Genessi Loc: SoCal

I have the Sirui A-1005 tripod with Y10 ball head. I use with my G9 and 100-400mm for birding, owl watching etc. I hate that ball head not smooth.

Can u suggest other option in ball head and Gimbal.

TBPJr Loc: South Carolina

The ProMediaGear Katana Jr. is a very good gimbal head; I have not used its ball head, but it claims that the ball head is as well and carefully made as the gimbal.

Mr.Ft Loc: Central New Jersey

I'm using the Wimberly Sidekick gimbal head and am very happy with it.

CaptainPhoto

Here is a 2.35 min video by Mike Moats a macro photogrpher showing the tripod and ball head he uses. I got it and love it. Love the ball head movement and really like the lock, unlock feature of the legs. Much better than the snap lock system and full turn system. 1/4 turn your locked or unlocked. Not cheap, but hay you get what you pay for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTzvJw1_WN8

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Why is the ballhead "not smooth"? Is it an actual problem with the head, or is it how you're trying to use it?

If its panning movement is good, then you might want to try a gimbal adapter.

Gimbal adapters work in conjunction with a ballhead, rather than replacing it. If you go with a "full size" gimbal, you'll regularly be swapping that back and forth with whatever ballhead you get, in order to use the tripod with different lenses. That's not very convenient, out working in the field with a tripod.

A gimbal adapter doesn't require you remove the ballhead. So long as the ballhead has an Arca-compatible quick release platform (which your current one does), you simply "flop" the ballhead to the side, install the gimbal adapter, then use that with your telephoto lens that has a tripod mounting ring. The gimbal adapter provides the vertical axis/tilt movements while the ballhead provides the horizontal axis/panning movements. To be used with a gimbal adapter, a ballhead also must have separate pan and tilting controls (which yours does). This is because when working with the gimbal adapter, the "tilt" movement of the ballhead is locked, while the panning axis is left "loose" to allow movement.

(Note: If the panning axis of your ballhead isn't smooth, it might be a simple fix. I bought a cheap ballhead that was "stiff and gritty" feeling in the panning movement. I found it easy to disassemble, with three screws in the bottom. Cleaned out a heavy and dirty looking "axle grease" that had been used to lubricate the ball bearings in the base of the head, replaced that with a heavy oil... actually bicycle chain lube... and it now works very smoothly.)

A gimbal adapter saves having to swap out the heads. Costs less and weighs less too.

I've been using a Wimberley Sidekick gimbal adapter with a Kirk BH-1 ballhead for more than fifteen years. But I'm using them with much bigger and heavier gear than you. Some of the lens/camera combos I use on it are upwards of 10 lb.

I believe your M4/3 100-400mm lens is just over 2 lb. and your G9 is just over 1 lb. So total weight might be roughly 3.5 lb. The Sidekick/Kirk combo would be overkill for you. You can use a lighter specification gimbal adapter (in conjunction with the lower weight spec ballhead you already have).

"Not smooth" might be the fault of your tripod... not the head. I don't have that particular tripod and am not you, so don't know. But if, for example, you have to raise the legs fully as well as the tripod's center column a lot to bring the camera and lens up to a comfortable working height, everything might get "pretty wobbly". I see that particular tripod not only has five section legs, it also has a three section center column! While this allows a tripod to fold up very compact, each add'l joint in the legs and column makes for potential loss of stability and requires the next section be smaller diameter. Not to mention, it must be a real pain in the arse to set up all those leg and center column sections to take a shot!

I use a tripod that doesn't even have a center column, the ballhead mounds directly atop a platform supported by the legs. In addition, my tripod has three-section legs. It's not compact when folded, but is all about rock solid stability. Fewer sections and larger diameter leg sections make for as much stability as possible, without being too big or too heavy. It's not small or light, but is manageable for me. What you need is dictated by how tall a rig you need and how small/light you feel it must be. It's always a compromise.

Maybe the ballhead isn't great, either. But I suspect your "not smooth" starts with the tripod leg set itself... Due to its five-section legs and three-section center column.

But, I would suggest you try the head and tripod you've already got with the Jobu BWG Micro Gimbal Adapter, which costs around $109. While it's small and light weight (and one of the most affordable gimbals), and is not recommended for heavier gear, it should be more than sufficient for the gear you want to use on it (it's rated to work with 70-200mm f/2.8 and 400mm f/5.6 lenses, which weigh 1 or 2 lb. more than your lens). https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/754602-REG/Jobu_Design_BWG_M1_BWG_Micro_Gimbal_Ballhead_Adapter.html

If that gimbal adapter works on your current tripod... great!

If things still are "not smooth", you might want to consider a tripod/ballhead upgrade. I would recommend looking at something with fewer leg sections... and hopefully tall enough that you don't need a center column at all... or if the tripod has one, you don't need to raise it at all or only very little. I'd also recommend a carbon fiber tripod... to save weight and because CF is pretty effective absorbing some fine vibrations that "ring" through metal tripods like the one you're using. For example, if it's tall enough, the Benro Series 2 FTA28CV1 Travel AngelCarbon Fiber Tripod with V1E Ball Head, selling for $399, is reasonably light and compact. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1157837-REG/benro_fta28cv1_travel_angel_9x_carbon.html A little heavier, but less expensive, there also is an aluminum version of that tripod.

There are other tripods worth considering, I just wanted to give you an example.

Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

I am using a Arca Swiss ballhead on a Gitzo tripod with my Olympus EM 1 MK II and Pana/Leica 100-400. For the most part it works well. I still tend to hand hold when trying to shoot birds in flight, which is a small part of my photography.

I also have a Nest Gimbal head but its fluid movement mechanism is too stiff with the size of my camera body and lens.

wyomingdon

look into Colorado Tripod co. great ball heads and tripods>

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

First, make sure you can BALANCE the weight of your gear over the pivot point of the head - best done with a LONG Arca/Swiss QR system. Next, I would recommend a good quality ($150+) ball head with at least a 40mm ball - or, better yet use a good quality video/fluid head instead of a gimbal - much lighter/smaller....
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Genessi Loc: SoCal