Tripod Ball Head

I bought this because I lost the quick release (QR) plate on my Beike BK-555 aluminium travel tripod. The head is the same type as the Bogen 3157N / Manfrotto 200PL-14 ball head in that the plate clips in and is held by a lever. While I could get replacements I was not sure they would fit so to resolve the matter I bought this ball head that has a standard Arca-Swiss compatible QR plate which also fits my other tripod and getting a replacement is easy. I also find it easier to use. It is a good looking solid ball head 100 grams / 4oz lighter than the one it replaced. As I have removed the bottom two legs from the tripod the whole thing now weighs 900 grams. When you carry it on your back with a whole load of gear every little helps! What I also like is the 360 degrees markings on the base so it can be rotated by a fixed amount then locked in place. This is very useful when it comes to taking panoramic landscape photos when you need a certain amount of overlap to stitch the pics together. The only criticism is that it does not have a D ring on the screw that attaches to the camera so you must use a 20p coin although a D ring can make attachment a bit fiddly. The solution could be to buy a 1/4'' D-Ring Screw for Camera Tripod Monopod Quick Release Plate, file a thick washer flat, or as I do use a Brother Round Sewing Machine Screwdriver Product Code: XC1074051. I already had one of these and attach it to the tripod cover drawstring so it is always there and does not get lost see photo. Update: I am pleased to state that because of the small size of the QR plate you can use a dummy battery on an Olympus EM1 MKII with the door open enough to accommodate the cable.

Bought it for film scanning. Holds well a 2kg camera and macro lens in a relatively awkward. Haven't tried the panoramic feature but seems to be smooth. Bought it at an excellent price.

Seems pretty well made and easily supports my Olympus OMD with 60mm macro lens onto my mini tripod. I quite like the red colour too. I was initially a bit frustrated that it requires a different base plate attachment to camera than my Manfrotto tripod. If you have this problem, then Manfrotto make a base plate that fits both. Search for "manfrotto rc2 arca swiss". I wouldn't really describe the plate for this ball head as "quick release", though. It's secured by tightening a thread, unlike my Manfrotto ball head that has a clip on and off mechanism. That's a very minor grip, though.

All SMALLRIG gear is fit for purpose.

Good price and quick delivery. Light weight and well made nice quality

I used this on my slider, it was a nice cheap affordable alternative to the more expensive brands. Well-made. Did what you expected to do.

This is brilliant! I have a Nikon D5600 and was gifted a Vanguard tripod two years ago (Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 263AP Aluminium 3-section Tripod with MACC and 3-way Pan Head). It's a great tripod in its own right - very sturdy but, a bit cumbersome in some situations where I'd like to adjust it quickly. This ball head attachment works fantastically and is very sturdy and smooth in movement. I just screwed the unit into the quick-release platform on the tripod and then screwed the attachment's release plate onto my camera. Highly recommend it - excellent value for money and preferable at this stage to not spend a small fortune on a whole new tripod that already has a ball head mechanism.

A really good, well made Tripod head that "just works". It's a sturdy design and coped really well with all that the Sahara could throw at it on a recent trip to Morocco. Had mime arrived with all the parts listed, this would easily have been a 5 star review but the pack was missing both the Arca plate and the adaptor. My tripod head arrived too close to my trip for me to be able to send it back or arrange that the missing parts be sent so maybe Smallrig would have resolved this.