I was eyeing an Acratech GP but found this for less than a third of the price of the GP. I had the cash for this but would have had to save up for the GP. First decision made easy. It arrived on Wednesday and I took it on a 9.6 mile trek in the ADKs yesterday to check it out.
This is a medium sized ball suitable for most digital cameras. The Mfg rating is that it will hold up to 26#. I used it with a Canon XTi and either a 28-135mm or my 11-18mm zoom, no where near the rated weight limit. It has separate control knobs for base pan, friction drag and locking. The QR is ARCA Swiss compatible with a safety catch to prevent accidental release. The whole unit, including the QR plate, weighs 18 oz. on my kitchen scale. There are a variety of QR plates in different lengths available including an "L" plate which looks (based on the website photos) to be larger than I'd want. Several of the plates (including the one I got) have flip-up plastic flanges to prevent camera twist but I did not use them in my test run and found no problem. The cork strips were adequate to prevent twisting.
The ball movement is smooth with no skipping, catching. Drag can be set to allow camera positioning without any unwanted movement upon release. When it is locked down with the separate locking knob, it does not move. Releasing the separate pan lock allows quick swiveling of the head or you can partially release it for a bit of drag. There are degree markings that can be aligned with a mark in a notch on the base to make stitched pans.
Fit and finish is very nice and I am generally pleased with the purchase. My only nit-pick is that the QR plate release knob is so large that I can only mount the camera with the knob on the left. Since my Canon XTi has its lens & tripod screw offset to the left, if I try to mount it in the QR with the locking knob on the right, the knob hits the bottom of the camera. A minor annoyance.
Despite the Italian sounding name the Giottos is Chinese made. Their website http://www.giottos.com/MH-3.htm shows the range of ball heads and accessories. I paid $125 and change plus shipping for mine and consider it very good value.
Posted by Taylor Reed on March 8, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Sounds like they've improved their quality. I had a Giottos MH-1001 for a few years but it kept getting worse and worse until eventually I got "droop" with even a D90 and 12-24mm, I switched to a PhotoClam and it's fantastic.
Discussion
1 repliesThis is a medium sized ball suitable for most digital cameras. The Mfg rating is that it will hold up to 26#. I used it with a Canon XTi and either a 28-135mm or my 11-18mm zoom, no where near the rated weight limit. It has separate control knobs for base pan, friction drag and locking. The QR is ARCA Swiss compatible with a safety catch to prevent accidental release. The whole unit, including the QR plate, weighs 18 oz. on my kitchen scale. There are a variety of QR plates in different lengths available including an "L" plate which looks (based on the website photos) to be larger than I'd want. Several of the plates (including the one I got) have flip-up plastic flanges to prevent camera twist but I did not use them in my test run and found no problem. The cork strips were adequate to prevent twisting.
The ball movement is smooth with no skipping, catching. Drag can be set to allow camera positioning without any unwanted movement upon release. When it is locked down with the separate locking knob, it does not move. Releasing the separate pan lock allows quick swiveling of the head or you can partially release it for a bit of drag. There are degree markings that can be aligned with a mark in a notch on the base to make stitched pans.
Fit and finish is very nice and I am generally pleased with the purchase. My only nit-pick is that the QR plate release knob is so large that I can only mount the camera with the knob on the left. Since my Canon XTi has its lens & tripod screw offset to the left, if I try to mount it in the QR with the locking knob on the right, the knob hits the bottom of the camera. A minor annoyance.
Despite the Italian sounding name the Giottos is Chinese made. Their website http://www.giottos.com/MH-3.htm shows the range of ball heads and accessories. I paid $125 and change plus shipping for mine and consider it very good value.