Posted by Paul Inglis on January 5, 2009 at 7:30 AM
Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you all had a good Christmas!
I am in the market for a new head for my landscape work since the old one has finally packed up. I’m looking for a compact head that has fine adjustment and easy to level out. I love my Kirk BH-1 Ball Head for my wildlife but I’d prefer something with more control for my landscape work.
Any suggestions a most welcomed.
Posted by Larry Corbett on January 5, 2009 at 7:54 AM
Hi Paul
Take a look at the Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head. Which is great for both landscape and macro work.
The knobs that control the gears can be a bit stiff at first but once loosened up off a great degree of control over your camera and lens. You can over ride the gears to get the camera in to position quickly then re-engage the gears to finely tune the composition. It's very compact. Great value for money too, I think I picked up mine for about £130 (with a QR plate)
The only downsize of this head is the QR plates which attach to the base of the camera/lenses they seem a bit oversized.
Posted by Mike Smith on January 5, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Its hard to make suggestions without knowing what body/lens plate system you currently use, do you for instance use a dovetail style L plate on your bodies, if so I'm not sure why you are having trouble with the existing BH-1 ballhead.
Mike
Posted by Paul Inglis on January 5, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Hi Larry,
Thanks! I was thinking along similar lines. If I did go down that route I add an Acra-Swiss Style plate from the Kirk Stable.
Hi Mike,
I do use Acra-Swiss Style QR and the camera is fitted with an L-Bracket. The Ball Head is great but sometimes I struggle to get it level quick enough!
For my long lenses (which I shoot the most) I use a Wimberley Gimbal and a levelling base. I can level the tripod in two or three seconds – great!
When using the Ball Head with the camera mounted (i.e. when setting up for a landscape shot!) I struggle to see that little bubble as the L-Bracket usually covers it (yes I could level it before mounting the camera but then I struggle to compose it that way). I hate those little hot shoe spirit levels too!
I was thinking more along the lines of either a fluid head or a geared head. I could easily level the former out (as I’m used to this with my video work). As for the geared head, I’ve not personally tried one (and the model that Larry mentions had come up before! So I’m intrigued).
I suppose I am also interested in seeing what others have found works for them apart from a standard Ball Head.
I’d only be using this head with a Nikon D2Xs and either a 12-24mm f/4 or a 28-70mm f/2.8.
Thanks for the input guys!
Posted by Rene de Heer on January 5, 2009 at 2:10 PM
I have a levelling plate on my Gitzo and use it with the gimbal head but just whip the gimbal off and stick an Arca Swiss B1 on for landscapes keeping the levelling base on at all times
I'm not sure anything would be quicker to use and offer more control than a good quality ball head like you've already got.
Personally a fluid video head, as good as they are for the big lenses, would be an absolute last resort IMHO for landscape work. Firstly, as I'm sure you know, good quality ones are big, heavy, expensive and you'd be paying all that money for the fluid movements which would be of absolutely no benefit whatsoever in landscape photography.
Another very important point is you can only move your lens in two ways on a video head, up and down and left to right. Getting things level from side to side would be a nightmare. Admittidly a levelling base will give a very small amount of correction in this axis, but should you need to adjust anymore than the small amount offered by the base then you'd be forever adjusting your tripod legs. In the fleeting light and moments of landscape shooting I'd bet this would lead to lots of missed oppurtunities and no end of frustration.
Bearing in mind the amount of often strenuous walking that's often part and parcel of landscape photography I'd be looking for the lightest, decent quality ballhead I could find, but not compromising on quality and level of support obviously.
For levelling of the horizons quickly and bearing in mind you say you don't like hotshoe spirit levels, have you considered a grid focusing screen for your camera. Great for landscape, arcitectural work and more than adequate for everything else too.
Posted by Paul Inglis on January 5, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Hi Rene,
Emailed you back! Thanks!
Hi Dave,
The levelling base does work wonders coupled with a Gimbal, however, with a Ball Head attached it becomes redundant IMO! I can roughly square the tripod on any ground within lets say 5 degrees without a levelling base. With a Gimbal and a levelling base I have squared away shots in seconds! With a Ball Head with or without a levelling base I still need to level! Hence, my problem!
Hi Justin,
YES! I think you’ve hit it! A grid just like my camcorders! I believe I can get a grid screen for £20 for my D2Xs! All I need is the Horizon level! After all it is only to our eye! A slight alteration in Lightroom/Photoshop to level an image isn’t a cardinal sin is it?
Thanks Guys! All appreciated! I’m fortunately getting some stunning sunsets of late but they are fleeting and I’m missing them due to the ridicules set-up times or I’m having too seriously rotate in Lightroom/Photoshop (An unnecessary crop!)!
I don’t want to get the D3X just so I can crop these uneven horizons!!! Hey, maybe I will have an excuse!
Discussion
7 repliesI am in the market for a new head for my landscape work since the old one has finally packed up. I’m looking for a compact head that has fine adjustment and easy to level out. I love my Kirk BH-1 Ball Head for my wildlife but I’d prefer something with more control for my landscape work.
Any suggestions a most welcomed.
Take a look at the Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head. Which is great for both landscape and macro work.
The knobs that control the gears can be a bit stiff at first but once loosened up off a great degree of control over your camera and lens. You can over ride the gears to get the camera in to position quickly then re-engage the gears to finely tune the composition. It's very compact. Great value for money too, I think I picked up mine for about £130 (with a QR plate)
The only downsize of this head is the QR plates which attach to the base of the camera/lenses they seem a bit oversized.
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/off/pid/2344?livid=80|81&idx=85
http://www.juzaphoto.com/eng/articles/tripods_and_heads.htm
Mike
Thanks! I was thinking along similar lines. If I did go down that route I add an Acra-Swiss Style plate from the Kirk Stable.
Hi Mike,
I do use Acra-Swiss Style QR and the camera is fitted with an L-Bracket. The Ball Head is great but sometimes I struggle to get it level quick enough!
For my long lenses (which I shoot the most) I use a Wimberley Gimbal and a levelling base. I can level the tripod in two or three seconds – great!
When using the Ball Head with the camera mounted (i.e. when setting up for a landscape shot!) I struggle to see that little bubble as the L-Bracket usually covers it (yes I could level it before mounting the camera but then I struggle to compose it that way). I hate those little hot shoe spirit levels too!
I was thinking more along the lines of either a fluid head or a geared head. I could easily level the former out (as I’m used to this with my video work). As for the geared head, I’ve not personally tried one (and the model that Larry mentions had come up before! So I’m intrigued).
I suppose I am also interested in seeing what others have found works for them apart from a standard Ball Head.
I’d only be using this head with a Nikon D2Xs and either a 12-24mm f/4 or a 28-70mm f/2.8.
Thanks for the input guys!
Rene de Heer
Dave
I'm not sure anything would be quicker to use and offer more control than a good quality ball head like you've already got.
Personally a fluid video head, as good as they are for the big lenses, would be an absolute last resort IMHO for landscape work. Firstly, as I'm sure you know, good quality ones are big, heavy, expensive and you'd be paying all that money for the fluid movements which would be of absolutely no benefit whatsoever in landscape photography.
Another very important point is you can only move your lens in two ways on a video head, up and down and left to right. Getting things level from side to side would be a nightmare. Admittidly a levelling base will give a very small amount of correction in this axis, but should you need to adjust anymore than the small amount offered by the base then you'd be forever adjusting your tripod legs. In the fleeting light and moments of landscape shooting I'd bet this would lead to lots of missed oppurtunities and no end of frustration.
Bearing in mind the amount of often strenuous walking that's often part and parcel of landscape photography I'd be looking for the lightest, decent quality ballhead I could find, but not compromising on quality and level of support obviously.
For levelling of the horizons quickly and bearing in mind you say you don't like hotshoe spirit levels, have you considered a grid focusing screen for your camera. Great for landscape, arcitectural work and more than adequate for everything else too.
Emailed you back! Thanks!
Hi Dave,
The levelling base does work wonders coupled with a Gimbal, however, with a Ball Head attached it becomes redundant IMO! I can roughly square the tripod on any ground within lets say 5 degrees without a levelling base. With a Gimbal and a levelling base I have squared away shots in seconds! With a Ball Head with or without a levelling base I still need to level! Hence, my problem!
Hi Justin,
YES! I think you’ve hit it! A grid just like my camcorders! I believe I can get a grid screen for £20 for my D2Xs! All I need is the Horizon level! After all it is only to our eye! A slight alteration in Lightroom/Photoshop to level an image isn’t a cardinal sin is it?
Thanks Guys! All appreciated! I’m fortunately getting some stunning sunsets of late but they are fleeting and I’m missing them due to the ridicules set-up times or I’m having too seriously rotate in Lightroom/Photoshop (An unnecessary crop!)!
I don’t want to get the D3X just so I can crop these uneven horizons!!! Hey, maybe I will have an excuse!