Need good tripod head

[hamlet]

I wore out my tripod head and now it is broken and now i'm looking for a new one. I need a sturdy, smoothly moving and also stable for timelapse photography. My budget is about $600.

 

[table1349]

Full-sized ballhead with B2-Pro II clamp

The whole line
BH-55 Full Size Ballhead

 

[Designer]

Check the "Buy and Sell" forum.

 

[hamlet]

What is your opinions on gimbal heads and would it be applicable to the types of shoots i do? I mount my camera on tripod directly most of the time.

 

[Designer]

I think gimbal heads are made to "swing" a heavy load, such as a camera with a large lens. The center of gravity is maintained centrally, so the effort to swing it and hold it will be minimal.

Do you routinely use a large heavy lens?

 

[hamlet]

I think gimbal heads are made to "swing" a heavy load, such as a camera with a large lens. The center of gravity is maintained centrally, so the effort to swing it and hold it will be minimal.

Do you routinely use a large heavy lens?

My 70-200 vrii is the only heavy lens i own and i use it a lot, i use my wide angle lens a lot now too which has to be mounted with the camera.

 

[tirediron]

Gimbal heads are wasted on a 70-200; I second gryphon's recommendation for the RRS head. Those are the best!

 

[fooby]

I've recently got one of the more basic Calumet heads and they are built solid and smooth. They do pro spec ones too at much lower prices than comparable makes and models.

 

[hamlet]

Gimbal heads are wasted on a 70-200; I second gryphon's recommendation for the RRS head. Those are the best!

Is that as in wasted money wise or just purely for technical reasons?

 

[hamlet]

Full-sized ballhead with B2-Pro II clamp

The whole line
BH-55 Full Size Ballhead

It looks really good, but i cannot find any retailers whom carry this head.

 

[Braineack]

I belive he's suggesting the 200 is too small/short/light/wrong application for the need of a gimbal

 

[hamlet]

I belive he's suggesting the 200 is too small/short/light/wrong application for the need of a gimbal

That is a fair point.

 

[Overread]

The only reason I can see a need for a gimbal head for light lenses (and yes 70-200mm f2.8 is light) is if you were doing video work and wanted a smooth pan and tilt function - however there are dedicated heads for videography which, I suspect, allow a smoother motion - the prime intent of gimbal heads is to provide balance and stability for exceptionally heavy lenses such as 300mm f2.8 and heavier.

 

[hamlet]

What do you think about the SIRUI K-40X? Is that a good alternative to the BH-55?

 

[TCampbell]

What is your opinions on gimbal heads and would it be applicable to the types of shoots i do? I mount my camera on tripod directly most of the time.

You probably won't want a gimbal head. I do own one and it's EXTREMELY good at what it does... but what it does it allow the camera to rotate in azimuth and also tilt up/down in altitude (nose-tail tilt) but not side-to-side tilt (if you are using a long lens and it has a tripod mounting collar which allows rotation then you could achieve it that way.)

A ball head is generally more versatile BUT the downside of a ball head is that you must lock it (must snug it down) before taking your hands off the camera.

A gimbal head is designed to allow you to shift the lens mounting to position to a neutral center-of-mass. Because of this, you can point the lens WITHOUT snugging down the axes ... and when you let go, the camera will stay exactly where you put it. It will not flop over like it would if it were on a ball head.

As such, a gimbal head is ideal if you're shooting... for example birds in flight where you want a solid mount, but you need to track them and you're using a very heady long lens so you're rather have it supported (you could also just use a monopod but of course you take your hands off the monopod or it'll fall over... a gimbal mount head on a tripod will not). Your camera is on a steady mount, but you can keep point the camera to track your subject, take the shots when you're ready, and never need to lock/unlock the axes brakes.

This gives the gimbal head some unique advantages, but also constrains it to some specialized use. For general use... a ball head is more versatile.