SeaBrat Loc: St Petersburg, FL

For my monopod I use the manfrotto 234 monopod tilt head and love it. I find it a great combination when traveling.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The only thing wrong with the Manfro 234 is that it makes it difficult to follow action SMOOTHLY IMO.

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CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

This looks pretty cool. Never seen one before.
...Cam

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

Yep, we sure do have our share of sour old grumps with no sense of humor.

Grace98 Loc: Waterlooville, Hampshire - United Kingdom

Hi Guys, thank you all so much for all your advise, opinions and comments - much appreciated. To tell you the truth, I'm now more confused than ever.
Perhaps I should have explained in my original posting as to why I was thinking about a ballhead. I'm still trying to get used to the weight of the D7500 (plus 18-300 lens) after upgrading from the D3300. Therefore I thought a monopod would be a good idea to rest the camera on. As my main interest is wildlife and BIF, I thought a ballhead might be the better option. I did watch Steve Perry's gimbal video and maybe this might be the best option for my type of photography (although I do landscapes as well). I know a few guys from my camera club who use gimbals so I will ask them - they might even let me borrow one to try it out. A good one would be expensive so don't want to rush and spend money until I'm sure what is suitable for me. I will go through all the links you've given me to see what's around. I do have a tripod which I use mainly for night-time photography. Thanks again Grace

East Banana

Amazon, has what appears to the the exact equivalent of the Promaster SystemPro Jr. Ball Head for $15.99 there... and this same company producing these in China is making the parts for all those "serious" ball heads costing $200 or more...the quick release camera plates are interchangeable with Manfrotto ball heads?


You can buy into all the sales pitches you desire and listen to the God of Photography himself for advice?

But for $15.99 having this Ball Head will make you a much more intelligent photographer ?




(walk into a thrift store and buy a great tripod, the one missing a quick release plate no one wants is the best! only $6 ?)

I figure the people paying way too much for stuff they will barely use, probably will scatter it around and lose things ...only to donate it later ....and are my best sources. I'd rather spend $5 at Goodwill and search Amazon for a Head or a new mount plate, complete with a quick release plate ...under $16? Do the math.... $20 total or $400 ?

Now you are armed with new information, that makes you more intelligent than someone who spent $400 instead of only $20 in my book ....and I rest my case, unless being fashionable trendy and adorning yourself with name brands is most appealing?

Billy Britt

A great ball-head for the price is the Pergear. I have used ball-heads costing as much as $200.00 and found this one near the quality of these more expensive ball-heads. You can find it at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MGJH5U6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

I have used a ball head for ages... VERY stable, instant target acquisition and NO fumbling with knobs... right hand stays on camera/controls while left hand controls camera movement. All combinations work but IMHO this is the bomb.

MauiMoto Loc: Hawaii

Now you are armed with new information, that makes you more intelligent than someone who spent $400 instead of only $20 in my book ....and I rest my case, unless being fashionable trendy and adorning yourself with name brands is most appealing?[/quote]

Sorry for this rant in advance but this is not new information and doesn't make you more intelligent, just the opposite in fact, unless one of your hobbies is online shopping, couponing, thrift stores, pawn shops or yard sales. Part of the pleasure in any hobby is buying, unwrapping and using the gear. It's called knockoffs for a reason and it only looks the same as the real thing till you start using it. Whether it be the coatings, plastics, adhesives or the metal itself, I have been disappointed every time. Maybe if you live in the desert, I don't know, but here in Hawaii nothing Chinese survives. Their stainless steel rust, their aluminum is soft and oxidize and pits really fast, I even had one of their 1/4 to 3/8 bushings crumble in use. Would you use a Chinese carabiner to climb? I've heard too many horror stories of supports failing and dumping gear in the ocean, on to lava rocks or even just cement.
So inexperienced, maybe cheap or you just enjoy pawn shops but don't try to convince anyone it's more intelligent. Why not go the next step and just search the land fills since that's where 99 percent of everything ever shipped to the US now sits.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I have also used the Manfro #222 grip action ball head on a monopod - it is OK - especially for smaller/lighter lenses like the one you show - but I would not recommend for heavier stuff !....

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CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Who are you ranting at? Use quote reply.

Sorry for this rant in advance but this is not new information and doesn't make you more intelligent, just the opposite in fact, unless one of your hobbies is online shopping, couponing, thrift stores, pawn shops or yard sales. Part of the pleasure in any hobby is buying, unwrapping and using the gear. It's called knockoffs for a reason and it only looks the same as the real thing till you start using it. Whether it be the coatings, plastics, adhesives or the metal itself, I have been disappointed every time. Maybe if you live in the desert, I don't know, but here in Hawaii nothing Chinese survives. Their stainless steel rust, their aluminum is soft and oxidize and pits really fast, I even had one of their 1/4 to 3/8 bushings crumble in use. Would you use a Chinese carabiner to climb? I've heard too many horror stories of supports failing and dumping gear in the ocean, on to lava rocks or even just cement.
So inexperienced, maybe cheap or you just enjoy pawn shops but don't try to convince anyone it's more intelligent. Why not go the next step and just search the land fills since that's where 99 percent of everything ever shipped to the US now sits.[/quote]

dickwilber Loc: Indiana (currently)

Having read through 5 pages of responses I'll prove my ignorance and join in now. I have a very solid Manfrotto monopod, which replaced another solid Manfrotto monopod destroyed by twenty-five years of heavy usage. It is great for supporting a heavy camera/lens combination for long periods, particularly when mobility is important as with the sports I photographed for so many years. (I found that I had a problem using the camera/long lens combo's without a ball or tilt head -- even the slightest vertical adjustment was unnatural and uncomfortable. I don't know how others do it. I was forever on my tippy toes or bended knee, and uncomfortable.) For nearly all my usage I had a small ball head between the lens foot and the monopod, and, yes, it is too floppy, but the way I held the assembly by the ball head, it worked for me. No question, a tilt head is the right answer!

I had intended to buy a Sirui tilt head but the price just went up 25% (to $103.95 at B&H) and I was already balking at the price. The Manfrotto tilt head should work (Manfrotto puts out a good product for the price) but their quick release is not compatible with the Arca QR system I use -- a deal breaker. The Newer system is priced right and looks OK but I suspect it would have the same QR compatibility problem, plus too much cheap plastic in its construction (but that is just a guess on my part). So, for the time being, I'll stumble along with my small Manfrotto (bought when it was still sold under the name Bogen) ball head, at least until I convince my self to pop for the Sirui or really put out for an RRS tilt head.

As for a gimbal head, I haven't used one but question its adaptability for a monopod. It'd take some getting used to and is pretty bulky and heavy if you are on the smaller size. Plus, even the Nest Gimbal Head, the least expensive (and lightest) anyone here would recommend, would cost many times what you paid for that monopod. I definitely recommend you borrow one and try it for a while before putting your money down. Sorry, but without considerable trial and error for yourself, my recommendation would be for you to spend on the order of twice, or more, what your tripod cost for a decent tilt head. Good luck.

MauiMoto Loc: Hawaii

I did use quote reply but I deleted most and must have deleted the first quote and only kept the part where he suggests securing a $2000 camera with a $6 ball head is more intelligent.

Grace98 Loc: Waterlooville, Hampshire - United Kingdom

Thank you Billy - this is probably what I need and it is available at Amazon UK...Grace

Grace98 Loc: Waterlooville, Hampshire - United Kingdom

Thank you. I think I will ask around at my local camera club to see what they use on their monopod. Grace