Bah! Gitzo.

[J. Fada]

Hi there. (I don't see your name listed). I saw your post that you cleaned your FOBA Superball but don't see any info on how you did this. Mine is so "stuck" right now, that I haven't used it for a long time. Any suggestions? Thanks, Michael

I have the large one. The small one might be different. Take the screws out from around the base and the head should come apart. I know there are some other things to do as well but it has been a couple years since I last did it so I don't remember them exactly. If you can knock it loose then try lubing it without taking it apart. I use dry teflon bicycle chain lube. That works well and doesn't accumulate dirt. Some ball head manufacturers say to use WD-40 sparingly but that just seems dense to me. The last thing you want is gunk to build up and any type of wet lube will promote that.

[seezee]

I use an Arca-Swiss P0 ballhead with my Wista 45DX. It has a capacity of up to 44.1 lbs (20 kg). I've written about it here. Sounds like it would be more than enough for your setup.

The only real drawback to the P0 ballhead is it requires specialized plates (QS a.k.a. Slidefix) for the QR system — they are narrower than the standard Arca plates.

[seezee]

Friends don't let friends use ballheads for view cameras!

And, though I recommended a ballhead in my last post, I agree with Noah — other types of heads are probably better suited to LF cameras.

[Kirk Gittings]

Friends don't let friends use ballheads for view cameras!

Seriously, I hate them. They're amazing for small format cameras, or for shooting work where you don't care if the camera is level. They're also extremely solid when locked down. But it's difficult to level them in one axis without affecting the other. I used one at first when I switched to 4x5 and I was extremely glad to switch.

It depends on your camera of course, but I have two favorites. The Manfrotto 410 is geared and extremely easy to use. It works great with 4x5 field cameras and maybe some larger cameras, but no huge studio monorails or 8x10s. For architectural or urban work it's a pleasure. The only real disadvantages are that it might not last forever, since I've heard the gears wear (but it's relatively affordable so you can always buy another). And I hate the Manfrotto QR system. The plate, when used the way I like to use it which makes the camera more centered over the tripod, interferes with the drop bed on my Technika. It's secure but I vastly prefer either no QR or an Arca-style system. Somewhere I saw an adaptor plate to convert the manfrotto to an arca clamp, so that would help. It bolts in place so it should be solid.

I have three 410s at the moment-all converted to Arca plates. My favorite head. On two I used Hejnar adapters (I think I have a thread on here somewhere about it) and on the third I adapted (filed down) the 410 RC4 clamp base down flat and bolted a Kessler Video Arca plate clamp to it http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._receiver.html. The Kessler is heavy but bullet proof. Doing it this way without the Hejnar adapter saves a lot of weight.

[Michael Lichter]

Thanks so much for taking the time to write back. I also have the large one. I'll give your technique a try when I get back from this out-of-town shoot. Michael

I have the large one. The small one might be different. Take the screws out from around the base and the head should come apart. I know there are some other things to do as well but it has been a couple years since I last did it so I don't remember them exactly. If you can knock it loose then try lubing it without taking it apart. I use dry teflon bicycle chain lube. That works well and doesn't accumulate dirt. Some ball head manufacturers say to use WD-40 sparingly but that just seems dense to me. The last thing you want is gunk to build up and any type of wet lube will promote that.