Markins Ball Head

[HeeHee]

Hi,

Anyone knows more about Markins ball head?
Need one that is good for 70 - 200 f2.8 Canon lense.
TK Photo sales guy recommend me Markins instead Manofotto 496RC2 or 498RC4.
But price wise, of course more X.

Can i hear your views.
Please dont bring Sirul Tripod into this thread for discussion.

Thanks

HEE HEE

 

[ManWearPants]

haha.....you didn't mention which ballhead are you looking at specifically. Almost any of the Markins ballhead can carry the load of 70-200.

Also, what do you mean by "good". What application are you looking for that requires it to be good - pano, precision, portability, etc.

 

[cleonbus]

I believe we already have a few threads on Markins:think:

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Hi,

Anyone knows more about Markins ball head?
Need one that is good for 70 - 200 f2.8 Canon lense.
TK Photo sales guy recommend me Markins instead Manofotto 496RC2 or 498RC4.
But price wise, of course more X.

Can i hear your views.
Please dont bring Sirul Tripod into this thread for discussion.

Thanks

HEE HEE

Whether or not to get a Markins ballhead is a personal choice. Sort of like choosing between different makes of cars.
I own a Markins Q3e and I really like it, but that doesn't mean you will.

Manfrotto ballheads are really good too.
Actually, so are Sirui G10/G20 ballheads

What are you trying to find out specifically?

btw it's a lens, not lense.

 

[HeeHee]

Honestly, i know nuts about Markins ball head.
Can anyone share what u you use.
Maybe i can start checking from there.

Thanks.

 

[denniskee]

Honestly, i know nuts about Markins ball head.
Can anyone share what u you use.
Maybe i can start checking from there.

Thanks.

problem, we dont know what is it that u r looking for?

whats ur budget?

beside the lens, what camera & with or without bat grip? and what about flash?

 

[Abbot Man]

I know nuts about the Markins ball head too....

The one I am using is from Photo Clam. The Photo Clam ball head is of high quality, and is meant to be comparable to a Markin (basically a knockoff of Markin heads, which were at one time a knockoff of Arca Swiss at a lower price). The ball control knob is microadjustable to provide the right pressure for minimal release, yet maximum control.This function is called Friction Preset. It allows you to set a minimum tension on the ball so that whatever you have mounted, at the determined minimum friction setting you can move the camera with one hand, and when you release the head will hold it in place - you don't have to un-tighten then re-tighten; basically you can move smoothly without releasing the grip from the big knob. Like Markin, it is also manufactured in Korea. See the following URL for details : http://www.tripodballhead.com/ .

A Markins M10 ballhead would cost around SGD$500+ worldwide and an I bought an equivalent, the PC-40NS, about SGD $330 at store in Hong Kong last September (2009):

http://reallybigcameras.com/PhotoClam/PC-40N_NS.htm

I am quite happy with it.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Honestly, i know nuts about Markins ball head.
Can anyone share what u you use.
Maybe i can start checking from there.

Thanks.

Markins ballheads aren't exactly cheap. If you don't know why you would want one, then best to avoid them first and do some research, otherwise you might feel that you pay $$$ for nothing.

For me, I like the material and finishing. Very smooth operation.

Beware that the Markins ballheads don't come with the mounting plate for you to fix onto the camera. So you'll need to buy that plate, which costs upwards of $40.

 

[Abbot Man]

Beware that the Markins ballheads don't come with the mounting plate for you to fix onto the camera. So you'll need to buy that plate, which costs upwards of $40.

Not only Markins ballheads do not come with camera plates, each plate is made "personalized" for each brand/model of camera (i.e one that made for Nikon 300 does not fix well for Nikon 700)....

Cheers.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Not only Markins ballheads do not come with camera plates, each plate is made "personalized" for each brand/model of camera (i.e one that made for Nikon 300 does not fix well for Nikon 700)....

Cheers.

hahaha well there are generic plates too, but I bought the customized one for D90 and I love it!

Anyway Markins uses the 'Arca-swiss' type of clamp, so if you have such a camera plate (eg. from a Sirui G10/G20, or Benro KB-1), you can attach it to the Markins head no problemo.

 

[HeeHee]

WHOA.
I think i am really knock out for this ball head.
I was told it cost around 300+ from TK Photo.
But then again, you never know what they are selling you.
What Markin heads cost that amount?

Thanks

 

[giantcanopy]

Light, durable and well made. tightens and losens like it shld. While it is not cheap, you are getting what you are paying for. I have both the M10 and Q3T on different setups.

Ryan

 

[HeeHee]

Whoa. I just checked the price.
To have a CX055PRO4 and Q3T with plate, it set me back like 1K.
OMG!!!!!

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Whoa. I just checked the price.
To have a CX055PRO4 and Q3T with plate, it set me back like 1K.
OMG!!!!!

You are the one who said don't bring Sirui into the discussion mah

As I said, Markins is not cheap. But I feel you do get what you pay for.
Anyway doesn't your 70-200/2.8 lens cost MUCH more than 2K?

 

[HeeHee]

Ok, well said.
Reason for not bring Sirul into this discussion is because i know a little bit more about Sirul.
John 3:16 did a great job explaining to me.
Now, i have to start thinking if i should get Manfotto 498RC4 head.
It does save me 720 which is 200 cheaper.
Anyone knows if Manfotto 498RC4 can support 70 - 200 f2.8.

Thnaks again.

 

[ManWearPants]

Seriously how heavy is your 70-200? 1.5kg. Any ballhead can support that load. As mentioned earlier, what is your application? If you are doing pano, ballheads may not be the best option. If you are doing architecture, ballhead may not be your best option. Without knowing your real needs, it would be hard for CSer to advise.

I am using a Markin Q3T for my general photography due to its lightweight and small footprint. It is very good as a single knob can tighten the ballhead very firmly, much better than some of those with 2 or 3 knobs that I have tried. However, it is not for moments when you require precision, moments when you need to fumble in the dark, moments when you need accurate leveling, etc. Markins is very good performance to price ratio. If you want to talk about expensive, you should see those Arca Swiss, Acratech, Gitzo, Linhof, Novoflex, etc. BTW, if you are interested in Markins, check out the MO. For $300+++, you are probably being recommended Q3, the bigger brother of Q3T.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Ok, well said.
Reason for not bring Sirul into this discussion is because i know a little bit more about Sirul.
John 3:16 did a great job explaining to me.
Now, i have to start thinking if i should get Manfotto 498RC4 head.
It does save me 720 which is 200 cheaper.
Anyone knows if Manfotto 498RC4 can support 70 - 200 f2.8.

Thnaks again.

Your original choice was Manfrotto CX055? The center column of that tripod can tilt to go horizontal, if that is your intended use.
You could pair Sirui CF legs with a Markins head + plate, and that should cost under $700. Is that a reasonable price for you?

Manfrotto 498RC4 should support your 70-200 no problemo.

 

[HeeHee]

Hi there,

Thank you for your valuable advice.
I like to shoot Pano but never had the chance as the tripod i have cannot take my camera weight.
Am on Canon 7D with Grip, 24-70 f2.8 lense most of the time.
The reason for getting a tripod is am using 70-200 f2.8 for some product shoot.
Yes, it is not the best camera but i does serve it purpose.
Of course with better budget, i would love another lense.
Hence, i greatly appreciate ur feedback.
Looks like its value for money.

Cheers and have a great day ahead.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

7D is a very capable camera. Don't look down on it!

If you don't require the center column to go horizontal, the tripod can be a bit cheaper. Sorry I'm not so familiar with Manfrotto lineup, but I'm quite certain the 'X' series denotes the ability to go horizontal.

I think it's best that you set your budget firmly, then look for a combo that fits it.

btw, you still spelling lens wrongly... no such word as 'lense'

 

[giantcanopy]

Previously the first thing after i got my camera and basic lens was a good tripod and a good ballhead. ( that was after heeding the advices of forumers ) And it is still serving me so well i got no chance to change to something else :bsmilie:

Not marketting for any pdts in particular, but just a general statement

ryan