The other day my new ball head arrived, a Markins Q-Ball Q3 "Emille". I considered many options (RRS, Arca Swiss, Novoflex, Cullman, Manfrotto, etc) and found the Markins was compact, very light, and capable of bearing heavy loads relative to it's own size and weight. It was also one of the least expensive. That compared with online reviews and user feedback was enough for me to give it a try.
So far (only had it a few weeks), I'm very happy. It's much easier to use than the old Gitzo off-centre ball that came with my tripod, very smooth and stable. It feels like a precision instrument.
I ordered the ball head without plate, and picked up a plate with QR lever and spirit level from RRS, as well as a plate for the Rollei. Based on how easy this system has made everything (yeah, I used to manually screw the camera to the Gitzo head, then fumble with the screw under the plate to release the camera, then attach it again, and back and forth - what a way to spend time), I plan on picking up a plate for at least one of the 35mm cameras as well (probably the Nikon as the Contax is more for walks and such when it's sunny).
I was a bit unsure if I should get the Q10 or not, but Markins assured me that the Q3 would support the camera and lens fine. That seems to be the case.
It's nice to slowly be getting the practical things sorted out and concentrating more on getting the image right.
Cheers, Thor --- Rollei List - Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx- Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org
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