Really disappointed with Acratech ballhead reviews

[MelbourneGuy]

Hi all

I'm doing a lot of research into ballheads as I am looking for something top-notch and lightweight. So I'm looking at the Acratech ballheads amongst others (Markins Q3, RRS BH-40, Kirk BH-3 etc).

I initially considered the Ultimate ballhead, but decided against it since it doesn't have a separate friction knob and 45 degree angle means you have to pan it around to tilt the camera up towards the sky.

Then I looked at the GV2, which adds the friction knob and allows free movement in every direction. However, I saw a number of different reviews online which all say that there is slippage (both downwards and to the right) with this ballhead. For the price, this seems totally unacceptable to me. Can anybody share their experience on this?

References:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ad-Review.aspx
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/687302/0
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=385634

P.S. I hope freedom of speech is allowed in these forums regarding Acratech since I see advertisements for them plastered on virtually every page.

[Xtol19]

I've the ultimate ballhead, it's perfectly fine for my needs.

But if you think acratech doesn't meet your expectations, don't buy.

What's the beef? You don't have to give them your money.

Originally Posted by MelbourneGuy Hi all I'm doing a lot of research into ballheads as I am looking for something top-notch and lightweight. So I'm looking at the Acratech ballheads amongst others (Markins Q3, RRS BH-40, Kirk BH-3 etc). I initially considered the Ultimate ballhead, but decided against it since it doesn't have a separate friction knob and 45 degree angle means you have to pan it around to tilt the camera up towards the sky. Then I looked at the GV2, which adds the friction knob and allows free movement in every direction. However, I saw a number of different reviews online which all say that there is slippage (both downwards and to the right) with this ballhead. For the price, this seems totally unacceptable to me. Can anybody share their experience on this? References: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/R...ad-Review.aspx http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/687302/0 http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=385634 P.S. I hope freedom of speech is allowed in these forums regarding Acratech since I see advertisements for them plastered on virtually every page.

[PrimePhotog]

Never considered Arca-Swiss?

[Hacker]

I had the Z1 Single pan, sold it to get the Z1 Double Pan.

[egnaro]

he will not buy Arcaswiss BH, too heavy for him...

[MelbourneGuy]

That's right. Sorry, I kind of launched two threads on similar topics. The main conversation is at http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=517606.