Tripod Head Question - DPChallenge Forums

Samsung Galaxy S24, S24+, S24 Ultra

02/03/2007 03:17:57 PM · #1

Hey.

Getting a bit frustrated here in buying a new tripod for myself. I have decided on the legs - Bogen/Manfrotto 3001BPRO Legs - which I have decided are very suitable for my purposes. Then... came the question of heads...

I understand the pros and cons of ballheads versus pan/tilt, but I still don't know what avenue I should take. I have never personally used a ballhead and although this may sounds stupid -- is it possible to go into portrait orientation with a ballhead. Also, I'm thinking that for landscapes, ballheads are not the best choice. I generally do all different types of shooting ranging from macro work to portraits, landscapes, street shooting, etc. and I need a head that will allow me a broad range of options (including Panoramas which kills the grip-action idea). I also use a 300D with a grip and usually the Tokina 12-24 f/4 or the Canon 200 f/2.8, so those are my weight restrictions.

Any help here would be greatly, greatly appreciated. My price range is basically any head less than the price of my tripod so about <$120 USD.

Thanks so much,
Lee

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm f/4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

02/03/2007 03:22:09 PM · #2

Most ballheads will do portrait orientation, yes, although only strong/heavy ones are really good at holding orientation if you mount Big Glass.

I hate ballheads for landscape work, they are a pain in the keister. I stick with a good, basic 3-way head. I cannot stand how i lose my horizon-leveling every time I try to tilt up or down more, if I use a ballhead. Ballheads are MUCH better if you want to shoot action from a tripod (you can just release it and swivel at will) but how often does anyone do that?

R.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

02/03/2007 03:26:37 PM · #3

Any good ball head will be able to go to portrait orientation, but typically only in one or two directions. There will be a slot for the "stalk" to slide into to let it get to 90Â°. Make sense?
In this shot of a Bogen 488RC4 you can see the slot:

This particular head has two slots, 180Â° apart, so the camera can be flopped over either direction. It also has both horizontal- and vertical-orientation bubble levels on the plate, and a separate panning axis, locked with a separate lever. The panning axis has a base marked in degrees, so you can rotate by the same amount every time.
I've used this head for panos, and it works well, but of course it does not necessarily put the camera in the correct position to rotate around the entrance pupil, and so very near objects show parallax error. In panos where I have close objects, I sometimes shoot handheld with the lens resting on a support approx. at the entrance pupil point.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

02/03/2007 03:27:50 PM · #4

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Yeah -- what I figured.

Any suggestions on 3-ways?

I have looked at a couple including This which price is good -- but it may not be sturdy enough? and This but that might be overkill, and its maxing out in the price range. any suggestions for my set-up?

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

02/03/2007 03:37:57 PM · #5

FWIW, I've used both the RC-2 and RC-4 plates, and the RC-4 is *much* nicer. It's more secure, doesn't loosen and need adjustment, and it's just plain easier to use. The only downside is that the camera plate is larger, which actually makes nearly no difference to me.
The 808 seems to have the same weight rating as my 488 ballhead, while the 804 is rated at half that. I'm not sure I'd go that wimpy.

02/03/2007 03:52:04 PM · #6

My only concern is that the 808 weights an 3.2 lbs which is twice as much as most heads.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

02/03/2007 04:02:40 PM · #7

Also, if anyone has any completely different suggestions feel free!

I Enjoy Ham

Canon EOS-30D

02/03/2007 04:15:09 PM · #8

i have those legs and ive gotta say that they are awesome! being able to switch between horizontal and vertical and go so low for macro stuff is whats amkes them so good.

-Dan

Rob O

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

02/03/2007 09:06:59 PM · #9

My travel/mobile setup is the B/M 190MF3 (magfiber version of the 3001BPRO) with Really Right Stuff BH40 head ... it's a nice, lightweight combo.

That said, the 3001BPRO with B/M 488RC2/4 is hard to beat from a value perspective. My buddy has the 3021BPRO (slightly larger than 3001) with the 488 head (RC2 version) and it's quite nice for the money.

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

02/03/2007 09:39:07 PM · #10

A far, far superior way to mount a camera in portrait orientation on a tripod is to use an L-bracket.

Though they aren't cheap unfortunately, it is a huge improvement in stability and general flexibility to be able to mount the camera directly over the tripod, but in either landscape or portrait orientation.

The L-plate advantage

Kirk also make L-plates I think.

Personally I can't stand the 3-way pan/tilt heads. A good ball head is fantastic, along with perhaps a rail for macro work.

Message edited by author 2007-02-03 21:41:04.