Tripod Heads I Have Known
I have spent a fair bit of money on tripod heads over the years. Here is a summary of what I have learned about some of the ballheads on the market as I write this. I own, and describe below, each of the following:
 Arca Swiss Monoball B1 Weight: 720g |
 Acratech Ultimate Ballhead Weight: 426g |
 Really Right Stuff BH-55 Weight: 856g |
 Markins M20 Weight: 577g |
Arca Swiss Monoball B1
The Arca Swiss Monoball B1 was my first high end tripod head. Many people swear by them, and the research I did indicated that this was a very high quality ball head that would please for many years.
To make a long story short, mine doesn't. It was only after purchasing it that I began to hear stories of this ball head locking up, and elaborate recipes for getting it unstuck again. Mine doesn't lock up completely, it just gets tight and has inconsistent friction, resulting in jerky motion when making small changes to the positioning. If I had figured all of this out a bit sooner, I would have asked for my money back.
I also made a model choice error. I saved about $100 by purchasing a model without a panning base. I could not see myself making use of this base for shooting landscapes, which is what I most often heard mentioned regarding them.
I was right about that, but I missed the panning head for another reason. I could only point my camera downwards by using the drop slot. Without a panning head, one must rotate the tripod legs to get the drop slot into the desired position. With a panning head, one can simply rotate the head. Lesson learned.
Not recommended.
Acratech Ultimate Ballhead
My second good ball head was an Acratech Ultimate. I was attracted by the innovative design and light weight. I've not seen a better head in it's weight class, and for smaller cameras it serves well. At half the weight of the RRS head, this is the head to carry if you must travel light.
The angled ball holder eliminates the need for a drop slot, and one spends much less time worrying about which way the head is pointed. This is very nice for macro work ion the field.
I replaced it for two reasons:
- The locking control on the panning base is pretty weak. If the tripod is not level and I have heavy gear on the head, it does not hold well.
- For much of my work, detail sharpness matters a great deal. This head simply does not give me the steadiness I require with a larger camera and heavier lenses.
Today I have this head on a set of 6 inch tripod legs that I use when I want to get really, really close to the ground.
Recommended for hiking with reasonably light weight equipment.
Really Right Stuff BH-55
This is my favourite ballhead by far. It is short, it is rock solid even with my heaviest equipment, and the panning base locking control is stronger than that of any of the other heads I have. And of course it is backed up by the good folks at Really Right Stuff, which came in handy when mine developed a small problem and I had to return it. The problem turned out to be that a couple screws had loosened up, so they added some locktite and had it back to me very promptly.
This is not a head for travelling light. At 856g (for the model pictured; there are a few variations available) this is the heaviest balll head I own. It is also the ball head that stays on my tripod these days.
Highly recommended.
Markins M20
While my BH-55 was away I had ample opportunity to reflect on the need for a backup head in case anything goes wrong with my primary one, especially as I had a photo related trip to the USA planned. Neither of my other heads is suitable for the work that I most like to do. What would I do if my BH-55 failed while I was away on this expensive journey?
I decided to buy yet another head. I chose a Markins M20, which has a reputation for great quality and strength, has a panning base, and is a little smaller than other heads in its class.
The panning base locking control is not quite as nice as the RRS head has, but it is much better than the Acratech's. I haven't used this head as extensively as the others, but so far I am very happy with it. At about two thirds the weight of the RRS head, this may become my head of choice when I am travelling light.
Recommended.
