“ I expect that we're not allowed to promote equipment on this website- but apart from it looks and feels sturdy any tips welcome. “
Posting links to third party gear violates forum rules. I have never experienced an issue the gear I actually use in a photo. The previous image is Really Right Stuff BH/55 ball head with a lever locking clamp. The clamp works great, but it does have a lot of resistance to flip. I wish I had gotten the screw clamp.
Most quality ball heads have little to no backlash when the camera is pointing level horizontally. The rubber hits the road when you angle the camera away from horizontal, like up at the Moon. The BH-55 has zero backlash at any angle, even with several pounds of gear.
But ball heads are most susceptible to backlash. For less than half the cost of the RRS BH-55, this Benro geared head has zero backlash as you tighten it down. The downside is that it takes far more time to set up and orient the camera. It’s great for capturing the Moon and macro shots.
My only complaint with the Benro geared head is that I needed to add a Manfrotto spacer accessory to raise the head 3cm above the droid spider.. The lowermost handle is too close to the tripod.
Both heads are mounted on the same Benro Series 4 video tripod. The tripod doesn’t have a center column. It uses a 75mm flat plate. Heads mount on the plate.
The flat plate has a quick release. I have different types of heads mounted on their own plate. I can change heads in just a few seconds. I have ball, geared, video, and gimbal heads.
The video head actually mounts to a 75mm bowl. The tripod accepts 75mm plates or bowls. Those same plates and bowls are compatible with my hi/hat mini tripod.
