MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

I already did it but did not find answer for my specific question.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Zone-System-Grandpa wrote, "Unfortunately, tripods do not have weight capacity ratings like, let's say, Otis elevators". I'm not sure I catch the meaning. Of course tripods don't have weight capacity ratings like Otis elevators, they're not elevators, they don't carry people, they don't support thousands of pounds. Over the years I've shopped for and purchased many tripods. Every one, even the Wal-Mart special unit we buy when we're on the road and need a tripod and there isn't a photography supply store within 50 miles, had a weight capacity rating or maximum weight rating. The OP'S tripod has a rating of 15 pounds. The capacity rating on a ball head isn't about how much it will hold before the possibility of breaking, it's about slipping, how much weight will it hold before it may slip. Put a 20 pound head on a 15 pound tripod and you still have a 15 pound tripod. The weight capacity on the tripod isn't the point at which the legs may break, it is similar to the capacity rating put on the heads, at what point may the sections of leg slip, resulting in collapse, combined with at what point may the whole assembly become unstable. If the manufacturer says their unit will support 15 pounds of gear then it probably will support 15 pounds of gear without a problem.

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

Good morning. Thanks for your advice.

Zone-System-Grandpa Loc: Springfield, Ohio

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Sometime in the past, MMC may have mentioned something about not having the best eyesight as he had before which I should think may be a good reason why he might not have chosen to go back and read upon the history of the subject.. MMC is a good guy !

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

I will try to clarify my question, I had tripod with load capacity 15 lb, if I change head with lower load capacity /for example/ 10 Lb i will have tripod load capacity /I think/ also 10 Lb. If I change ball head with higher load capacity like 20 Lb, will it increase load capacity of my tripod?

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

Thank you for your compliment /MMC is a good guy!/ I never mentioned my eyesight before, it is worse then it was before but it is better then it will be. I did not find answer for my question using search box.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

In total agreement with Doug, but would like to add a few thoughts.

The larger the ball, the smoother the operation and the less likely it is to slip. When it does slip, you want it to be intentional and gradual - which is what the micro adjustment is used for (that second tension knob). You get it so it moves when you need it to, but you can let it go and it won't move on it's own, and when you need to lock it down, you use the smaller knob.

Arca Swiss Z1 uses a huge elliptically shaped ball, so even if you set it as above for some movement, the elliptical shape will slow it down as it reaches the limit, minimizing shock and potential damage. I've had my current one 8 yrs, and B1 before it for maybe 6 yrs. Well-made and reasonable in price.

Among the popular, currently available and reasonably price ball heads you have a decent selection - Markins, Really Right Stuff, Arca Swiss, Kirk, and for a less expensive alternative, Feisol (CD50), and Sirui (K20X and higher). These are all arca-swiss plate compatible, and if you opt for a screw clamp as opposed to a lever clamp, you will have compatibility with all the major brands of camera/lens plates, L-brackets and other accessories.

Personally, I would not recommend Manfrotto heads - they all slip, and they all use a proprietary lens plate and clamp.

As far as your tripod, camera and lens, you are not asking much of a tripod to support a full frame camera and 200mm lens from a load capacity. However, stability, as you have noted is not there. I suggest you invest in a carbon fiber tripod from Sirui, Feisol, Benro or Induro, or a little more for a Three Legged Thing or a FotoPro, and look for a top tube diameter that is not less than 27-28mm. This will give you the stability you are looking for in the legs. I like and have just ordered the Feisol CT3442 ($310 without the anti-rotation leg locks) - here are a couple of reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/50765923
http://improvephotography.com/34507/feisol-tournament-ct-3442-review/

I have it's big brother, the CT-3472 - which I use routinely with the 600mm F4 and up to a 2x extender. No issues with stability.

I am getting the smaller lighter version because the extra 2 lbs makes a difference when I am hiking, and I don't always need the bigger legs, since I rarely carry more than a 300mm lens when in the woods. Most of the time I am using your lens and shorter.

If you are looking for 100% stability with your lens and up to 400mm, then a Markins Q10 at $380. If you don't see yourself using anything longer than a 200mm with a 1.4x TC, then you will be fine with a Sirui K40X for $165, or a Feisol CB50D for $160. I have used the CB50D with a 600mm F4 and a D800 and could live with it - stable for sure, but not as smooth in operation as the Arca Swiss or the Markins M20 which I have also used in the past.

For the record, large format (4x5) is less demanding on stability and more demanding on load capacity - a 300mm lens on a 4x5 camera has an equivalent field of view of a 90mm on a full frame DSLR. Any tripod that can handle 15-20 lbs won't have an issue with that.

MiroFoto

MMC I can not . I have looked at it in the store and for $250 I lost the interest ...for now . It was a manftotto

Miro

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

Today I called to Tiffen /they are affiliated with manufacturer of my tripod/ and asked them if changing head of my tripod with higher load capacity increases load capacity of my tripod and the said 'NO'.

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

Thank you very much for your reply and advice and your time spending to give such informative answer.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I could not find a Davis & Sanford Magnum "GR", but a Magnum "XG" is rated at 15 lbs. and costs $100 with a pan/tilt head. There also was a similarly rated Magnum "XG13 Grounder" with a "fluid head" that sells for $170. And, I found a discontinued D&S Magnum "Grounder" tripod, price unknown, that's rated for 12 lbs with a non-interchangeable pan/tilt head.

First, you need to check if it's even possible to change the head on the D&S tripod you've got. One of the above that I found indicated it wasn't... the other two didn't specify one way or another. Most tripods and heads use a 3/8-16 screw to faster the head to the tripod. I've seen some lightweight tripods that use 1/4-20 (bushings are available to convert to the larger size).

If the head on yours is interchangeable, most ballheads you might buy will exceed the tripods overall rating by a pretty large margin.

For example, if you can find one, a Smith Victor BH8 is probably overkill... a large, heavy duty ballhead that's rated for 40 lb. Costs $60.

There also is the medium size Smith Victor BH5, rated for 26 lb. and selling for under $70.

Right now, both those Smith Victor heads are hard to find separate from a tripod. They are showing "unavailable" at several of my usual sources.

But, if you can find them, both those S-V heads use standard Arca-Swiss quick release system (though they have a unique, but removable safety locking pin). They come with one universal mounting plate for camera or lens (Arca-Swiss plates are widely available from a number of manufacturers, both universal type and custom fit for most cameras and lenses with tripod rings.)

There really isn't all that much difference between a $60 BH8 I've got on one tripod and $385 Kirk BH-1 that I've got on another. The Kirk has nice, solid metal knurled knobs and better overall finish.... and has served well for 15 years, with no sign of every breaking... while the BH8 has rubber grips on the knobs that are likely to wear out eventually (and need to be replaced with something.... I've used "grip tape" and leatherette to replace similar on lenses and other things). And, when I first got it, BH8's panning movement was really stiff. Three screws in the bottom gave access to the bottom bearings (careful not to loose any of the smaller parts), which I found lubricated with a heavy grease. Over time and with use, it might have loosened up. But I removed the grease and re-lubricated with a very heavy oil (bicycle chain oil) and now the panning movement is very nice and smooth. All the other movements were fine. I don't have a BH5, so can't say if it has this same, minor issue. I've used the BH8 with up to 300/2.8 (5 or 6 lb) and 500/4 (7 or 8 lb.) lenses.... no problem.

There are various other, similarly inexpensive, probably Chinese-made ballheads. Feisol and Sirui were mentioned above and seem okay (I haven't used them, so can't say for sure).

I'd look for something with close to the same or slightly more weight rating that your tripod..... so that the head won't be a "weak link". For example, at B&H there are several Oben, Benro and Davis & Sanford ballheads with A-S compatible quick release, rated for 15 to 18 lb. and selling for around $75-$80.

For general purpose, you probably want a ballhead with separate panning axis. Some use a single control knob for everything, which is fast, but not ideal for certain uses.

The smaller, secondary "tensioning" knob on the ball can be useful at times, too... Both the S-V BH8 and Kirk BH-1 that I use have that feature.

In the past I steered people away from Manfrotto/Bogen heads, mostly for the same reason as a previous responder... Manfrotto has used a couple different proprietary quick release systems (so did Gitzo tripod heads). They worked, but were a little harder to find, not as universal nor as adjustable as Arca-Swiss. But, if not using a quick release, the Manfrotto heads are fine. And just recently Manfrotto has begun making one or more heads that are Arca-Swiss compatible (Gitzo has, too). I've got a small Manfrotto ballhead I use on a monopod (adapted for Arca-Swiss compatibility).... no problems with it slipping with up to 500/4 lens (about 10 lbs with camera). I've also been using a Bogen pan/tilt head for about 30 years, also adapted for Arca-Swiss now... I think it's a model #3047 or something like that. Never had any slipping with it, either... even with realtively heavy medium and large format film cameras.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Caution on a BH-8 - I have a friend that had one and had problems with the knobs, and I just found this thread:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1320266&page=2

And one poster wrote:

"The Smith-Victor (BH-5 and BH-8, above) is great until it breaks. I've had all four knobs on the BH-8 fail and later reattached them with JB Weld. One of the tension knobs unthreaded in the field and left the ballhead locked; this can happen with any of the knobs, including the clamp. The rubber grips on the knobs came loose and spin freely. The tension knobs have grown increasingly off-kilter, each sticking out about ten degrees off axis now. The panning base has quit completely, and the clamp seized at one point, necessitating, uh, percussive maintenance. It's the most battle scarred thing, I should really get a picture of it. I have an Arca BH1 now."

There is a reason they are so cheap. You will never get want you don't pay for (as opposed to you get what you pay for). I am not a fan of cheap. Cheap ALWAYS ends up costing more in the long run. All you need is a tripod or head failure when the camera and lens end up in pieces on the concrete, and you immediately realize why it would have been wiser to spend the extra few $$ to get some quality. That may be F.U.D. but it is based in reality.

MMC Loc: Brooklyn NY

Devis&Sanford tripod has load capacity 15 Lb and head can be and already was changed. Now it has Giotos MH-1000 head. I was thinking about buying better ball head but after receiving answer from manufacturer that I can not change tripod load capacity increasing only head capacity /changing it/ I do not have any question about changing my ball head.

Carl D Loc: Albemarle, NC.

Balancing the load on a tripod is more important than the load itself. One should use an extension plate on the ball head to facilitate the balancing of the camera and lens combination to near zero, meaning it's center point. This will take the stress off the ball and clamp mechanism whereby you can use far less tightening on the screw. It also make setting it in a position you want easier because you're not fighting the forward weight of your camera and lens combo.

Sinewsworn Loc: Port Orchard, WA

Thanx!