Christmas gift to myself: this new ball head.
My old one was losing tension and would nod a bit after tightening it down.
This one has a (claimed) much higher weight rating (66 lb), which should be plenty for my DSLR even if exaggerated. $102 on Amazon, considerably less than comparable high-end brands.
Drawbacks:
1) They call the plate "quick mount" but it really isn't. Old one had no-hands snap on and lever release. This one requires unscrewing/screwing with the side knob.
2) No separate friction adjustment for the ball. Don't know if adjusting the force of the lock down knob will really function as a friction adjustment after extended use.
3) No instructions included
There also seems to be an outright design problem: tightening the set screws on the tripod that go in from the bottom should simply prevent the base from rotating on the tripod, but when they are tightened they somehow bind the pan rotation also.
My old one was losing tension and would nod a bit after tightening it down.
This one has a (claimed) much higher weight rating (66 lb), which should be plenty for my DSLR even if exaggerated. $102 on Amazon, considerably less than comparable high-end brands.
Drawbacks:
1) They call the plate "quick mount" but it really isn't. Old one had no-hands snap on and lever release. This one requires unscrewing/screwing with the side knob.
2) No separate friction adjustment for the ball. Don't know if adjusting the force of the lock down knob will really function as a friction adjustment after extended use.
3) No instructions included
There also seems to be an outright design problem: tightening the set screws on the tripod that go in from the bottom should simply prevent the base from rotating on the tripod, but when they are tightened they somehow bind the pan rotation also.
