Ball head or 3 way head

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GerryD

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Gerald Davies
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Having bought a cheap tripod and currently paying the price. I decided to look before I leap this time and looking at Manfrotto tripods and heads.

I'm a little confused between ball type head and a 3 way head. What are the differences between these heads and What would be the better buy for using in landscape, portrait and wildlife photography?

What to you use and if you used both what did you find better?

Cheers
 
I have/use both....for landscape I find a 3 way best suits me.
 
You need to decide what you want the tripod to do for you before you can know which sort is going to be best.

I have a 322 ball head and a couple of 3 way jobbies too. 95 times out of 100 when I use a tripod it's as much about having precise control over the camera for composition as it is about letting me use long exposures. A ball head just isn't suited to being a precision instrument. The best tool for total control over where the camera is pointing is a 3 way geared head.

If you want something that will hold the camera steady but speed of use is more important than precision, the 322 is really good.
 
I use both....
3 way for macro, close subjects and static wildlife and the ball head for more mobile subjects.
Bob
 
Have used 3-way. Too many adjustments. At times the subject used to move.

Try 468RC2 with QR. One single lever to adjust the ball. KISS [Keep it simple silly]
 
cheers lads, everyone seems to think the ball heads are easier to use, and the grip action of the 322rc2 does look very temping.

The main think I noticed in the specs was that the head only has a max weight of 2.5kg when in portrait mode. Has any found this a disadvantage?
 
taxi said:
cheers lads, everyone seems to think the ball heads are easier to use, and the grip action of the 322rc2 does look very temping.

The main think I noticed in the specs was that the head only has a max weight of 2.5kg when in portrait mode. Has any found this a disadvantage?
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Never really noticed but then the "biggest" lens I have is the 70-200 IS f/2.8 and that comes in at 1.5kg the 300 IS 2.8 comes in at 2.55kg ( plus camera of course) so thats possibly pushing it a little. Gimble (Sp?) heads seems to be the prefered choice of those that use the longer lenses
 
Cobra said:
Never really noticed but then the "biggest" lens I have is the 70-200 IS f/2.8 and that comes in at 1.5kg the 300 IS 2.8 comes in at 2.55kg ( plus camera of course) so thats possibly pushing it a little. Gimble (Sp?) heads seems to be the prefered choice of those that use the longer lenses
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Whats a gimble head?
 
Cheers Messiah Khan all has become clear now.

Apart from Manfrotto equipment is there any other worth looking at or is Manfrotto pretty much the business standard?

Off to do some research on pricing of Manfrotto kit :exit:
 
Messiah Khan said:
Gitzo are also worth considering, but their stuff tends to cost even more than Manfrotto kit.
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Ouch Manfrotto kit is expensive enough. If looked after does Manfrotto equipment have a long life?
 
taxi said:
Ouch Manfrotto kit is expensive enough. If looked after does Manfrotto equipment have a long life?
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If looked after, manfrotto kit could quite possibly outlive yourself. :thumbs: For a tripod, the prices might seem quite expensive, but when you work out how long they last, and compare it to the prices of other bits of kit they really are very good value for money. I would also strongly advise against skimping on tripods. Ive seen a £1500 DV camera drop off a cheap tripod because the quick release mechanism snapped in half. It was works kit, but its still not a good feeling.

Ive got a Manfrotto 190X ProB tripod with a RC 322 head. Its a great little setup which has served me well. Ive also got a Manfrotto Gimbal head which is ideal for wildlife shots. Although the RC 322 is a good head which is very easy to use and easy to carry etc, its unfortunately not very suitable for macro or wildlife photography if thats something your interested in. For macro photography its simply not accurate enough, and a geared 3 way head would be better here (these are very expensive though) and you can't lock the RC 322 open so you have to keep the lever pressed down if you want to pan a shot for wildlife. This is where a gimbal head is ideal. I don't think there is a 'best' tripod or head as such. Its all about what you need to do and compromise. I would suggest trying a few out if possible.
 
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