Acratech ball heads

I've just watched this video on you tube. It shows the 'gimbal' action at 3 minutes.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9GJQPJOKP8U


I can see how it's a gimbal action but my worry would be the weight of the lens and camera off to one side of the tripod, especially with a big heavy lens. This could potentially topple the tripod as the weight moves around the outside of the tripod legs during panning. A gimbal head keeps the weight centrally over the top of the tripod so there isn't this worry.

A while ago I was looking for the perfect tripod head. I ended up with the uniqball as it's a compromise of a landscape and long lens head. The levelling function is great for landscapes. There is a slight movement in framing as you lock it but that's easy to compensate for when setting the composition/frame. As a 'gimbal' it works well. It can't stay at any angle unlocked but it can sit level unlocked. I've not found this a problem as I keep a hand on the camera if it's unlocked. It keeps the weight over the centre of the tripod like a gimbal head. It's a compromise as a gimbal but the advantage that it's good for landscapes and is much lighter too outweighs the disadvantages for me. I now only have this one head that I use for everything wildlife and landscapes. It's worth looking at the uniqball if you are looking at the arcatech ball head gimbal function.

What lenses are you thinking of using it with?
 
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I used the GV2 quite successfully with the Nikon D800 & 70-200, I had a heavy duty tripod so the weight being to one side was not a problem for me.
I would say this setup is OK for occasional use but is not a substitute for a proper gimbal head which I now use.
 
I wouldn't put anything heavy on it as a "gimbal," i.e. any of the long primes. And it's a bit awkward to use while panning, instead of going more left-to-right it moves more front-to-back. Basically, it's OK to get you out of a jamb if you need gimbal type function but don't have one with you.

FWIW, I love Acratech's products for a lot of reasons; but for field use I have also switched to UniqBall heads for everything (the exception is the rare use of a geared head)... 2+ years now.
 
I remember now that I did have a sticky moment in Florida when I had a Canon 500F4 with a 1Div on a tripod with the Acratech GV2 as a gimbal. I swung it all around to capture an osprey in flight on the 7 Mile Bridge, the tripod tipped onto 2 legs and I nearly finished up in the Gulf of Mexico.

As has been said it's probably better and safer used with lighter gear.
 
Only used the Acratech GP and it's a lovely thing. Smooth, strong, light, beautifully engineered and really nice to use but position shifts notably left-right on locking down and it's next to useless as a gimbal with anything bigger than a 70-200 IMHO.

Edit: Just a thought, have a quick look at the Sunwayfoto GH-Pro geared head. Similar to the divine Arca-Swiss D4, but smaller and lighter and much cheaper. Not tried one myself, but I'd certainly like to. Steven sk66 has one and posted this review. https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/review-of-the-sunwayfoto-gh-pro-geared-head.641320/
 
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Does anyone else think the guy in the video looks like an early form of Borg? The headphones seem to have replaced his ears.
 
rob-nikon said:
I've just watched this video on you tube. It shows the 'gimbal' action at 3 minutes.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9GJQPJOKP8U


I can see how it's a gimbal action but my worry would be the weight of the lens and camera off to one side of the tripod, especially with a big heavy lens. This could potentially topple the tripod as the weight moves around the outside of the tripod legs during panning. A gimbal head keeps the weight centrally over the top of the tripod so there isn't this worry.

A while again I was looking for the perfect tripod head. I ended up with the uniqball as it's a compromise of a landscape and long lens head. The levelling function is great for landscapes. There is a slight movement in framing as you lock it but that's easy to compensate for when setting the composition/frame. As a 'gimbal' it works well. It can't stay at any angle unlocked but it can sit level unlocked. I've not found this a problem as I keep a hand on the camera if it's unlocked. It keeps the weight over the centre of the tripod like a gimbal head. It's a compromise as a gimbal but the advantage that it's good for landscapes and is much lighter too outweighs the disadvantages for me. I now only have this one head that I use for everything wildlife and landscapes. It's worth looking at the uniqball if you are looking at the arcatech ball head gimbal function.

What lenses are you thinking of using it with?
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Hi Rob,

We've discussed the Uniqball on here before. I got a UB35P (the latest model) and I really, really, wanted to like it. I found it reasonably good to use in its "gimbal" mode". It was when I tried to use it as a standard ballhead that I got frustrated with it. The outer ball has no damping so it's basically either on or off. Every move of the tripod, especially on sloping and/or uneven ground - eg for precise framing - meant resetting the levelling function again and it just seemed so time-consuming. I decided to sell it, but maybe i should give it another try, as I haven't got round to it yet!

At the moment my birding kit is a 5d3 + Tamron 150-600, so it's not the heaviest but I can see how having some heavy gear over to one side of the tripod on one of the Acratech heads could cause it all to over-balance.
 
jerry12953 said:
Hi Rob,

We've discussed the Uniqball on here before. I got a UB35P (the latest model) and I really, really, wanted to like it. I found it reasonably good to use in its "gimbal" mode". It was when I tried to use it as a standard ballhead that I got frustrated with it. The outer ball has no damping so it's basically either on or off. Every move of the tripod, especially on sloping and/or uneven ground - eg for precise framing - meant resetting the levelling function again and it just seemed so time-consuming. I decided to sell it, but maybe i should give it another try, as I haven't got round to it yet!

At the moment my birding kit is a 5d3 + Tamron 150-600, so it's not the heaviest but I can see how having some heavy gear over to one side of the tripod on one of the Acratech heads could cause it all to over-balance.
Click to expand...
We did speak about them a while ago. The resetting on moving is one of the drawbacks but it would be the same with a gimbal head (adjusting legs to get it level). I've found the resetting isn't too much of a problem using a long lens. You get quicker and better at it.
 
As with most things in photography, you either go all-in on dedicated/optimal gear or you make compromises. If you really want/need gimbal functionality then you really want/need a fully adjustable gimbal head.

One option might be a ball head that has a pan/tilt mode... there are a couple makers that have that feature/option (Markins/KPS/etc), or a pan tilt head on a leveling base. And another I'm personally fond of is using a video fluid head (a true fluid head, preferably w/ a ball base). But I don't actually use either any more due to cost/weight/complexity/etc.
 
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