tripod heads

[bennito42]

As one who has not used the site for a while (11 weeks in hospital, I am starting to slowly get back to landscape photography. I've been looking at some new equipment including a ball tripod head . Could someone please tell me why they are so expensive ?:

[jjphoto]

No, I can't. But Vanbar brings in a Chinese brand which is quite cheap, no idea about the quality though. Ckeck the Vanbar site.

JJ

[Kym]

Pick at most two of ... Stable, Light, or Cheap ?

[kiwi]

What's expensive ?

[Cage]

I did a write up of how I selected my new ball head here ....http://www.ausphotography.net.au/for...why-I-chose-it.

I figured the bottom line re cost was that the cheaper ball heads all suffered 'droop'.

I also did a beginners guide to ballheads but I can't find where it has been moved to.

[ricktas]

What's expensive ?

agree! $50.00 is expensive to some and $500.00 is cheap to others.

[jim]

I figured the bottom line re cost was that the cheaper ball heads all suffered 'droop'.

That's been my experience too. In fact I reckon my tripod heads are among the most expensive on the market, since I paid for two "inexpensive" Manfrotto heads before finding a head that didn't droop. (The good one is an Arca Swiss Monoball Z, and I'm happy to say I've forgotten how much it cost. I also have an Acratech head which cost a little less, and is also good.)

[crf529]

If you buy a $100 cheapie and it droops, you then might look at a $150-200 head, if that's not nice to use then you........

I bought a RRS BH-55 straight out, I could've used a BH-40 with no dramas, but I didn't want to compromise on ease of use either. So I paid a bit more for a top of the line item that should last 10-15 years +, and won't ever have me working with any compromises that would no doubt see me with this head in the end anyway...

[Xenedis]

As one who has not used the site for a while (11 weeks in hospital, I am starting to slowly get back to landscape photography. I've been looking at some new equipment including a ball tripod head . Could someone please tell me why they are so expensive ?:

Any item of quality will not be inexpensive.

You'd need to qualify what you consider expensive for a tripod head, bearing in mind that the price reflects quality, sturdiness, durability and features, as well as the name.

And remember that the man who buys a cheap tripod/head soon owns two.

[bennito42]

Thanks to everyone for your responses......... now it's time to get serious and explore the alternatives.

[PJAD]

If you buy a quality item, you only buy it once, hang the expense. I see a lot of photographers, and I've done it myself, where we start off with something thinking it will do only to find that it doesn't and then get something else. Well, I've settled on a RRS BH-55 ball head, like crf529 has, because it does not droop, the RRS ground tripod because it's very stable, and I use a Manfrotto gear drive head (middle model) because it's tough. All this gear has been purchased overseas when the dollar was (and currently is) in good shape. So, in terms of "expensive", not only is it relative to an individual, but how much research one does and where one gets their stuff from. It's unfortunate that local retailers charge so much.

Peter