What head for a big, heavy monorail when it must not move

[Acheron Photography]

Folks

I've read the 'friends don't let friends use a ball head with LF' comments earlier, and I am also aware that the Arca Swiss B1 used (in some people's minds at least) to be the standard for LF. So I'm a little confused. If money were no object and you wanted stability first and lightness second, what new head would you pick for a heavy monorail? I have a old-style 5x7 Arca now, but I'd also like something that would be stable enough for 10x8 - and by stable I mean really rock solid does not move stable.

Many thanks for any advice.

David.

[Steve Barber]

I would hate to buy this new, but you did ask. Any movement with this is because of a problem with the tripod, not the head. Very smooth and there is no movement from where you put it when you tighten it down:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...of_003669.html

Second choice, not so painful to purchase, works about as well, just different to use. It is slower to adjust for larger movements, but very precise for small changes and you do not have any handles sticking out in the way. Again, the key to this is the stability of the tripod that it is used with:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ared_Head.html

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof Profi III Ball Head, Novoflex Classic Ball 5, Novoflex Magic Ball, Linhof 3-Way Leveling Head, Linhof Large Leveling Head and many, many more from other companies.

[jon.oman]

It may not be light, but the Ries Model A will not move!

Jon

[Frank Petronio]

The set-up is only as good as its weakest link, so putting a ten-lb head on a five-lb tripod won't work. But so long as you are using a head that is rated for handling larger cameras than what you have, you'll have sufficient overkill to handle it. A large Gitzo 3-way is rock solid too, at least up until you reach it's limit. Same for an Arca B2, their heavy-duty ball. There is also the Arca Cube, pretty impressive....

The heads for heavy movie cameras are much sturdier than anything we use for 8x10. The Ries style heads, the old-school kind that only offer 2-axis adjustment, are very sturdy - other companies made similar heads in other sizes for the movie industry. Of course more modern movie camera heads are designed for panning and movements, they cost the same as a car.

That said, anything by Linhof is going to be rock solid.

But the ultimate most solid head is no head at all. Just use the tripod legs to level.

[Bob Salomon]

"But the ultimate most solid head is no head at all. Just use the tripod legs to level."
And lose one of the most important functions of the tripod - stability! Using a heavy and unbalanced load like a view camera this way with legs set at different lengths, especially on angled surfaces, can easily lead to the whole system falling over. Perhaps you meant to suggest that the OP should look at tripods with a leveling column built-in. That can sometimes function as a head.

[Frank Petronio]

Yes the Gitzo and Linhof leveling balls are very solid, I just sold my big Gitzo that had one and it was bomb-proof.

[Acheron Photography]

Thanks for the advice folks.

But the ultimate most solid head is no head at all. Just use the tripod legs to level.

Yes, I've done that and it works well - so well I have been known to take only the legs on some trips when weight was really an issue. But a head does make things easier. *sigh. I guess I'll be on the lookout for one of those big Linhof or Gitzo heads second hand...

[philipmorg]

I'd recommend the Sinar Pan Tilt head. It's exceptionally strong, rigid, and smooth. The low profile helps lower the center of gravity on monorail cameras.

[cdholden]

I've got a Majestic 1901 head on a Majestic (forgotten model number) tripod. None of the head movements are ball-oriented. They're all geared, except for pan. That one is done by loosening a knob to the desired friction before turning. It can turn easy or not. You decide.
It's far from backpack-friendly (20ish pounds) but it is rock solid. I've tested it with a Korona 7x17 up on end (vertical shot) and it's still stable. I plan to put the 12x20 on there once it's reassembled. I'm confident that will work well also.