Ball head change

[Dave A]

After about a year of using the Vanguard GH300T pistol grip on my Vanguard Abeo Pro tripod I found it to be cumbersome in that it's quite large and sometimes gets in my way when looking through the cameras viewfinder. So to day I replaced it with a more traditional ball head, a Vanguard BBH-100. I think I will find this ball head to my liking. Will see if I miss the one handed operation of the pistol grip.

Dave


The replaced pistol grip.




The new Vanguard BBH-100 ball head.

[mugge]

Dave, you will not miss it.
Cheers Ole

[rpcrowe]

Congratulations... This head looks like the clamp is Arca Compatible. If you notice the safety stud protruding from the base of the clamp, that will keep your camera/lens attached should the clamp become loose or if you should fail to secure it tightly.

The safety stud (if it works like the one on my Giottos Ball Head) might work best with a Vanguard Plate. My Giottos works best with a Giottos plate. I can slide a Giottos plate in from the rear of the clamp.

However, with some plates, the safety stud prevents the plate from sliding in from the rear. However - no problem! If you end up with a plate like that, simply open the clamp to its widest point and slip the plate in from the top. The safety stud will still prevent the camera/lens from sliding out of the clamp is the clamp is not secured tightly.

If I were you, I would look into acquiring an "L" Bracket for my camera body. The "L" Bracket or "L" Plate as it is often called really makes life easier when switching from horizontal to vertical camera positions. You don't have to hang the camera cantilevered over to the side in order to place it in the vertical configuration. For many years, the only "L" Plates available were manufactures by Kirk and Really Right Stuff. These were well made but, rather expensive - running close to $100 U.S. Dollars.

China has filled the void and there are now "L" Plates available on eBay at a fraction of the price Kirk and RRS charge. I purchased one for my 7D2 and it seems to work every bit as well as the Kirk and RRS models I have for my other cameras. These plates are usually designed for specific cameras so that battery, memory card and other doors can open while the plate is attached to the camera.

I don't know what camera you are shooting with but, here is a link to eBay listing of "L" Plates or "L" Brackets.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...a&_sacat=30097

[Dave A]

Thanks Richard for the link. I've been considering an L bracket but just haven't made the purchase yet. I usually have a grip on my camera (Nikon D7200) so not sure if an L bracket is still possible. My new ball head is Acra compatible.

Dave

[Manfred M]

Thanks Richard for the link. I've been considering an L bracket but just haven't made the purchase yet. I usually have a grip on my camera (Nikon D7200) so not sure if an L bracket is still possible. My new ball head is Acra compatible.

Dave

I don't know about the D7200 but Kirk makes L-brackets for the D800 / D810 one is without the grip and one is made for camera and grip, but assumes the official Nikon grip, not one of the third party ones. I use the one with the grip.

Check around, as you will likely be able to find something that meets your needs; either from one of the mainstream manufacturers or some knockoff out of China. I rarely remove my L-bracket from the camera.

[rpcrowe]

Dave, take a look at some of these links...
https://www.google.com/search?q=L+Br...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[IzzieK]

The Vanguard is a heavy tripod but I like that it is steady and sturdy. I have the same ballhead as you have here.

[Clactonian]

I bought a Manfrotto pistol grip (they call it Joystick) head and was extremely disappointed with it. I was using a D2Xs at the time and it just wasn't capable of holding it at an angle and was very cumbersome. Like you I changed it for a ball head, in my case one from Kenro, as I wanted a heavy duty ball head. I have never looked back and everything is now rock steady.

[DanK]

It does require 2 hands, but it becomes automatic quickly. Just make sure you set it up so that the ball lock and the panning lock, if it has a separate one, are positioned where they are comfortable for your left hand.


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[LePetomane]

I still don't understand why more photographers do not use the geared head.

[DanK]

I still don't understand why more photographers do not use the geared head.

I do, for some things. However, mine is bulky, very heavy (1.2 kg, 2.7 pounds), and slow. For study macro, where accuracy matters, I generally use it. In the field, I use a ballhead that weighs 40% as much, is a fraction of the size, and much faster. It's not as accurate, but for field work, it is plenty accurate enough. The only drawback, IMHO, is that even with a good head, one has to allow for a bit of sag if the gear is not balanced.

[loosecanon]

I use a variety of heads on my tripods, however my current most used are the Manfrotto MHXPRO-3W X-Pro 3-Way Head which came free as a special offer even with a black friday discount. The advantage is the friction control which enables very smooth controlable operation, as well as the sliding handles making the head light and compact. The other is the Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way Geared Head, which is light, and reasonably controlable, though it has a tendency to pinch ones fingers.