How many lenses do you own Kerry?
Ha - do you really want to know? Have you looked at his website? I'm guessing maybe 100...?
If you ask most large format photographers which they prefer I'm sure you'll find out most do not use a ballhead if they have been at it for any length of time.
Not many of the ones I know. As Kerry said - well - it depends who you ask. I know a good number of LF (8x10) photographers who use ballheads - mainly arca B1
Why would you recommend a wobbly ball head to a newcomer when the pros don't even use them. He will be frustrated the first time in the field.
Not recommending wobbly ballheads - but rather solid ones. As I said many pros (hmm - I'm a pro too...) use them.
And if you shoot 30 sheets of 8x10 before lunch with just even 15 keepers then you are one hell of a photographer. But that means you are carrying 15 film holders. So much for weight savings. Now if you are just carrying 2 or 3 then that means setting up a changing bag and reloading film in the field. If that is the case I would love to see 30 of those shots you made before noon.
Ah yes, but my film holders probably weigh around 1/3 of what yours do and are just over 1/3 as thick - it's fairly easy to carry 7-10 in the small backpack or shoulder bag with another 5 or 10 stashed.
One simple example - for one magazine story I did of diamond mines with the 8x10 @ -40c I think I shot about 45 sheets in the one day
A set of Gitzo 1325 legs (or somewhat cheaper aluminium ones) and an Arca B1 will give plenty of long term use with the Wehman and lenses up to 300mm + (with my setup I use this very easily with the 450mm lens - which is the longest I generally use). Bruce may find he doesn't really like a ballhead - like the Ries tripods, folk either seem to love them or hate them - in which case switch to the gitzo low profile - but I find the Arca B1 is actually more solid than the Gitzo low profiles - it certainly locks down tighter and doesn't have the creep they do unless you really exert some force when tightening them up.
And if he starts taking closeups of flowers with a 450mm lens or something - then yes, it may get a bit unwieldy. But only then - and I've done that with a 370mm lens on the above set-up with little problem
Bookmarks