RGG

I have the original Arca-Swiss ball head on carbon fiber Manfrotto legs. I perch an a6300, D700, and Z7 on it with F-mount 70-200 and 80-400 zooms. There is absolutely no problem being steady and the A-S head handles the combinations like a dream.

If you don't need the rotating pan clamp over the top of the ball, then an Arca-Swiss can be had for under 300. A Really Right Stuff ball head also handles a big DSLR with long lens attached.

teammt

The flop happened to me. Lens and camera had to be sent to Canon Professional Services for repair. I prefer the Gimbal Head.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

You don't need to choose. You can do both.

I use a Kirk BH-1 ballhead in combination with a Wimberley Sidekick gimbal adapter when I'm shooting with my "artillery". When they're combined, the ballhead provides the panning movement and the gimbal provides the tilt. Works just like a "full size" gimbal that would replace the ballhead.

And when I don't need the gimbal (with shorter lenses), I simply remove the adapter and use the ballhead alone.

There are a lot of "full size" gimbals at a wide range of prices and qualities.

If you already have a medium to heavy duty ballhead on your tripod... a ballhead that has an Arca-Swiss compatible quick release platform... all you need is the adapter. I'm aware of three different ones commonly available:

- Wimberley Sidekick, $250... rated for up to 8 lb. lenses such as a typical 500mm f/4, although I've seen them used without any problem with larger 400mm f/2.8 and 600mm f/4s. Wimberley also makes full size gimbals. In fact theirs was the original on the market many years ago, in 1991, that everyone else has since copied. www.tripodhead.com https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=wimberley%20sidekick&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

- Induro GHBA, $200... very similar to the Sidekick. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/655338-REG/Induro_485_000_GHBA_Gimbal_Head.html

- Jobu BWG Micro, $109... a more compact, lighter weight gimbal adapter designed for lenses up to approx. 4 or 4.5 lb. This would work fine with most 100-400mm lenses, but due to it's straight (not off-set) design you may want to replace the tripod mounting foot of the lens with one that's lower profile, to position the lens more directly above the panning axis. Jobu BWG Micro Adapter: https://www.jobu-design.com/Jobu-Micro-GimbalBallhead-Adapter-_p_15.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/754602-REG/Jobu_Design_BWG_M1_BWG_Micro_Gimbal_Ballhead_Adapter.html

Replacement tripod mounting foot for Sony 100-400mm lens by RRS, Kirk and Wimberley: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=replacement%20foot%20sony%20100-400mm&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

Replacement foot for Sony 100-400mm by Hejnar Photo: http://www.hejnarphotostore.com/product-p/sfr-002.htm

NOTE: All these replacement feet incorporate an Arca-compatible dovetail, so with them a separate lens plate isn't needed.

If the OEM foot is used instead, it will need to be fitted with an Arca-compatible QR lens plate.

If you don't already have a medium duty (rated for ~30 lb.) or heavy duty (~50 lb. rated) ballhead, you'll need one of those fitted to your tripod, to use with any of these gimbal adapters. If you never plan to use a lens larger and heavier than that 100-400mm, you probably would be fine with a decent quality medium duty ballhead, so long as it has the necessary Arca-style QR platform. There are many of those to choose among. Just be sure it's panning axis locks separately from the ballhead's other movements, so that the panning can be left loose when working with the gimbal, while the head's other movements are locked in place.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I totally understand that, but that does not mean that a ball head would just "pop over". They don't!!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

Like I said, I do not have to be careful, because i do use a ball head on my lenses, I never had one try to just "flop over" and frankly I don't know how it could! That would be just as saying, I never use tripods, they could just flop over!

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

Ball-heads 'flop over' for four reasons only.
The first is trying to use too small a ball-head not designed for the load being applied.
Second is failing to tighten the clamp properly.
Third is failure of something mechanical and there is almost always warning given about it wearing out.
And fourth is an accident like your dog (or your arm) getting caught in the camera strap and pulling the gear sideways, and then item 2 above might come into play.
Not to make too small a point here BUT all of these are controllable by the owner. If your head 'flops' then you only have yourself to blame.
And especially watch out for the Manfrotto pistol grip type ball-heads. They wear out with time and start to slip. Gone through two like this so won't buy anymore.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

All those reasons you listed have nothing to to with the ball heads themselfes, they are all just samples of folks not knowing how to use them or stupidity. You can do that with any kind of heads!

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I was passing comment on those people who recommend against ball-heads because of the risk of them 'flopping over'.
Ball-heads, because of their design, are more likely to be used incorrectly than gimbals or video heads but they, too, don't suffer fools gladly.

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

I must be missing something; I keep looking at pictures of these gimbal adapters for ballheads, and, it seems to me that you have to use the camera in the vertical position only ?

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Not if you have a lens with a collar.....

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

simple answer; made everything clear; thank you

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Gimbals are intended to be attached to a tripod mounting ring on the lens... not to a plate on the camera itself.

Tripod mounting rings on the vast majority of lenses that have them allow the camera to be rotated freely and oriented portrait, landscape, upside down or any other way you might think up.

Ten lenses in my "daily user" kit have tripod mounting rings allowing the camera to be oriented any way you wish: two 70-200s, three 300mm, a 100-400, a 500mm and three macro lenses (65mm, 100mm, 180mm).

Keep in mind that gimbals are designed to make easier working with large, heavy telephotos... virtually all of which include or can optionally be fitted with tripod mounting rings that can be rotated. (I happen to have one that doesn't... a vintage 800mm in my collection has a fixed tripod mount. It instead uses a bayonet camera mount that can be rotated freely. So the camera, rather than the entire lens, can be rotated freely.)

However, it's actually a bonus that you can vertically (portrait) mount a camera in the gimbal adapter when using a shorter lens without a tripod ring. I do that occasionally with my Wimberley Sidekick. As a result, I don't need pricey, bulky L-brackets on my cameras... The more compact and less expensive Arca-compatible bottom plate i already have installed on the camera works fine with the adapter. Using the gimbal adapter this way positions the camera above the ballhead and more centered, which is preferable to and better balanced than "flopping" the ballhead off to one side to get the vertical/portrait orientation.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I've always used a bullhead, Really Right Stuff B-55, a medium heavy bullhead. When I photograph wildlife using the tripod I use a sidekick from Enduro. Works great for me.