Macro ball head for precise alignment?

[Ellis Vener]

However that may be, I am still a bit curious whether there is another ball head that is good to control (precision-wise) and doesn't suffer from post-lock shifting too much...

In terms of minimum to no shift in camera position ball heads I have used are the Arca-Swiss B2 Monoball (which is reall y a double tilt design with the lateral (roll) tilt movement nested inside and controlled separately from the fore/aft (pitch) tilt movement), the Arca-Swiss B1/Z1 Monoball, and the Really Right Stuff BH-55. Beyond those two brands I have used or tried the top of the line ball heads from Benro/Induro, FTM, Foba, and Graf. for very precise work it helps to separate the pitch and roll movements. You might find the big FTM to your liking but I tried it and was not as happy with its precision with off center loads (panorama and macro work).

For my macro work over the past few years I use the camera and lens mounted in a two way clamp in a Really Right Stuff Camera Bar so the camera and lens can move towards towards or away from the subject without having to move the tripod. The camera bar mounts to the tripod head.

 

[Tsubo]

Tbh, I'm ineed quite a bit biased towards Benro

Possibly due to my bad experiences with the old KB ball head series. Not neccessarily a wide-ranging experience, but not a really positive one either.

I may give the GD3W a try... or go for the larger Manfrotto 405 straightaway. I'll think over it after I have seen the Berlebach.

As for the ball heads I already thought about a larger FLM which are also available with the 2-way-lock (FT).

May I ask which one(s) of the Fobas you have tried?

 

[Ellis Vener]

May I ask which one(s) of the Fobas you have tried?

The largest one, I think it's called the Superball?

The advantage of the Arca-Swiss Monoballs - the B1/Z1 and B2/Z2 is the aspheric shape of the ball. This design increases the amount of amount of tension the further you move away from the stem being in its "zero" (my term) position where the stem is perpendicular to the head's base. This helps with making small pitch, roll, or combined pitchand roll tilt angle adjustments.

And of course It helps to have a panning clamp on top of the head. below is my favorite tripod head setup mounted o na Platypod Pro Max base.

MY favorite tripod head set up of the past several years: An Arca-Swiss B1 Monoball with RRS PC-LR clamp, here mounted on a Platypod Max plate.

--
Ellis Vener
To see my work please visit http://www.ellisvener.com
And follow me on instagram @therealellisv

 

[Tsubo]

Indeed, that's a clever design! Sunwayfoto uses (you might say "copied") the aspheric shape, as well.

By the way, I have found some test values in a local magazine ("ColorFoto"):

Arca Swiss Monoball Z1:

Fine adjustment = 8/10

post-lock shift = 6/10

shock resistance = 16/23

Arca Swiss Monopall P0:

Fine adjustment = 7/10

post-lock shift = 10/10

shock resistance = 14/23

Cullmann Magnesit MB 8.5:

Fine adjustment = 9/10

post-lock shift = 10/10

shock resistance = 20/23

Novoflex Classic Ball 3 II (printed test):

Fine adjustment = ++

post-lock shift = ++

shock resistance = ++

The Arca heads are ranked somewhere in the mid field whilst the top is apprently held by the Cullmann and Novoflex. These results make me wonder whether Arca is still the right choice here. There are also a lot of guys in the local communitites who mostly agree that the CB 3/5 is the better head overall... :-|

 

[Ellis Vener]

Indeed, that's a clever design! Sunwayfoto uses (you might say "copied") the aspheric shape, as well.

By the way, I have found some test values in a local magazine ("ColorFoto"):

Arca Swiss Monoball Z1:

Fine adjustment = 8/10

post-lock shift = 6/10

shock resistance = 16/23

Arca Swiss Monopall P0:

Fine adjustment = 7/10

post-lock shift = 10/10

shock resistance = 14/23

Cullmann Magnesit MB 8.5:

Fine adjustment = 9/10

post-lock shift = 10/10

shock resistance = 20/23

Novoflex Classic Ball 3 II (printed test):

Fine adjustment = ++

post-lock shift = ++

shock resistance = ++

The Arca heads are ranked somewhere in the mid field whilst the top is apprently held by the Cullmann and Novoflex. These results make me wonder whether Arca is still the right choice here. There are also a lot of guys in the local communitites who mostly agree that the CB 3/5 is the better head overall... :-|

Arca-Swiss protects that aspheric shape patent pretty zealously,

not knowing the test protocols and methodology used for those ratings allI can do is write from my real world experience. My B1 is at least 14 years old

--
Ellis Vener
To see my work please visit http://www.ellisvener.com
And follow me on instagram @therealellisv

 

[Ellis Vener]

my earlier comments about these heads were based on my experience with the 410 back in the 1990s. I just looked at, set up and worked with both the new 410 and 405 and both are much improved over what they used to be.

The one caveat I have about them is that you’ll need an adapter to replace the standard plate with an Arca-Swiss clamp.

 

[Tsubo]

Hey,

thanks for your reply!

As far as I know Color Foto raises their values pretty scientifically - for what a magazin can do. However, there are of course arguments on both sides, theory and practice.

In the meantime I had the chance to test the Berlebach 553 2-way-head by the way. Its precision on the pan axis is pretty nice. Even with the 5x focus magnification on my A7R II with the 90mm f2.8 macro the motion is still pretty smooth. Nice to control with both the friction and the locking knob. However, the panorama function is a bit harder to control because of its higher breakaway torque. Even with fully loosened friction knob it is still a bit tricky to control with macro lenses.

I'll have the chance to test some other ball and pan heads at a local photo shop next week. Thereafter I will hopefully be able to finally decide

And of course, I will also keep en eye out for Benro and Manfrotto.

 

[Tsubo]

Hey there,

had the chance to test a few heads at a local store in the meantime.

The Benro GD3WH looks pretty decent for the price. Its axes align smoothly, without any noticeable hang-ups or jumps between the gears. In comparison the 410 junior (at least the local sample) behaves quite unreliable, especially when changing direction. The 405 pro digital is the most precise (geared) head I tried. However, also the most heavy and sluggish.

Unfortunately the gears of the Benro don't appear to be sealed exceedingly well. There are some greater gaps at the knobs which could easily catch dust or other particles and harm the mechanism on the long term. There are also some issues with the arca swiss mount which won't accept my Sunwayfoto slide. The socket simply isn't wide enough to allow the rail to drop or slide in. So much for Arca Swiss as an industry standard

As for the ball heads, I tried a variety of brands (Manfrotto, Gitzo, Benro, RRS) but only one could stand out in terms of smoothness and precision: Novoflex :-O

The Classic Ball and Magic Ball are really nice to align. Especially the Magic Ball, which offers a great freedom of action and a sensitive control via the attached (and extendable) grip. The Classic Ball 3 and 5 are nice heads, as well. However, I dislike their small locking levers and the ring for the five predifined friction levels.

So far, the Magic Ball is my first choice. I'm not entirely sure about the design of the Benro GD3WH. But I will give it another chance and try it at home for a few days, as well as the Novoflex.

To be continued

 

[Ellis Vener]

Just be aware that Novoflex’s double dove tail quick release clamps, plates and bars are, the last time I checked, narrower than the Arca-Swiss, Benro/Induro, RRS, et.al standards.