tripod ball heads

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[Zeke]

bought one rated at 13.3 lbs load because the salesman told me my camera (Nikon D70) and lens weighed less than 7lbs.  the lens I intended to use is an old telephoto (sigma 150-500) that weighs 6-7lbs alone and with the camera falls into the 'design limits' of the ball head. so here's the question. exactly how much difference or leeway does the rating on the ball head make? would there be any cosmic significance if the rating was 20lbs or even 40lbs?

[indigo_wolf]

bought one rated at 13.3 lbs load because the salesman told me my camera (Nikon D70) and lens weighed less than 7lbs.  the lens I intended to use is an old telephoto (sigma 150-500) that weighs 6-7lbs alone and with the camera falls into the 'design limits' of the ball head.

Did you tell the sales person what lens you were going to be using and it's vintage or did you just say the D70 and a 150-500mm lens?  Unless he probed, he might have assumed a more current and much lighter lens.

so here's the question. exactly how much difference or leeway does the rating on the ball head make? would there be any cosmic significance if the rating was 20lbs or even 40lbs?

It's not like your ballhead will shear off the tripod and go rolling down the hill.  Different manufacturers and designs (there are quite a few ballhead variants) will have different tolerances. At or beyond their limits, you will see the ballhead "creep" or slip from the position that you set it at.  Over time, as you crank the ballhead down harder to get it to maintain it's position, you'll cause the vice/clamping mechanism to wear faster. 

Worst case scenario with immediate consequences:  You are momentarily distracted, the ballhead creeps enough to unbalance the tripod and sends the whole thing tumbling.

Are you using the tripod mount on the camera or does the lens support a lens collar with a tripod mount?  The latter would take some of the strain off of the ballhead, by allowing the camera to counterweight the weight of the lens.

ATB,
Sam

[Zeke]

I told the salesperson what the lens was, type/brand/focal length, and he looked on eBay and read some specs.  According to him the shipping wt for the lens was 5lbs so I guess the confusion started there. I'm using the mounting collar on the lens. Basically one could assume that under similar given usage the larger higher rated ball will take longer to slip/wear out....? and that I probably should have gotten the one with the higher # rating to begin with... Thank you Sam....

[madhabitz]

Did you buy a cheapie with plastic or soft metal parts? If you can swing it get a Bogen tripod. Worth their weight in gold.

Nancy

[Zeke]

It's a Manfrotto,  all alloy

[chilese]

If the unit is all metal, any failure at the ball should be slow enough for you to handle.

To avoid litigation, most consumer goods are designed to a Factor of Safety.

Most reputable companies will have a FOS of at least 50% and all should have at least 25%.

[madhabitz]

It's a Manfrotto,  all alloy

Bogen Manfrotto is just about the best. Agree with John, you should be okay if the ballhead thingie is in the same class.



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[Zeke]

Thank you all for your input. 

[Allen Carter]

would there be any cosmic significance if the rating was 20lbs or even 40lbs?

A bigger ball head would certainly be sturdier, but with the kind of camera and lens you're using, it's not so much strength as smoothness and stability. A bigger ball has much more friction in whatever mechanism so you can move the camera without worrying about it flopping over. I have a new manfrotto/bogen head that holds my heaviest lens/camera combo securely, but with the big lens i have to be supporting the weight when I loosen the ball even a bit. Cost about $90. Maybe the third from the smallest? It doesn't have the quick release plate so it was a good price/size combo. If I used it a  lot, I'd get a much larger one, but for what I do, this is great.

[david barnby]

just what is needed for taking shots of the royals in the south of france......

like kites there are a bezillion reasons for all the different types (of ball head) available.

if you are using the tripod so that you can use slow shutter speeds without "shake" then (imo) the ball head must be able to hold the camera firmly.

take a look at the end of your lens in a 12 mile an hour wind or tap the camera with a finger in your bedroom or drop a stick on the tripod leg in the forest - smallest movement at the end of your lens means a lot of movement at the sensor of the d70 which means the image wont be sharp and you could have left the tripod at home

check if it is the ball head (often is) that is the weak link but many tripods can also let a ball head down - whatever the sales person says you really need to get your camera, heaviest (greatest windage) lens together with the tripod/ball head combo and try it out.

if you want sharp long exposure pics is best to over engineer the supports. if you want the tripod for group shots or other stuff where you can use faster shutter speeds you dont need to worry about all this stuff

[Zeke]

I'm very familiar with 'shake'. I had a massive tripod I gave to my son after discovering the molded part of the head would actually flex enough to throw the shot off.  I was having problems understanding the # ratings on the ballheads.  I would have spent $60 on a head rated at 40lbs rather than a brand name head rated at 13lbs for twice the price in an attempt to overcome my lack of understanding.   I have been told that aside from camera/lens weight, ease of movement of the ball assembly itself can be an issue.  I am not a 'photographer', just a 'taker of pictures' who could not quite figure out why the seeming solid shot was a hair out of focus.  I guess in some low light situations merely pressing the shutter button could throw the shot off.  Wonder if the new generation 'mirror-less' cameras will eliminate this problem entirely. 

[david barnby]

yeah

as i said:

1. try out the stuff together with your gear - has nothing to do with brand or price (unless you buy the top end gear like arca-swiss for over 300 bucks). I have a 60 buck triton that looks similar, does a great job for me but few pros would use it for an important assignment

2. lack of sharpness from camera shake dosent result from mirrors or low light. It happens because the chosen shutter speed is slow enough for the camera movement to be recorded. Stop the camera moving and you are fine. The mirror can be locked up (on your D70 too if i remember) and you should use the lovely nikon ir remote (around 15 bucks) so that you don't touch the camera to release the shutter. You can use the timer too if 15 bucks too rich.

was your son successful with the old tripod?

[Allen Carter]

If I used it a  lot, I'd get a much larger one

That's really the key. I don't expect this ball head to work well in wind or or with trucks rolling by. It's a convenience. It's fine for 1/4second exposures in good conditions with the 180 2.8. The tripod head I'd use for really steady work (an old Bogen 3047) is relatively cheap, but much more bulky. I'm using the relatively small ball head on a fairly heavy tripod as well. A really good ball head is an expensive (and usually heavy) item.

Most tripods are so bad that the head is only part of the problem. When I went tripod shopping last year after more than 20 years, I found that even some brands which used to be generally fine had deteriorated. I ended up buying a known-good early '80s vintage Bogen 3020 off eBay for very little cash. I used several of these in my career, so familiarity and nostalgia won out. Great support.

[Zeke]

David Barbnaby--Yes my son  thinks the tripod is great. I gave him my 20D with a few lenses.  He has done some jewelry photography and a few fashion models; photos looked good to me..

I was unaware of locking the mirror up to take the shot, thought it was only for 'cleaning purposes'.  I have the IR remote which can be found 'on line' for about $3, and I also found a remote with instant view' for the D70 which does not have 'live' view.  Kinda neat; a remote that shows the image taken.

Allen Carter-  the ball head I got is a Manfrotto -$100/13lbs rated and over on eBay I could have gotten a 40lb rated one for $65. The strength part I understand, the smoothness part could amount to a dab of grease. Brand name versus cost versus  capacity was confusing. I'm sure there is a company in China that turns these out by the ton with an assortment of 'brand names' on the label.

Next step is to find a chart of Nikon cameras comparing model# and sensor size.

[Allen Carter]

Next step is to find a chart of Nikon cameras comparing model# and sensor size.

http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/body/chart/nikon_dslr_chart.html

Sounds like we have the same ball head. I wouldnt trust my gear to any cheaper brand, manfrotto/bogen is as low as I go for camera supports. It's only partly about whether the tripod/head combo can hold the camera steady, it's about keeping the camera from hitting the ground.

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