Shot taken with Pentax K-x and
Tamron 500mm f/8.0 (55BB)
Tamron 500mm f/8.0 (55BB)
I have been taken a hiatus from blogging after I get a bit burned out in setting out various milestones to trim my gear. I bought my 645N over six months ago and it was not until the last weekend that I got a reasonably sturdy ballhead that I could take it out for some test shots.
KS-0 Professional tripod ballhead from eBay
GTai
GTai
I have a better ballhead with Linhof but I don't have the right base plate for quick release. I took a gamble in getting a cheap and seemingly inexpensive ball-head to try from ebay on KS-0 professional tripod ballhead. It came from Hong Kong and with shipping, it only costs $40. I won't recommend it right away as the build is not as good as I would like. But so far it does the job fine for me. I especially like the two controls knobs to secure the ball-head firmly in place while having the 3rd smallest knob for rotation. The unexpected weakness is on the 3/8" screw that I need to secure with a coin on the quick release. That is very inconvenient to use.
Very difficult to tighten the base plate
I need to use a coin to help
An extra locking feature that I like
I need to press the side button in order to release
the plate from the ball-head
I need to press the side button in order to release
the plate from the ball-head
The ball-head claims to support 8 Kg or 17.6 lb and I am yet to test it on a heavier setup with longer telephoto lens. When I mounted my Pentax 645N with a FA 45mm f/2.8, the setup is very sturdy on the ball-head. I can actually carry the camera mounted on tripod while looking for a spot to set up the shooting. When I use the ballhead of my Tamron SP 500mm f/8.0 adaptall-2 (55BB), the whole thing looks sturdy and easy to use.
Impressions & Notes- Quite small and have two knobs to tighten the ball-head in place
- Third smallest knob is used for rotation, quite smooth in the field
- ball-head claims to support for 8kg/17.6lb and so far so good in first outing with Pentax 645N
- First weakness is on the use of quick plate that is difficult to tighten unless I use a coin to help
- Second weakness on the knob control on the locking plate as I found the knob getting stuck in unwinding a couple of times. It looks like some lubricant is needed to help to ease up the friction noted.
- I like the extra locking feature which prevents the locking plate from dismounting.
- Build is not fantastic but I find it reasonable for the price.
- Seems easy to use with exception on tightening the locking plate screw, a coin can address the problem but it is still inconvenient for quick release.
- The KS-0 ball-head seems similar in design to Benro ball-head that I have seen.
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2 comments:
I was able to get a newer copy of this KS-0 ballhead. It got beautiful finish. The plate, balls & knobs works well. The locking plate screw has now a foldable holder. Unfortunately, the base doesn't sit well and there's always an up and down play which specially magnified with a heavier &/or a longer lens. And after a week, it(the base) leaks. Hence, I have to get rid of it and reinstall my tilt & pan head while I wait for the ballhead with more proven reputation. The only saving grace is that it's cheap.
I just got one of these as well & it is not very well constructed. The screw you complained about has been changed to a better design, however, the QR plate won't tighten up securely, even with the knob as tight as it can be. Second issue is that the whole QR assembly wobbles on the shaft that supports it & I see no way to tighten it. Only moves about 1mm, but very annoying...
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