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I need a better ball head for my G9 setup

I swear by the Novoflex 'button' quick release system. Their gear is expensive but their quick release plates are no more than a coin size/shape button with a mount thread on one side. This is small enough to be left on camera lens and the mount locks in quick-lock configuration are no more than a recepticle and a lever operating a friction ramp. I found that by buying a number of these little mount plates I could always have an easy quick-mount set on hand. No need to swap plates when swapping lenses.

The other tip I should pass on is the baton size monopod. I have a Velbon Ultra Stick 50 monopod that is only 340mm including Novoflex MC-MR quick mount. With mount plate left on camera or lens the combo can be whipped out of a relatively small bag and set up in seconds.

The short monopod (there would be others) acts as a steady grip without being planted on the ground. With a suitable shaped older chest it can be rested on its droop to act as additional stabiliser :) but with IBIS many will find this not necessary. It also allows timer shots with monopod held high over obstructions or even sideways if that is the only way to get the shot.

With smaller camera bodies there seems almost no end to the inventive uses of a tiny baton-length monopod. They are also very good when extended and in a sitting position.
 
va3pinner said:
What ball head have you used with good success?
Thanks
Bruce
Click to expand...
My brother gave me a nice, but heavy, Gitzo pro tripod without a head. I got a Vanguard ball head that not only matches the Gitzo color, but it is extremely solid. It has a variable tension ball locking mechanism which is nice. They have several models.
 
Ahhh okay, looking at the Lefoto website itself, try these. The 2 way and the 3 way heads.

VH-20 - Leofoto

Leofoto was founded at the beginning of 2014. It is located in Zhongshan, beautiful Pearl River Delta area in China. Leofoto team has been designing and manufacturing series of camera support systems by comparing and studying the high-end photographic accessories made in China and abroad and...
www.leofoto.com

VH-10S - Leofoto

Leofoto was founded at the beginning of 2014. It is located in Zhongshan, beautiful Pearl River Delta area in China. Leofoto team has been designing and manufacturing series of camera support systems by comparing and studying the high-end photographic accessories made in China and abroad and...
www.leofoto.com

I use the 3 way. It only suits me though I must say.

Danny.
 
Tripods and their heads seem to be like a pit into which you throw money. I have a few, and I think that I recovered from the addiction eventually .... :)

I have one called a "Benbow" which I don't think can be bought any more. It is based on the 'bent bolt' used in wartime Bren Gun mounts. This bent bolt allows the legs to be adjusted in almost endless directions. But setting it up is a bit like wrestling with an octopus. Marvellous when you win. I suspect that most buyers bought better known brand names with their own simpler leg extension structure which is mostly good enough for 90% of occasions. But I would never part with my Benbow as whilst I have hardly used its finessed leg angles it is a pretty clever idea and it is a great tester of one's patience mettle. Like many Chinese puzzles it is the puzzle of getting there successfully that is more rewarding than even fixing the camera on top of it.

Those interested in the ultimate tripod set up struggle might be able to find a Benbow for sale somewhere. Most of these users will either already be mad or have Leg Adjustment Certificate #5 Level Diploma from the Tripod Society to hang on their wall.

I have paid as much as $800 for a great Heavy Duty Manfrotto, but my little cheap Velbon baton type monopod has had much more use and gives great feedback.
 
Tom Caldwell said:
Tripods and their heads seem to be like a pit into which you throw money. I have a few, and I think that I recovered from the addiction eventually .... :)

I have one called a "Benbow" which I don't think can be bought any more. It is based on the 'bent bolt' used in wartime Bren Gun mounts. This bent bolt allows the legs to be adjusted in almost endless directions. But setting it up is a bit like wrestling with an octopus. Marvellous when you win. I suspect that most buyers bought better known brand names with their own simpler leg extension structure which is mostly good enough for 90% of occasions. But I would never part with my Benbow as whilst I have hardly used its finessed leg angles it is a pretty clever idea and it is a great tester of one's patience mettle. Like many Chinese puzzles it is the puzzle of getting there successfully that is more rewarding than even fixing the camera on top of it.

Those interested in the ultimate tripod set up struggle might be able to find a Benbow for sale somewhere. Most of the uses are either already mad or have Leg Adjustment Certificate #5 Level Diploma from the Tripod Society to hang on their wall.

I have paid as much as $800 for a great Heavy Duty Manfrotto, but my little cheap Velbon baton type monopod has had much more use and gives great feedback.
Click to expand...
Same here Tom, spent more than I want to think about over the years. The camera bodies and lenses are only one part of using tele lenses. Monopods, tripods and heads are hard to settle on. If I had known about the lefoto head to start with, I could have saved a fortune mate :) Lesson learned.

Monopods I have two now days, a carbon fibre and an alloy one from manfrotto. The manfrotto is an interesting one, a push of a lever and it drops to whatever height you want instantly. Manfrotto 334B monopod. So automatic self adjusting height. Very fast to use!

cmount.com

Manfrotto Monopod 334B - C Mount

The Manfrotto 334B Automatic Monopod is a 3-section monopod that provides instant single-handed final height adjustment. The upper section features a grip-action release that allows the top section to be adjusted 19″ up or down instantaneously by squeezing and releasing the grip-action handle...
cmount.com cmount.com

Danny.
 
I have one of those Manfrotto instant height adjusting monopods. A bit of a tank compared to my tiny Velbon Batons. But it was ok with my dslr kit.

I seem to be now burning both ends of the tripod/monopod scene - heavy with gimbal or tiny with the Novoflex quick release more as a handle or to extend a small camera kit up, down, or sideways.

Must try it with my new G100 which with the side hinged lcd could be use at ground level without throwing myself down and then wondering how I could manage to get up again. Old age comes to us all who survive photographic expeditions long enough. Hey you can use your camera upside down at ground level on a monopod - the camera does not care and the image can be rotated. Auto focus makes it a synch.

I did this ground level one time at a cathedral to get the backlight streaming down the marble - I was not prostrating myself in a religious sense and in those days I was able to get up again without calling for stretcher bearers. Great image - must find it and post it. I did do this also with a dslr to get the reflected light in a puddle - I became muddy that time (the marble had been impressively clean) and I am not sure that this latter image can now be found.

The things 'us' dedicated photographers might do in pursuit of our art. With a box of paint and an easel you can just make it all up ..... :)
 
Ha, I know the feeling well Tom :)
 
At least I am not going to get trench foot down in that birding zone ....

Have a son and DinL in Vancouver - left Brisbane at 28C and arrived there 13.5 hours later early in their spring morning at 1C.

Blokes like you might be tougher than I am I only grew up in Scotland so I don't know what real cold is like.
 
About tripods: 1) Buy a good tripod! One you will be happy to use for decades, and will last for decades. 2) There are other heads than ball heads. I'm sure you can find a large, expensive ball head that would serve your need. But I use a three way head on my Manfrotto tripod. I have a small tripod with a ball head and it works, but I much prefer the three way head. If I have time to set up a tripod I have time to adjust the three way head.
 
First of all - thank you for all the suggestions.
Second of all - my apologies for all but abandoning this thread!! I did not mean to be rude. Just life-in-the-way issues......
I ended up getting a Benro GX 30 and it works very well so far. Wish I had seen the posts about a gimbal before purchasing the Benro, but I will look into it anyway.
As a side note (and you can make fun of me for this) I learned the hard way to make sure the stabilization is turned off when using the long lens with this camera body (g9)
When I first tried the new ball head, I zoomed the lens out to 200mm, locked the head, and watched the image creep ever so slowly downward and to the right before settling. tried it again, same result. I thought the ball was slipping, but when I turned the ibis off, there was no movement at all. I could lock it in any position and it was absolutely solid. Lesson learned, but I got a better ball head out of it!
Thanks again for all the suggestions.;
Bruce
 
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