I'm looking at a new ballhead and carbon fiber tripod upgrade soon. I know there are a lot of choices. I have narrowed it down to three. The Acratech GP Ballhead, Photoclam, or RRS. I was pretty much settled on the Acratech. But I like the weight carrying capacity of the Photoclam, and the price. Also hard to argue with the reputation of the RRS products. As far as ripods go, I have looked at the carbon fiber version of my current tripod from Manfrotto. It seems to be pretty stiff, and I think it would work just fine. I have also considered a Feisol,and an Induro. Can't really consider the Gitzo and its heftier price tag. Any thoughts are appreciated.
I really love my RRS ball head. The quality is fantastic and their customer support is great, very knowledgable about their products.
Posted by John Mumaw on February 12, 2012 at 11:26 AM
I chose a Feisol CT-3442 and a PhotoClam ballhead for the lightest, relatively inexpensive, most compact yet solid tripod/ballhead available for hauling into the wilds of the Colorado Plateau.
After 2+ years, this combination has never let me down. The only issue I had was with the rubber tripod 'feet' falling off, but a bit of white glue solved that problem.
I bought the setup at Really Big Cameras where customer service and support are exemplary.
Posted by Jim Bullard on February 12, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Not an answer to your question, just an aside.
Have you ever noticed that ballhead maximum load ratings are substantially more than the load rating for leg sets? For example on the Really Big Cameras site that John liked to the maximum load for the smallest, lowest rated ballhead is 66# but the load rating of the heaviest duty legs is only 26.5#.
Posted by Wayne Jones on February 12, 2012 at 1:06 PM
Chris, I'm wathcing this because I am kind of interested in a lighter ball head, too.
QUESTION FOR JOHN: Which of the Photoclams did you get? The weight capacity of the small ones (PC-33 and pc-36) seem very high for such a small ball diameter (33 and 36mm). The bigger ones have more "normal-size" balls, but of course the weight of those units is over a pound, which is close to what many other heads weigh. So I am wondering if anyone has experience with the smaller Photoclams holding up something the size of your 5DII, especially with the ball tilted 90 degrees for vertical shots.
Posted by John Mumaw on February 12, 2012 at 4:10 PM
Wayne,
I bought the PC-36N. The PhotoClam ballhead is a 'knock-off' of the highly touted Markins line of ballheads. The Markins heads have the same high weight capacity ratings, which I suspect means the amount of weight on the ball itself before it flops. I've never tilted the head 90° because I use an 'L' plate or bracket , allowing me to mount the camera above the head in the vertical position. That plate has proven to be one of my best camera investment.
I have taken notice to that actually. Not sure why a 4-5 hundred dollar or more carbon fiber tripod isn't built to carry the heavier loads of the higher end ballheads. But the higher load carrying ballheads will probably be a lot stiffer and sure footed once locked down. My manfrotto sags under the weight of the camera once I let go of it. So I have to adjust up my compositions so they are what I want after the sag. I'm trying to avoid that with whatever I get . Also the aluminum tripod legs I have now seem to flex quite a bit. The carbon fiber models I have been able to look at are much stiffer in that regard. I have seen the Acratech videos and it actually hold 25 pounds of dumbell hanging on it at a 90 degree tilt.
I never really understood the reasoning for a ballhead that can supposedly hold 150 pounds or more and then charge 1,000.00 bucks for it. Seems like overkill to me.
I'm really leaning toward the Acratech, but looked at the Photoclams again this morning. The new Pro Gold series looks very nice. They have a model that comes with an upper leveling base and quik release lever for just over 400.00. That's right at the price of the Acratech GP ballhead.
Just read John's comment about the L Bracket. Something I've thought about getting as well. Just seems like a lot more efficient approach. I just never really wanted to tie up a grand or more into the tripod/ballhead/whatever other stuff package. Seems kind of inevitable though.
Posted by Bill Chambers on February 12, 2012 at 8:38 PM
I use the RRS BH-55 and absolutely love it. I also have the RRS BH-40 on a lighter tripod but I can notice a big difference between the two heads, with the BH-55 being far superior. It is reasonably weighted, absolutely rock solid, and stable. I think you would love it. Also have heard good things about Acratech but have never used them.
Posted by Phil Pogledich on February 13, 2012 at 3:56 PM
I bought the RRS BH-40 and an RRS L-Plate about 8 months ago and have been relatively happy. The L-Plate is phenomenal...it makes switching from horizontal-vertical and vice versa so much easier. The BH-40 is also nice enough that I don't have too many second thoughts. My main issue with it is that unless you lock down the pano knob that allows the head to swivel from side to side, there's a bit of wobble in the ballhead that I find annoying. I originally thought this was a problem with the head but RRS assured me it was normal. The BH-40 does seem impervious to just about anything I've thrown at it as far as natural conditions (sand, dust, water, etc.).
Posted by Roger Rouch on February 14, 2012 at 11:22 AM
I have been using a Manfrotto CF tripod and the Acratcech Ultimate bullhead for 5+ years. and all told, have been very happy. They both have held up to a lot of use and abuse. I especially like the flip levers on the Manfrotto tripods. The ballhead has handled sand, dirt and moisture very well. It does have a little bit of creep with my 70-200 f4 unless I take a slight extra effort to tighten it down, but no big deal. If I were starting over with today's offerings, I'd probably be looking for a setup that might save me some weight, if it's out there, but the Manfrotto/Acratech is a very durable set up.
Posted by David Bostedo on February 14, 2012 at 12:42 PM
I especially like the flip levers on the Manfrotto tripods.
Although very much a personal preference, I totally agree with this. I have a large Manfrotto with the flip locks, and a smaller travel tripod with the twist locks. I MUCH prefer the flip locks.
Posted by Mark Seaver on February 14, 2012 at 1:26 PM
Interesting! I used Manfrotto AL tripods for 15 years and grew to hate the lever locks because the nuts holding them in place kept working loose and I didn't want to carry a socket wrench with me all the time. I love the twist locks.
Posted by Michael Elenko on February 17, 2012 at 1:01 AM
I have a very similar setup to Roger Rouch. The Acratech is amazing, lightweight, and accurate. Super easy to clean in the field. And well built. I burned out on knock-off ballheads and tripods years ago. The reason I like the flip-lock levers on the Manfrotto is that they provide visual confirmation that the leg is locked. I had a very close call with a Gitzo that was not locked and the experience converted me rather quickly.True, the nuts can get loose now and then, but that's one of my checklist items every couple of weeks or so.
Just a thought regarding the max load capacities of ball heads (or any head, for that matter). When the camera+lens is tilted off the vertical, the torque on the neck of the ball and the ball itself increases as the angle of tilt increases, reaching a maximum when the neck of the ball is perpindicular to the vertical. If you have a beefy camera+lens, this torque could be quite large.
So, if you have, or plan to have, large loads on the head, one with a higher capacity may be needed.
I also prefer the lever locks. I find they are easier on my hands and wrists.
--P
Posted by Bill Bean on February 17, 2012 at 8:21 PM
Just my 2 cents worth. I have a Markins Q3 which is the smallish version mounted on an Induro C014 for my travel/backpack tripod and I really like them both. This rig handles my 70-200 f4 with no issues and does a passable job with the heavier 100-400. For bigger heavier lenses I have an Induro BHD2 head on top of a Vanguard 283 CT and like them both really well.
I will say that the Markins is the smoothest and easiest to adjust ballhead I've ever used. As John Mumaw mentioned, PhotoClam is a knock off of the Markins at a much lower price than Markins. Difficult to poke holes in any of the 3 ballheads you're looking at but I'd vote for Photoclam.
Regarding lever locks vs twist locks, I used Manfrotto tripods for nearly 30 years with lever locks. I initially got the Induro C014 because of it's small size and weight to size ratio. I was a bit skeptical of the twist locks but liked them so much that when I got fed up with screwing my Manfrotto Carbon One back together in the field every other trip I bought the Vanguard with twist locks and much prefer them to lever locks.
Thanks everybody!
I figure it would be hard to go wrong with any of these three ballhead manufacturers. I will surely choose between them and most likely the PhotoClam/Fiesol combo. I really do like the leveling base and panning function of the Acratech though. It seems the Pro Gold series of PhotoClams has a top panning base option as well, so....
Chris, I had looked for a long time when I was going to buy my tripod + Ballhead sets. I had looked at all three options you are looking at plus Gitzo and Arca Swiss. Finally, ended up with GT1541 with Mrkins Q3T for my light traveling and GT3541LS with Arca Swiss Z1 for my sturdy shots. My biggest lens is canon 70-200mm f/2.8LS II. I really love the combinations I have for my photography. But, I just couldn't decide for a long time between PhotoClam and RRS. PhotoClam is fairly new but it has been very good so far and RRS is the King but it is heavy as well. I think PhotoClam Gold sounded the one for me as well but I went for Z1 just for the long history of the name. I am sure they are all very good. They just make our decision making difficult. You wouldn't go wrong with any of them.
Discussion
16 repliesI'm looking at a new ballhead and carbon fiber tripod upgrade soon. I know there are a lot of choices. I have narrowed it down to three. The Acratech GP Ballhead, Photoclam, or RRS. I was pretty much settled on the Acratech. But I like the weight carrying capacity of the Photoclam, and the price. Also hard to argue with the reputation of the RRS products. As far as ripods go, I have looked at the carbon fiber version of my current tripod from Manfrotto. It seems to be pretty stiff, and I think it would work just fine. I have also considered a Feisol,and an Induro. Can't really consider the Gitzo and its heftier price tag. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Chris
After 2+ years, this combination has never let me down. The only issue I had was with the rubber tripod 'feet' falling off, but a bit of white glue solved that problem.
I bought the setup at Really Big Cameras where customer service and support are exemplary.
Have you ever noticed that ballhead maximum load ratings are substantially more than the load rating for leg sets? For example on the Really Big Cameras site that John liked to the maximum load for the smallest, lowest rated ballhead is 66# but the load rating of the heaviest duty legs is only 26.5#.
QUESTION FOR JOHN: Which of the Photoclams did you get? The weight capacity of the small ones (PC-33 and pc-36) seem very high for such a small ball diameter (33 and 36mm). The bigger ones have more "normal-size" balls, but of course the weight of those units is over a pound, which is close to what many other heads weigh. So I am wondering if anyone has experience with the smaller Photoclams holding up something the size of your 5DII, especially with the ball tilted 90 degrees for vertical shots.
I bought the PC-36N. The PhotoClam ballhead is a 'knock-off' of the highly touted Markins line of ballheads. The Markins heads have the same high weight capacity ratings, which I suspect means the amount of weight on the ball itself before it flops. I've never tilted the head 90° because I use an 'L' plate or bracket , allowing me to mount the camera above the head in the vertical position. That plate has proven to be one of my best camera investment.
I have taken notice to that actually. Not sure why a 4-5 hundred dollar or more carbon fiber tripod isn't built to carry the heavier loads of the higher end ballheads. But the higher load carrying ballheads will probably be a lot stiffer and sure footed once locked down. My manfrotto sags under the weight of the camera once I let go of it. So I have to adjust up my compositions so they are what I want after the sag. I'm trying to avoid that with whatever I get . Also the aluminum tripod legs I have now seem to flex quite a bit. The carbon fiber models I have been able to look at are much stiffer in that regard. I have seen the Acratech videos and it actually hold 25 pounds of dumbell hanging on it at a 90 degree tilt.
I never really understood the reasoning for a ballhead that can supposedly hold 150 pounds or more and then charge 1,000.00 bucks for it. Seems like overkill to me.
I'm really leaning toward the Acratech, but looked at the Photoclams again this morning. The new Pro Gold series looks very nice. They have a model that comes with an upper leveling base and quik release lever for just over 400.00. That's right at the price of the Acratech GP ballhead.
Just read John's comment about the L Bracket. Something I've thought about getting as well. Just seems like a lot more efficient approach. I just never really wanted to tie up a grand or more into the tripod/ballhead/whatever other stuff package. Seems kind of inevitable though.
Although very much a personal preference, I totally agree with this. I have a large Manfrotto with the flip locks, and a smaller travel tripod with the twist locks. I MUCH prefer the flip locks.
ME
So, if you have, or plan to have, large loads on the head, one with a higher capacity may be needed.
I also prefer the lever locks. I find they are easier on my hands and wrists.
--P
I will say that the Markins is the smoothest and easiest to adjust ballhead I've ever used. As John Mumaw mentioned, PhotoClam is a knock off of the Markins at a much lower price than Markins. Difficult to poke holes in any of the 3 ballheads you're looking at but I'd vote for Photoclam.
Regarding lever locks vs twist locks, I used Manfrotto tripods for nearly 30 years with lever locks. I initially got the Induro C014 because of it's small size and weight to size ratio. I was a bit skeptical of the twist locks but liked them so much that when I got fed up with screwing my Manfrotto Carbon One back together in the field every other trip I bought the Vanguard with twist locks and much prefer them to lever locks.
I figure it would be hard to go wrong with any of these three ballhead manufacturers. I will surely choose between them and most likely the PhotoClam/Fiesol combo. I really do like the leveling base and panning function of the Acratech though. It seems the Pro Gold series of PhotoClams has a top panning base option as well, so....
Chris