Expensive ballheads - what do you get for the money?

[DarkPenguin]

For cheap the Giottos MH 1302-655 has received good reviews.  Here is one ...

http://www.birdsasart.com/giottos.htm

[Jeremy Payne]

For cheap the Giottos MH 1302-655 has received good reviews.  Here is one ...

http://www.birdsasart.com/giottos.htm

That's what I have .... but I replaced the clamp with a Really Right Stuff QR clamp.  Very happy with it.

[DarkPenguin]

That's what I have .... but I replaced the clamp with a Really Right Stuff QR clamp.  Very happy with it.

Was the reason for the clamp change a deficiency in the Giottos clamp or something about the RRS QR clamp?

[Jeremy Payne]

Was the reason for the clamp change a deficiency in the Giottos clamp or something about the RRS QR clamp?

If I recall the exact scenario ... I got the ballhead first, then got the RRS L-plate as the supplied plate is useless.  

I think to use the existing Giotto clamp, I was gonna have to take the safety stop off and I didn't like the knob concept without the stop, so I got the RRS QR clamp.  I dig the QR clamp, but sometimes it gets in the way of my cable release in certain orientations.

I was able to re-use the Giotto clamp and plate for a flash stand.

[Slough]

Here's what you get:

  Light
  Durable
  Smooth motions
  Minimal creep on lock down.
  Able to support massive loads.
  Arca Swiss QR system
  Good customer support (in theory)

It costs money to make a well engineered product, though there are some nice looking competitively priced heads around. A high grade ball head is well worth the money if you take a lot of photographs, and want it to perform well many years after purchase. In theory the Chinese should be able to produce a quality product at a bargain price, but to date they seem to want to market a product on the basis of features and the quality is not there.

[DarkPenguin]

If I recall the exact scenario ... I got the ballhead first, then got the RRS L-plate as the supplied plate is useless.  

I think to use the existing Giotto clamp, I was gonna have to take the safety stop off and I didn't like the knob concept without the stop, so I got the RRS QR clamp.  I dig the QR clamp, but sometimes it gets in the way of my cable release in certain orientations.

Makes sense to me.

I was able to re-use the Giotto clamp and plate for a flash stand.

I've done that.

[Jim2]

I have been using a manfrotto ball head 486rc2 http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfro...0|81&idx=83
very light and great for hiking and I don't do vertical shots very often. Is the RSS or Arca that significantly better? I mean what is there to it for a ball head but to secure the camera, make sure it doesn't move, etc? I use a dslr not a medium format.

[DarkPenguin]

I have been using a manfrotto ball head 486rc2 http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfro...0|81&idx=83
very light and great for hiking and I don't do vertical shots very often. Is the RSS or Arca that significantly better? I mean what is there to it for a ball head but to secure the camera, make sure it doesn't move, etc? I use a dslr not a medium format.

When you lock down the head does it stay where it was when you started or is it a little off?  When I turn the knob on a good head the camera is still pointed at the same spot.

[Jim2]

When you lock down the head does it stay where it was when you started or is it a little off?  When I turn the knob on a good head the camera is still pointed at the same spot.

When the camera is upright (not vertical) yes it stays. It's been very solid. When the camera is vertical no it doesn't stay. It drops a tiny bit. I just need to compensate a bit and it works fine, and it's very light. My main gear is 1ds mk3 + 24-105 although I have used 70-200 f/2.8 on it too.