complications while switching to another head, but if you think it's worth the gamble to 'trade up' go for it!

Murray

Barry S · Jun 25, 2008

Good ballheads are much faster to use, lighter, and more compact. I use an Arca-Swiss B1 for my 4x5 Chamonix and it's a breeze leveling the camera. It helps that the Chamonix has a bunch of bubble levels, but I can't see the advantages of using a larger three-way head with a small view camera. With my 8x10 Deardorff, the B1 is useable, but a three-way head with protruding handles becomes a better match because of the ease of reaching the controls. Still, I'd prefer using a ball head if I could get a larger model (like the B2). I have no love for three-way heads that lose all tension when loosened and gear heads seem heavy and slow.

Dan Fromm · Jun 25, 2008

Michael, I've used heads, have never been comfortable with them. And I've never used a tripod head to level the camera. Instead, I use a ball leveler to level the tripod's pan axis and a three-axis head to pan, tilt, and roll. Can't imagine working without a ball leveler, but not everyone agrees.

I got into using a ball leveler when I was shooting movies, in that application they're necessary.

DWThomas · Jun 25, 2008

I do 35mm, d*g@tal and MF and I recently switched from a cheap pan/tilt head to a ball head and really like it for most things. As Ole implied, you can pretty much set everything with one motion. I can imagine though there might be some circumstances, perhaps with table top macro work, where the ability to independently manipulate each axis might be preferred.

DaveT

Curt · Jun 26, 2008

Yep, I like the ball heads too, I have a Linhof and a Leica, would like the Acratech, sp, but I have the two German ones. The Linhof is the larger of the two, perfect for a 4x5 field camera or an RB67. It have regular heads also, a Gitzo, Mamiya, Bogen 3047 etc.. I pick the equipment depending on the intended use. I think letter carriers like the bald heads most.

Capocheny · Jun 29, 2008

I once had a B1 head made by Arca Swiss for use with an 8x10 Dorff but sold it off after a very short time.

Personally, I found it difficult to make either horizontal or vertical adjustments singly without disturbing the other movement.

The B2 head, with its independent locks for the horizontal and vertical movements, makes far more sense.

Like David Goldfarb... I also wish they'd make one that's a bit lighter!

Cheers

Tom Hoskinson · Jun 29, 2008

Capocheny said:
I once had a B1 head made by Arca Swiss for use with an 8x10 Dorff but sold it off after a very short time.

Personally, I found it difficult to make either horizontal or vertical adjustments singly without disturbing the other movement.

The B2 head, with its independent locks for the horizontal and vertical movements, makes far more sense.

Like David Goldfarb... I also wish they'd make one that's a bit lighter!

Cheers

The Arca Swiss B2 not a ballhead. It is really a three way pan tilt head disguised as a ballhead. That's ok, but my B1 ballhead works fine with my dorff 5x7 and my Wehman 8x10.

I have no problem making fine position adjustments with my B1.

Antje · Jun 29, 2008

I love it for insects and birds with my 35mm, but my large format camera on a ballhead is just not right.

Dan Fromm · Jun 29, 2008

Antje, when I shoot insects closeup I find that a tripod doesn't help, but hinders. Birds at distance with a long lens are another problem; there I prefer -- tastes differ -- a three-axis head on top of a ball leveler. Cine cameras on top of a two-axis head on top of a ball leveler. My little Graphics are at home, sometimes two at the same time, on the three-axis head etc.

FYI, I do nearly all of my 35 mm closeup work with flash illumination. If you're interested in the tricks I use, send your e-mail in a PM.

fschifano · Jun 29, 2008

Ball heads are great for small and medium format, mainly because speed is usually more crucial when shooting with these cameras. They are also more compact and much easier to tote around than a 3 axis pan/tilt head. For large format work, then the 3 axis pan/tilt head is preferrable. But don't get a cheap head of either type. Bogen/Manfrotto make stuff with the best bang for the buck. The tripods are heavier than the big bucks carbon fiber jobs, but they are stable and sturdy. Their ball heads are not a slick as the Arca Swiss models, but they are plenty good enough and are 1/3 the cost. If I could justify it, I'd use the Arca Swiss ballheads. But I can't, so I use and can recommend the Bogen/Manfrotto units.

Tom Hoskinson · Jun 29, 2008

fschifano said:
Ball heads are great for small and medium format, mainly because speed is usually more crucial when shooting with these cameras. They are also more compact and much easier to tote around than a 3 axis pan/tilt head. For large format work, then the 3 axis pan/tilt head is preferrable. But don't get a cheap head of either type. Bogen/Manfrotto make stuff with the best bang for the buck. The tripods are heavier than the big bucks carbon fiber jobs, but they are stable and sturdy. Their ball heads are not a slick as the Arca Swiss models, but they are plenty good enough and are 1/3 the cost. If I could justify it, I'd use the Arca Swiss ballheads. But I can't, so I use and can recommend the Bogen/Manfrotto units.

I recently bought a smallish Feisol CB-30C Ballhead from Kerry Thalmann and am trying it out with my Mamiya 7II. Choice of materials, Build quality and finish of the Feisol CB-30C seem excellent. I'll see how it performs in the field.

An expensive but elegant alternative to the Arca Swiss (and other) Ballheads are the Ballheads designed, built and sold by Really Right Stuff (RRS).

Also, RRS offer the PCL-1, an Arca-Swiss style clamp with spirit level + precision panning base. With this clamp mounted on your ballhead, the tripod leveling process becomes a quick 10 second task. Just loosen the ball and adjust the clamp until its spirit level indicates the clamp is level; lock the ball into position.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/pano/02.html

jeroldharter · Jun 29, 2008

I use an Acratech ball head for 35mm through 4x5 and am happy with it. I had a large Bogen pan-tilt head (3047) which was good but weighed as much as the tripod and I had 3 levers to manage in addition to the camera and light meter. I prefer lighter weight, less fiddling, and faster setup of a ball head to the precision of a pan-tilt head. Also, I usually carry my gear and any ounce saved is worthwhile so long as it does not affect image quality. The main negative of a ball head in my view is the possibility of "flop" if the ball is not secured properly.

Terence · Jun 29, 2008

Tom Hoskinson said:
I recently bought a smallish Feisol CB-30C Ballhead from Kerry Thalmann and am trying it out with my Mamiya 7II. Choice of materials, Build quality and finish of the Feisol CB-30C seem excellent. I'll see how it performs in the field.

Does the quick-release plate of the Feisol clear the film spool buttons that pop out on the Mamiya? Kerry didn't have one handy to test for me.

jovo · Jun 29, 2008

For 6x6, a ball head is a real treat as there's never any occasion to need to flip it on its side to change from horizontal to vertical. It's lighter and faster to use as long as the friction is adequate to let you adjust carefully without it slipping.

For 6x7, and 4x5 I prefer and use a pan/tilt head...a geared one for the 4x5.

David A. Goldfarb · Jun 29, 2008

Tom Hoskinson said:
The Arca Swiss B2 not a ballhead. It is really a three way pan tilt head disguised as a ballhead.

Or arguably it's twice as much a ballhead as other ballheads, since it has two nested balls. Of course Tom's right that it functions like a pan-tilt head in that you can adjust the two axes independently. But since it really is a double-ball head design, it has the strength-for-weight of a ballhead, so it's a hybrid, with the best features of both designs--except for price (I bought mine used).

One downside of the B2 is that it really functions best with the clamp in the fore-aft orientation, while single ball heads can work with the clamp oriented either way, making it easy to flop the head for verticals or to point the camera straight down and such. To do that with the B2, depending on the camera I'm using it with, I sometimes need to use an extra clamp with a plate mounted on the bottom to orient the camera perpendicular to the normal orientation. I do this, for instance, if I want to mount a camera on my Stroboframe on the B2, because it has a built in Arca-Swiss type plate on the bottom, oriented in the left-right direction, or if I want to shoot a vertical with my 7x17" camera by flopping it on its side (which the head is strong enough to do).

Reinhold · Jun 30, 2008

A ball head requires two hands; one to hold/orient the camera, the other to loosen/tighten the head.

A pan head needs only one hand to simultaneously orient the camera and loosen/tighten the head.

Reinhold

www.classicBWphoto.com

Kilgallb · Jul 1, 2008

Ball heads are cheaper than the 3 axis types. This was important when I started in LF.

Ball heads weigh less and occupy less space than the 3 axis heads, which is important when back packing.

Yes, if you only walk from the car for a km or less, a 3 axis is superior, but if you walk a fair distance, I put up with the ball head.

Tom Hoskinson · Jul 1, 2008

Terence said:
Does the quick-release plate of the Feisol clear the film spool buttons that pop out on the Mamiya? Kerry didn't have one handy to test for me.

The Feisol QP-144750 QR Plate that came with my Feisol CB-30C Ballhead does not clear the film spool buttons that pop out on the Mamiya 7ii.

However, my Really Right Stuff B53C QR Plate does clear the film spool buttons that pop out on the Mamiya 7ii.

2F/2F · Jul 1, 2008

They are quick. That's about it. You don't have to level the tripod very well, and you don't have to take as long framing your shots. They are good for situations where you will be re framing a lot and/or moving the tripod a lot. They are not the ideal head under controlled and/or slow-moving circumstances, but they do have their uses!

roodpe · Jul 1, 2008

David A. Goldfarb said:
A ball head has much greater strength for weight than a pan-tilt head or a gear head, and is more compact than a head with long handles. I've always preferred three-way heads, but one can get used to a ballhead. I find it helps to use a circular bullet level with a ballhead, rather than a cylindrical level, so the bubble corresponds more directly to the motion of the ball.

My favorite head is the Arca-Swiss B2, which has the strength of a ballhead and the control of a pan-tilt head. If only they made a smaller version, because one doesn't always need a head with a capacity of 150 lbs.

I ordered an Arca Z2 head about 7 months ago after hearing about it from Phillipe Voight. It is the updated lighter version of the B2. The B2 will no longer be made. I am still waiting.

The benefits of ball heads elude me...

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