RSS vs Kirk Ballheads

Hi All,
I am in the process of purchasing a new ball head.

I’ve narrowed it down to either RRS BH-55 or a Kirk BH-1.

My set up is Canon EOS Mark II with canon 70-200mm IS F2.8 or 24-70mm 2.8.

If you own or have owned one of these ball heads could you give
both some positive and negative values of each and which one might
be best suited for my camera setup.

I realize many of you may be up in them there hills photographing
wildflowers so I may not get as many replies.
Any and all help will be much appreciated.I trust and value your opinions for I have been viewing this forum for many years and there many are top notch photoraphers here.

Thanks
Joe

I have both a Kirk BH-1 and BH-3 ballhead. I'm totally satisfied with my Kirk ballheads. While the RRS BH-55 is a newer design and has some improvements over the Kirk I believe its also more expensive. Two of the main improvements of the RRS are a lower profile and the flip lock quick release clamp lever which makes switching out a camera/len faster.

If your longest lens is the 70-200mm then you may want to consider either the Kirk BH-3 or the RRS BH-40 ballheads. Smaller, lighter weight, and cheaper than their respective big brothers. I've used my 80-200mm f2.8 lens with my BH-3 and had no problems getting it to lock down and not creep.

I use a BH-55 ballhead for my non-lightweight tripod and have absolutely no complaints. It's almost a work of art. It just feels good to use.
I chose it over the BH-1 for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost is the quick release clamp. Fast, smooth and ultra-secure.
Next, the BH-55 has two drop down notches instead of just one. Quite convenient for me.
The BH-55 also has a lower profile, has a much larger locking knob and weighs less.

Is all of that worth an extra $90? I thought it was.

As Morris noted, perhaps the BH-40 is more suited to your gear.

I am unable to do a comparison with other heads but I have used Kirks BH-1 and BH-3 for many years. I also have their King Cobra for wildlife shooting. I have been very happy with their products and have had no malfunctions or problems.

I am a CSNP'er lurking over here and thought I would also chime in. I use a Kirk BH-3 ballhead and have been using it with great results with a Canon 70-200 2.8L (non IS version). I find it very easy to use and very secure. I can't say how it compares to the RRS ballheads because I have never used them. However, I don't have any frustrations or complaints with the Kirk ballhead.

I've got a BH-3 and love it. Even though it's not rated for it, I have used it with a 400mm f/2.8, and it did fine. Otherwise, my biggest lens is a 300mm f/4, and it handles it with no problems. My pet peeve with heads is "creep" and there isn't one bit of it with this head. All in all, a good investment.

I've been using the BH-55 for the last 4 years. Takes a beating. Well sealed. It's been on a lot of river trips and never had a problem with sand.

I've mounted a 1DsMk2 + 5000mm f4. Solid support.

5000mm f/4 Bill? Pretty hefty ball head!

I use the BH-3 and have no complaints at all, but have never used the RRS heads so I can not compare. I have used my 100-400 L lens on the BH-3 with no problems. It's very light weight, durable, and very well built, I'm been very happy with mine.

I used the BH-3 for a number of years with no problems. Then passed it on to Doug, who's still using it. I "upgraded" to the RRS BH-40 for the lower profile and lever release and added the L bracket. I've been working with this setup for a couple years and have absolutely no complaints. Its a dream to use.

Yeah, the BH-1 seems like overkill. I still use the BH-3, which even served me well with LF and MF systems. It's soooo much lighter than the BH-1, but plenty sturdy for what you're using.

Thanks all for your replys and comments.
It seems to be a concenses that the smaller ball head would fit my needs best.
The Kirk seems to be what most are using but I could'nt go wrong with either one.
The lever release sounds intriguing to me.
But I may have to go for the B-55 for my 5000F/4.

Many Thanks
Joe

I've been using the RRS BH-40 for the last couple of years with their lever quick release clamp and l-brackets. It's served me very well for all of my digital gear including large lenses as well as my LF cameras. It is quite a bit smaller and more compact than the BH-55 but more than up to the task of holding my gear. I also like the BH-40 main tension knob design over that of the BH-55 - more leverage.
I'm sold on the RRS quality overall - worth the extra cost for me. I don't even think about my camera dropping off of my head into a river ( sorry Nat. )

I use the RRS BH45 I think, the middle one, and it works great up to 300mm lenses. For a bigger lens I'd get a bigger ballhead though.

Joe - sorry to hijack your thread and change subjects, but before you buy a Kirk or RRS I have to throw in my 2 cents - the Acratech ballheads are the best I've used.

The strength of their ball clamp mechanism is unbelievable; you can use long, heavy lenses without a problem and several of them serve as gimbal designs. They have a very effective tensioner knob that you can use to determine "how tight is tight enough".

Plus, the open design means no problems with dirt or grit getting in there and needing to take the thing apart to clean it... plus they are super-light. Really excellent engineering and machining.

I've owned a GV2 and now use a GP.

I'd recommend you take a serious look at them before making a decision.

http://www.acratech.net/