Tripods. ballhead? I'm looking for a tripod with a smooth feel to it. Are the ballhead the best choice for the money or fluid head. I do a lot of long zoom pictures. Any thoughts ?

joelrh

I'm looking for a tripod with a smooth feel to it. Are the ballhead the best choice for the money or fluid head. I do a lot of long zoom pictures. Any thoughts ?
Thanks

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Look at Manfrotto tripods. As for the head, on my tripods I use panheads from Manfrotto and on my monopds I use ball heads. When it comes to heads it is what you like best for the shots you plan to take, in general both panheads and ballheads have pros and cons for each person.
Another consideration is how much weight the tripod will hold and how much weight the head will hold. Look to get about twice the weight holding capability of tripod and head of your camera/lens combined.

gmolony Loc: Louisiana

I use "Reallyl Right Stuff" Ball head BH-55 excellent movement but very expensive.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/Items.aspx?code=BALLHEADS&key=cat

Edmund Dworakowski

I am very happy with my Giottos carbon Fiber legs and my Markim Emil ballhead. Both are superior quality and the and were a perfect mid price choice for my HDR experiments. Cost was < $700.

monzi Loc: Mesa, Arizona

Hey Joelrh, Really depends on what your shooting. If you are hiking with your gear for wildlife shots or just shooting in the back yard.

If it's travel then carbon fiber will be the way to go and there are several brands out there to choose from, Gitzo and Manfrotto are really popular but they can be expensive.

Also keep in mind that aluminum tends to transmit vibrations easily and can get very cold in cold temps.

I photograph birds and wildlife and I can't say enough about a wimberley head (or one like it). Really Right Stuff is really good but very expensive.

Good rule of thumb, you get what you pay for and if you plan to do this for a long time then buy the good stuff up front, it will pay off in the long run and will last for years. Make sure you check Craig's List. You would be surprised at the quality gear you can get from others. Just know what your buying and what the retails costs are before you buy from a privet seller.

llindstrand Loc: Seattle Metro

I use a Manfrotto tripod for its stability and the ability to adjust to higher heights. Many of the tripods would not adjust to a point where I could comfortably look through the viewfinder with out bending over. I use a Manfrotto 804RC2 head for its ability to adjust in two horizontal plains and also hold the heavier weights for telephoto lenses. I do a lot of panoramas so last year I added a 300N indexing head to evenly space the overlap of images.

I do have a ballhead on a monopod and it works for that, but I know I wouldn't be happy with it on the tripod for the type images that I take.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I do wildlife and nature - mostly birds - I use the Manfrotto joystick #222 on my monopod and one also on tripod. About $100 anywhere. Good for 300 F4 and 400 5.6 type lenses - not 2.8's.

pigpen

I have a manfrotto pistol grip ballhead. It allows me to adjust the camera, and then get stable again, very quickly. Not good for everything, gets in the way of my 400mm lens.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

Take a look at http://acratech.net/
Exceptional quality and priced above Manfrotto but a little better than Really Right Stuff which is also great. This is an investment and a good head will last a long, long time. I have their Ultimate Ball head and it is light, sturdy and extremely good a close tolerances. A fine piece of precision gear. I use it on several tripods but for Travel-macro-portraits and HDR I use it on a Feisol carbon tripod ( http://www.feisol.net/rapid-tripods-c-1.html ) with no center post so it gets very low for macro.

If you call arcatech the usually have discounts on new "scratch and Dent" items. Everything I have bought from them, heads, lens plates, quick release plates, etc I have requested these blemish products. Saved some money and I have yet to be able to tell anything that I have received from new.

sbesaw Loc: Boston

Take a look at http://acratech.net/
Exceptional quality and priced above Manfrotto but a little better than Really Right Stuff which is also great. This is an investment and a good head will last a long, long time. I have their Ultimate Ball head and it is light, sturdy and extremely good a close tolerances. A fine piece of precision gear. I use it on several tripods but for Travel-macro-portraits and HDR I use it on a Feisol carbon tripod ( http://www.feisol.net/rapid-tripods-c-1.html ) with no center post so it gets very low for macro.

If you call arcatech the usually have discounts on new "scratch and Dent" items. Everything I have bought from them, heads, lens plates, quick release plates, etc I have requested these blemish products. Saved some money and I have yet to be able to tell anything that I have received from new.

JerrysPhotos Loc: Arkansas

I have 2 Manfrotto tripods that I use, one is very heavy duty that I use when using my 500mm lens. I have a Manfrotto pan head on it becuase I feel like it gives me better control and is more solid platform. The other tripod is lighter and I use it with my 55-300mm and 18-55mm lens. I have a Manfrotto super ball head on it.

Camerahand Loc: Huntsville, Tennessee

joelrh wrote:

I'm looking for a tripod with a smooth feel to it. Are the ballhead the best choice for the money or fluid head. I do a lot of long zoom pictures. Any thoughts ?
Thanks

Before buying, you should look at Bogen tripods. I am NOT a pro and I don't shoot that often anymore, but mine had lasted over 20 years and is as good as new.
------- Burton --------

JerrysPhotos Loc: Arkansas

Manfrotto and Bogen are the same.