The big appeal of ball heads is speed, they are very quick and easy to position at just about any angle you want. As such, ball heads are by far the most popular kind of head for serious amateurs and professionals alike. However first you must decide if a ball head is the right choice for your specific needs. There are several other styles of tripod head available, as detailed in our Tripod Heads and Monopod Heads Explained article.
Once you've decided a ball head is the right choice for you, the question then becomes which one? As you can see in our Tripod Head Review Roundup, there is a very wide selection of ball heads available, priced from under $20 to over $600. The different ball heads offer numerous different features, and that is just for the limited number we've tested so far. There are dozens of manufacturers making hundreds of different models between them, so choosing the right one that fits your needs can be a daunting prospect. There are a number of considerations to be at least aware of before making your purchase, we'll detail some of these below:
Match It To Your Tripod
This one sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised. It's not uncommon for photographers buying their first tripod to spend the bulk of their budget on the legs, and cheap out on the head. This usually leads to more expense a few weeks or months later, when they realize buying the cheap head was a big mistake, and then have to find a few hundred dollars more to upgrade it. Another mistake is to buy a big, heavy head that will hold 50 lbs + because some famous photographer/blogger you follow uses it, and mate it to a small, light weight set of legs.
Just for fun, the pictures below show two extreme examples of this. On the left we have a Giottos MH-1004 ball head ($12) rated for 5 lbs, on a set of Gitzo GT5541LS legs ($935) rated for 55lbs – in this case the ball head is perfect for flashguns and compact cameras, and the heavy legs are ideal for a studio setup or use with large, heavy telephoto lenses.
On the right, we have a monster Photo Clam PC-74NS ball head ($419) rated for 220lbs (that is not a typo), on a set of Manfrotto 055MF4 legs that are rated for 17lbs: in this instance this is a specialized head that would hold multiple sets of gear on a rail (if the weight rating is accurate then possibly multiple sets of gear plus the photographer), mounted on a set of light weight travel legs that isn't really suitable to put even a large telephoto on.
The picture below shows a much better match – the Acratech GP ($399) mated with Feisol CT-3442 legs ($401). The Acratech is rated for a 25lb load, and the Feisol for 22lbs, and both are very light, making for an extremely good light weight travel setup.
Acratech GP ball head on a Feisol CT-3442 tripod.
Don't Believe The Manufacturers Load Rating
The different ball head manufacturers do not use a standard method of measuring the load rating, period. The load rating could be measured with the ball locked and in a perfectly upright position (i.e. its strongest position), or it could be at a 45 degree angle, or virtually anywhere else. The load rating could be a conservative recommendation that is well with the limits of the head, or it could be the point at which it slips or fails. Here are several examples:
- The Acratech GP pictured above is rated for "25lbs at any angle". Acratech is the only manufacturer we've tested so far that adds the words "at any angle" to the rating. The Acratech uses a 38mm (1.5") ball – other heads we've tested that use a similar size ball include the Vanguard SBH-250 (rated for 44 lbs) and the Photo Clam Pro Gold II Easy PQR (rated for 77 lbs). From the ratings you'd assume the Acratech was the weakest of this group by a long way: it's not by any means.
- Two ball heads we've yet to test, the Kirk BH-1 and RRS BH-55, are both rated by their manufacturers at 50 lbs. However if you look at Wimberley's Ball Head Recommendations for their Sidekick (found here), you'll see the RRS head is classified as a high capacity head that will support a 600mm f4 with the Sidekick. In contrast, the Kirk head with its identical load rating is rated only as medium-high capacity, which will only support up to a 500mm f4 with the Sidekick.
- Pictured below is a Vanguard SBH-250 ($80) next to a Manfrotto 468MG ($240). The Vanguard is rated to 44lb, and the Manfrotto to 35 lbs. Given they are both about the identical size and similar weights, it should be an easy decision – buy the stronger, slightly lighter Vanguard for a third of the price right? It's not that easy. Using them side by side, on the Vanguard you have to use a lot more force on the controls to lock the ball than you do on the Manfrotto. Then when locked down, it's fairly easy to move the ball on the Vanguard, yet the Manfrotto locks very solid and is virtually impossible to move. The Vanguard is an exceptionally good ball head for its price point, and is also the smoother of the two. However the Manfrotto with its lower rating is clearly a stronger head by a significant margin, albeit at 3 times the price.
Without knowing exactly how each individual manufacturer came up with their load rating, you simply cannot compare ball heads side by side based on published load ratings alone. Some manufacturers are clearly a lot more conservative in their published load ratings than others.
As a general rule of thumb, figure out the heaviest setup you are likely to put on the ball head (add the weights of your heaviest camera, lens, teleconverter, flash guns, flash bracket etc. together), and multiply that number by at least 2 or 3 to be safe, and use that number as the minimum load rating for your ball head (same applies to tripods). For example, the Acratech/Fiesol set up (pictured higher up) would be perfect to use with a D3 series camera and a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom as a light travel kit, but you'd be really pushing it to use with a D3 and 600mm f4 tracking birds in flight, even though that combination is still within the load rating.
Basic Ball Head Controls
What controls do you need on your ball head? The simplest ball heads feature a single lock control that operates everything (panning base and ball) – loosen the control, set the ball exactly where you want, and lock it in place. Examples of this include the Giottos MH-1004 shown above, and the Foba M-1 Superball shown below. These are very fast and easy to operate, and typically lock very strongly.
More common is a three control setup: one control locks the independent panning base, a second control locks the ball, and a third control sets the "friction" (also known as "drag" or "tension"), which basically controls how "loose" the ball is when the lock control is fully unlocked. An example of this kind of ball head is the Manfrotto 468MG pictured above.
Both of these types of head usually feature a "slot", which allows the ball to be dropped over 90°, to facilitate fast switching between portrait and landscape orientations.
The above outline the two basic types of ball head, which cover the vast majority of ball heads on the market. There are exceptions however, like the Gitzo GH5380S (also shown below). The GH5380S is a specialized head designed primarily for use with long lenses, which does not have a panning base, or a slot, but does have independent lock and friction controls.
As to which is the right choice for you depends upon your shooting style. The single control is definitely easier/faster to operate. The ball heads with independent panning, locking and friction controls offer more versatility, are easier to set "friction" on, thus allowing you to pan and track moving objects by having the head loose, and are by far the most common choice.
Another note, if you are considering at some point having a longer lens and think you may need a gimbal adapter (like the Wimberley Sidekick or CB Gimbal Basic), then you need to make sure you have a very strong ball head with both a slot and an independent panning base that can be unlocked while the ball is locked.
Control Feel and Layout
Another important consideration is the location, layout and feel of the controls. As we've already mentioned above, to lock the ball you have to turn the lock control with greater force on the Vanguard SBH-250 than on the Manfrotto 468MG, so how hard the controls have to be turned to lock is a factor.
Ask yourself how are you going to use the ball head? Will you be supporting the camera with your right hand while working the ball head controls with your left? Or supporting the lens with your left hand while controlling the ball head with your right? If either answer is yes to either of the last two questions, having the lock and panning controls close together so you can work them with one hand is important.
Are the controls hard plastic, metal or rubber? The new Photo Clam Pro Gold II Easy PQR (pictured below) features new knurled controls on both the rubber knobs and the panning base, which are slightly easier to grip and feel better to use that the ribbed versions used on the older models like the PC-74NS shown earlier. In contrast, hard plastic controls can be especially difficult to use with thick gloves in cold weather.
What about the shapes of the controls? If you are looking through the viewfinder while adjusting the head, the last thing you want to do is accidentally release the ball when you meant to release the panning base – if you are not holding on tightly to your camera that could be an expensive mistake. Probably the best example we've seen when it comes to differentiating the feel of the controls is the Foba Superball (pictured below). As you can see it has a lever for the ball lock, a circular knob for the friction control, and an elongated knob for the panning base – very hard to confuse.
How fast are the controls to operate? The whole point of a ball head is speed, and here the Foba is the best we've tested by a wide margin. A relatively short movement of the long lever (perhaps 1/8th of a turn) takes the Foba's ball from fully locked to fully loose, so loosening, repositioning, and retightening can be done in a split second with practice.
The Photo Clam pictured above, like most ball heads we've tested, takes greater than a full turn of the lock knob to go from fully loose to fully locked. Since my wrist won't rotate that far in one go, it takes 2-3 separate wrist movements just to lock the ball fully. As such, loosening, repositioning and relocking the ball takes several seconds. Speed of operation may or may not be important to you depending on the environment you are working in.
While it's easy to overlook when shopping for a ball head, the location, feel and operation of the controls can make a huge difference to how usable the ball head actually is, and how quickly you can use it in fast paced environments.
Smoothness and Friction
If you are going to use the ball "loose" to track moving objects, then smoothness and control over friction become very important. The Foba Superball pictured above is the absolute smoothest ball head we've tested, and the Photo Clams shown above aren't far behind. The worst (ignoring the $12 Giottos) is probably the Manfrotto – it's not bad by any means, but it's not in the same league as some of the other heads.
The downside to a smooth ball is that it is harder to grip (and therefore harder to lock). The Foba Superballs friction control doesn't give enough friction in our opinion to work well with a heavier camera setup (gripped D700 with 24-70mm f2.8 for example). Here the Photo Clams excel: taking more than a full turn of the lock knob to go from loose to locked means you have very fine control over the amount of friction, so it's very easy to find the "sweet spot" (the point at which you can let go of the camera without it falling, yet it is still easy to move with minimal effort and pan/track objects with). On the Photo Clams once you've set the level of friction with the lock knob, you tighten the friction control to set this point as the loosest the ball will go.
Again, the smoothness of the ball and the amount of control over the friction applied can make a significant difference to how well the ball head works for you.
Build Quality
At a minimum, most manufacturers use aircraft grade aluminum and/or magnesium alloys for the ball and ball housing, for both strength and light weight. There are however several grades of aircraft aluminum available. The higher end manufacturer's typically mill the balls using high precision CNC machines. The lower cost ones are often cast instead, a cheaper and usually less precise method. Other build quality concerns can be metal versus plastic controls, and whether or not rustproof stainless steel has been used for internal mechanisms. The quality of the rubber and adhesives used on the controls could also be a concern, whether they will peel off over time or not. While not a completely accurate guide, generally the more expensive the ball head, the better the ultimate quality.
Even then, the lower cost models may last many years of occasional use, and a pro may wear out an expensive model in a matter of months in harsh conditions.
Creep and Movement When Locking Down
There is nothing worse than carefully lining up a shot with the ball head loose, then as you lock down the ball, the head moves. So you loosen the head, recompose, and the same happens again as you lock it down. Or if you set up a shot, and over time you notice the framing has changed because the ball has slowly "crept" thanks to gravity.
Making the ball super smooth, yet gripping it firmly at any angle is a difficult engineering challenge for any manufacturer, and again the higher up the price scale and load ratings you go, the better the ball heads tend to behave in this regard. As we noted in our review, the Vanguard SBH-250 has a very definite "roll forward" as you lock the ball (assuming the lock control is on your right). Even at 3 times the price, the super-strong Manfrotto 468MG still on occasion moves as you lock the ball.
If this is a major concern for you (and if you do a lot of macro or landscape work where framing is absolutely critical, but you can take the time to set up accurately), then prepare yourself to spend a lot of money on a ball head to minimize this effect, or better yet opt for a different style of head, like the Photo Clam Multiflex Geared Head pictured below.
Photo Clam Multiflex Geared Head
Ball Size
Ball size is important for the following reasons:
- In general, the larger the ball, the greater the locking force. The physics here are quite simple, the ball is acted on by a rotational force (force multiplied by distance) trying to move it, so the locking action has to counter that with an even greater gripping force (also force multiplied by distance, where the distance is the radius of the ball). Doubling the radius of the ball doubles the gripping effect. However doubling the radius of the ball also increases the distance from the center of the ball to the the center of gravity of the camera/lens a little, but even after factoring that in you still get a net gain in relative locking strength.
- Larger balls tend to have a larger "sweet spot", making it easier to set the friction so the camera stays put when you let go of it with the ball loose, yet remains easy to move around.
- Larger balls tend to offer better vibration dampening with longer focal lengths where vibration control gets critical (this will be the subject of a future article in our Tripods & Support Gear Guide).
- All other things being equal, a larger ball with a larger surface area (and larger friction pad area) should wear slower, and therefore last longer than a smaller ball of the same material subjected to the same usage.
Do You Need Quick Release Clamps?
We have a separate article covering this in more detail (Do You Really Need Quick Release Clamps?), but the short answer is it depends. Virtually every DSLR comes with a ¼" x 20 tripod socket, so any head that features a ¼" x 20 tripod stud will work with it.
Several manufacturers have their own proprietary quick release clamps and plates (like the Vanguard ball head featured above), which aren't compatible with anyone else. Manfrotto has a series of very popular RC quick connector systems (RC2 being the most popular), but again this is a proprietary system and limits your options.
Virtually all of the higher end ball heads feature Arca style clamps, based on an Arca Swiss design than dates back at least to the 1950's. The Arca style clamps give you by far the widest selection of accessories, and we also have a separate article covering that in detail: Arca-Type Systems Explained.
Assuming you have decided on Arca clamps, the next question becomes lever clamps or knob operated clamps. Lever clamps offer faster action, but come with potential safety and longevity concerns. They are also very limited in their movement compared with knob operated clamps. We also found a very wide variance in widths of Arca-Style plates when we tested the Photo Clam lever clamp. So much in fact, that we couldn't set up the clamp to work with more than 4 or 5 of the dozen or more plates we tried it with at any one time. For a much more detailed discussion of this topic see our Photo Clam Pro Gold II Easy PQR Review.
Size & Weight
If you are planning on hiking any distance, the weight of the ball head becomes important quickly. Something like the Acratech GP offers impressive performance despite weighing less than 1 lb. Both the Foba Superball and Photo Clam C-74NS weigh over 3 lbs, so not only will they get heavy fast, but they'll also take up a lot more room in your camera bag. In a studio setting size and weigh become much less of a concern.
Another consideration is what you are going to be using the ball head on. Tripods aside, we also use the Kirk Window Mount. At places like Bosque del Apache, your car makes a perfect blind, and a window mount like the Kirk WM-2 works great along with a Wimberley Sidekick for telephoto use. While most ball heads work fine with the WM-2, most simply don't work with the Sidekick and WM-2 together – either a knob on the head will prevent the panning base from allowing the required rotation, or the clamp on the ball head will hit the window clamp preventing it from being useable. One of the very few ball heads that has the required strength and physically fits properly with the Kirk Window Mount and Wimberley Sidekick together, is the Photo Clam PC-44NS pictured below.
Hydraulic and Hydrostatic Ball Heads
The Manfrotto 468MG featured in this article is a Hydrostatic head, basically meaning it uses a hydraulic system to lock the ball in place. Hydraulic systems can typically exert significantly more pressure on the ball than a simple screw-type lock. The Gitzo GH5380S featured above uses a hydraulic system that is actually internal to the ball, and puts out an incredible 1022 lbs of pressure to lock the ball.
Balls using some kind of hydraulic system typically lock very strongly, so creep is rarely an issue.
Safety Stops
Safety stops are a feature of the clamp attached to the top of the ball head. The basic function of a safety stop system is to prevent a plate (and your camera) from sliding all the way out and falling, should the clamp accidentally come loose. The downside of using safety strops is that it takes a little longer to install or remove a camera from a clamp. There are several systems in use, for example:
- The most popular consists of channels cut into the middle of the clamp on either side (as seen on the Wimberley C-10 clamp below) combined with small screws at either end of the plate (as seen on the Hejnar PHOTO plate below). Should the plate come loose, the silver screw will hit against the end of the channel in the clamp, preventing it from coming all of the way out.
- Another popular safety system used by manufacturers like Acratech and Photo Clam is a spring loaded detent pin. As you slide or drop the plate in, the pin pops up into a pocket in the bottom of the plate, limiting its movement. This means to remove the plate, you either have to open the clamp wide enough to lift the plate straight out, or you need to depress the button (if it has one) on the clamp to lower the detent pin, while sliding it out.
- The third option is found on the Foba Superballs, and consists of a fixed barrier on one end of the plate (can be removed or lowered with a screwdriver), and a red, spring-loaded barrier on the other end, than can be pushed out of the way with your thumb while sliding in or out a plate. The problem with this design is when the plate is longer than the clamp. The big Superball has a very long clamp, and all our camera plates fit, but a couple of the longer lens plates we have don't. In contrast, some of our camera plates are too long for the shorter clamp on the smaller M-1 Superball.
Safety Stops on the Foba Superball.
Special Features
In recent years, several other features have been creeping into ball head design. The most common is a bubble level on the clamp to help get it horizontal. The Photo Clam Pro Gold II Easy PQR holds the current record, with three different levels so you can even level it with the head over at a 90 degree angle.
Photo Clam Pro Gold II Easy PQR showing 3 bubble levels and panning base.
The Pro Gold II Easy PQR also ups the ante by adding a panning base on top of the ball, below the clamp. Once leveled, this makes a perfect rotating platform for photographing single row panoramas, and this solution is significantly easier than trying to perfectly level a tripod.
The Acratech GP takes things even further. By attaching the clamp to the other end and flipping it upside down, it too can be used as a leveling base for single row panoramas. But the Acratech GP doesn't stop there. It has a special collar around the ball stem, which allows it to be used as a gimbal head with lenses up to a 400mm f4. Weighing in at less than 1 lb, this makes the Acratech GP an amazingly versatile head as part of a light travel or hiking kit.
In Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of considerations when buying a ball head, and some of these will be more relevant to your shooting style than others. The item we've completely ignored so far is your budget – basically the bigger your budget, the more choices you have, just like buying a car. Your first decision (budget aside) should be size and weight, and the ball head should match your tripod in terms of strength and load capacity. You really don't want to be hiking long distances with a heavy head like the Photo Clam PC-74NS or Foba Superball weighing you down, and you equally don't want to be using your 600mm f4 with one of the smaller ball heads.
Once you've determined the size, weight and functionality you need, it then comes down to usability and other features you desire: smoothness of operation, location and feel of the controls, whether you want a lever clamp and so forth. If you get a chance to handle the ball head you want to buy before committing, definitely do so, preferably with your camera attached – you might be surprised how differently some of these ball heads that look similar on paper actually handle from each other. Failing that read reviews, and ask questions of friends or in forums.
When it comes to ball heads, there is no one size fits all. The wrong ball head will get in your way and you'll be less inclined to use your tripod. However a good quality ball head that you enjoy using will serve you reliably for years, possibly even decades.
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