Ball Head (1 Viewer)

Just picked up a Manfrotto XPRO ball head off ebay at a good price. Swapped out the 500 fluid head and find the XPro much more compact. I am surprised at how steady,, and the smoothness. will have to compare for following a moving subject.

a ball head is a bad idea to use with a scope and to follow moving birds

I have trouble following a moving bird unless it is a very long distance. This head I got has a relatively large ball and a separate knob for adjusting tension, then a larger one to completely lock, although you can adjust tension so it is locked. Separate adjustment for panning. My Kowa 664 seems well balanced so it stays put unless tension is extremely loose to the point that you would not want to use it.

I got it to put on a lightweight carbon fiber tripod, to keep the package as small and compact as possible. It does a good job there and makes storing much easier than with the larger fluid head. I will probably take it out along with a larger tripod with my fluid head mounted to compare for my use.

Hi,

you can try the ballhead altitude/azimuth style with the plate tilted into the notch... that keeps the scope from tilting...

Joachim

jring said:

Hi,

you can try the ballhead altitude/azimuth style with the plate tilted into the notch... that keeps the scope from tilting...

Joachim

Click to expand...

That is actually how i have it set up right now. I took it out a few minutes ago, watching some hummingbirds at my feeder, probably about 30-40 yards away. I found setting the ball tension knob so there is just enough tension to keep scope from moving by it's own weight works very well. I can loosen locking knob and move the scope easily in any direction, right hand on scope, left on shaft between base and the scope and admittedly it is not as smooth and precise as my fluid head, but close enough for a good trade off for making the setup more compact for carrying. I'll probably switch back and forth a while to see which I prefer.