Ball Head Plain Head? Whats the big deal?

[Izzy]

I have never worked with a ball head tripod so I have to ask what is the big deal. The tripod I have now moves on 2 axis points plus the port flip. I like having those axis to line up my stuff. BUT I find that I am sometimes shortening the pod legs to get back to level.

So what is it?

Am I missing something obvious?

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by Izzy

BUT I find that I am sometimes shortening the pod legs to get back to level.

Hate to say it Izzy, that usually means you got a crappy tripod. You should be able to get the head aligned perfectly flat either horizontally or vertically without adjusting the legs.

I use a 3-way head, as its very useful for panoramas. A ball head is virtually useless for those. But a ball-head may be beneficial for certain things, I prefer a 3-way.

[DanielLane]

I love the ball head. The ability to move the camera into the exact position I want off of the extension arm of my Manfroto tripod is perfect. It's amazingly convenient and useful when I am doing food or product shots as well as macro stuff outdoors.

And a ball head is awesome for panoramas actually. I do most of them with the Nodal Ninja, but on occasion I will do a quick one with the ball head. I just up the friction knob to hold the ball in place, then rotate the base of the head (thus the camera and all), and bam! Panorama!

[Izzy]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Hate to say it Izzy, that usually means you got a crappy tripod. You should be able to get the head aligned perfectly flat either horizontally or vertically without adjusting the legs.

You are probably right. When on uneven ground I find myself shortening legs to get back to level. While it is a big hvy duty thing I did pay $20 for it used. So you get what you paid for.


I think a ball head would put a stop to this altogether.

[Biomech]

The ball heads are faster, because you only have to tweak one arm, if you get one with a bubble level or get a level to stick on the camera, you should be able to level your shots without having to mess with the legs.

Manfrotto 337 Hotshoe Two Axis Bubble Level (MN337) - Warehouse Express

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

I use a 3-way head, as its very useful for panoramas. A ball head is virtually useless for those. But a ball-head may be beneficial for certain things, I prefer a 3-way.

Not that I take many pano's, but I've got a Manfrotto 492RC2 which does them very well.

It's got a ballhead top, which I really like because it's speedy to set up.. There's a "friction" wheel that will allow me to tighten it up if I'm just looking for a little steadyness, a lock wheel that allows me to quickly lock the head in place wile looking through the viewfinder, and a pano dial at the bottom, whhich allows me to turn the camera horizonally without making any adjustments to the other settings.

The reason I like having a ball head is that it's pretty much like having the camera free of the tripod until I lock it in place. It's a lot quicker to set up and easier to use.. And smaller too, although there have been times when I wished I had an ordinary 3 way head, when I just want to make a small adjustment to one of the settings, perhaps it's not quite horizontal, I loosen off the lock and the lens falls forward, in general I prefer the ball head.

http://www.manfrotto.com/product/726..._Head_with_RC2