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Thread: Which Ball-Head?

  1. #1
    gmfotografie's Avatar
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    Which Ball-Head?

    hi my friends, it´s time for a good, new ball-head!

    the fml cb58-ftr seams to be a very well designed and usable head.
    also the arca-swiss d4 looks very good; but the price is much higher.

    i will use the system for landscape and architecture.
    i have a 5diii a 501cm and a chamonix 45.

    maybe you can help me to find the right equipment (should be a long time equipment).
    i have never worked with a gearded head but it seams to be very interesting for exact movements.
    how accurate is the movement of the d4 without gear?

    best michael

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
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    Massachusetts
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    Take a look at the Acratech GP. I upgraded from an Arca Swiss B1, and it was a very worthwhile upgrade. I use it on Induro legs with a similar range of cameras.

  3. #3
    The Great Ivan's Avatar
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    Sorry if Im late for this thread but I've had a Arca Swiss ballhead for more than two decades. Perfect precision and so smooth. Besides it is beautiful.
    Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.

  4. #4
    Angus Parker angusparker's Avatar
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    Arca Swiss D4 - bit overkill. Or for minimalist RRS BH-25 - works for my Chamonix 4x5.....

  5. #5

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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    for light setup, d4 is an overkill but it is worth the purchase.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
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    1,136

    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    2nd the Acratech head recommendations. Those are really a fantastic piece of design work. I have the GP or GV2, I forget. But they are all good.

  7. #7

    Join Date
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    Arlington VA for real & West Milford NJ in my heart and head
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    I got the FLM 58 with tilt lock from Ari a few weeks ago and really like it. Also like my Manfrotto 410 a lot. The FLM will be my 8x10 head when the time comes.

    it's pretty much a toss up between the two but the 410 is easier for me to use when the air temps are in the finger numbing range.
    Bob

    There's mosquitoes on the river, fish are rising up like birds. It's been hot for seven weeks now, too hot to even speak now, did you hear what I just heard?

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    There are many good ball heads out there. If you are seriously considering a d4 then you could buy whatever you want. Your cameras are not that big but maybe your lenses are? You mention architecture so you might like a geared head. Of course, the Chamonix does not have geared movements so maybe the precision and cost of a geared head is wasted. I would find a ball head with a field camera a very annoying combination for architecture because of the flopping or at lease randomness of making adjustments. Something like a d4 or a cube would be ideal. But for general use nearly any good ball head would do.

    FYI, the basic model Acratech weighs just about 1 lb so it is almost weightless compared to some heads. If your budget is right, you might like two heads: something like a relatively inexpensive Acratech for field work or general shooting and a d4 geared head for other work.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Palo Alto, CA, USA
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    The d4 is very nice. So far I've only used it with a DSLR. The friction can be adjusted so that you can push the head into position but the gear drive is very quick to use. The action of the two axis: left-right and up-down are very well separated making it easier to adjust than a simple ball head. The non-geared version would probably be quite easy to use. The d4 is becoming my favorite head.

    I got a used FLM 38FT prior to getting the d4. When the FLM is lightly loaded it appears to work as expected but doesn't with a heavier load: a DSLR with 14-24 / 2.8 zoom. Probably it needs to be serviced judging by how happy other members are with FLM. The d4 is much nicer but again my FLM probably needs servicing so my comparison isn't entirely fair to FLM.

    The Acratech ball heads are very nice and seem quite sturdy even though they are light weight. I've been quite happy with it when using a 400/4 telephoto. Their drag can be set so that the camera won't drift but can be readily moved. It has worked well with a Canham MQC 5x7. I also got a Arca Swiss Z1 with a set of legs. The Arca Swiss seems to be the strongest head I've ever experienced. I would be hard pressed to choose between the Acratech and the Arca Swiss Z1 other than the weight vs. load capacity.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Re: Which Ball-Head?

    Novoflex. Beautifully made, works great.

    Of course, for architecture, I'd use a three-way head... more more controllable...

    Lenny
    EigerStudios
    Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing

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