CAVIXTripod Ball Head, H-36A Metal Ball Head Camera Tripod Head 33lbs/15kg Load with Arca Swiss Quick Release Plate for Tripod, Monopod, DSLR, Camera…

I take photos of the moon with my Lumix S5 ii and Sigma 60-600mm DG DN OS Sports lens. The total weight is close to 10 lbs and quite offset from the center of a ball head when tilted up. Using my excellent Sirui 7C Traveler tripod with its small, 1 inch ball head, this camera/lens combo is not held rigidly and you can easily push the lens around even with a tightened ball. It’s fine for smaller lenses. This movement is despite the claim of the tripod and head supporting 17.6 lbs. For other, more dynamic shooting with the 60-600mm lens, I use a monopod and a Movo GH800 gimbal head..I looked around for a larger ball, which would clamp better and found this CAVIX H-46 ball head. I particularly liked that the ball-locking mechanism is like a clamp around the ball with a locking lever, not a knob. That design should provide a more even and tighter clamping than a one-sided knob pressing against the ball, typical of many ball heads. I have not been disappointed with my purchase at all!.This CAVIX ball head has a good weight to it and the lever and knurled metal ARCA plate knob have a nice tactile feel and are very effective. The panning lock knob is hard plastic but you never need much leverage on that one. This is a well-made, quality ball head..I was surprised at how much fluid damping is in the panning base rotation. I initially just loosened it slightly and thought I’d not turned it enough. It didn’t move easily as I expected. It was tough to rotate in my hand. It also went stiff part the way around. I’ve now found that you have to fully unscrew the rotational locking knob and the panning is then smooth, but damped, over the full 360 degrees. It would be perfect for smooth panning with video and panoramas, both things I don’t do much of, though I really appreciate having the feature. With my camera mounted, the stiffness is still noticeable but quite acceptable when aligning the camera..Mounted to my tripod, I was very happy with the low profile and the overall look and feel. It looks like it came with the tripod, and comparing the Sirui and CAVIX heads, I much prefer the beefier, shorter CAVIX. My lens mounted perfectly in the ARCA plate and the ball head DOES NOT MOVE at all once tightened. Mission accomplished!The panning damping is actually a nice feature and panning is controlled and smooth, unlike my undamped Sirui head’s pan action.It’s nice to see the bubble level actually on the mounting plate, facing up and usable, not at the end of the knob and of zero use, like most! I rotate the ball around, so that the ARCA knob is to my left, then it doesn’t interfere with the ball locking lever on the front right, if the long lens is mounted to the ARCA plate and tilted down, nor interfere with my finger and thumb. It’ll be facing me with the camera body mounted to the ARCA plate..The Sirui tripod ARCA plate has a unique push-button mechanism to avoid the foot sliding out of the clamp. A normal ARCA plate won’t fit and needs the two small, Allen-headed anti-slip screws removed. You basically are forced to use the Sirui plate if you want the anti-loss feature, which is no good if you have more than one camera and just the one supplied Sirui ARCA mount plate! This CAVIX ARCA system is the traditional design and ends that frustration. 😊.The accessories include an Allen Key to remove the ARCA mounting plate from the ball head, if you ever need to do that, and a 3/8-to-1/4-inch tripod mounting adapter. There is also a little profiled flat plate/tool (?) and I have absolutely no idea what it’s for. There’s no instruction leaflet in the box. Just the parts in baggies. The ARCA mounting plate has a 1/4-inch screw to mount to the camera, with both a coin slot and a flip-up, finger-tightening loop. A handy, tool-less feature..CONCLUSION:.At $50, this has been money well spent. Very well spent IMHO.I am very pleased with the performance of this CAVIX H-46 ball head. The damping on the panning action has been a pleasant surprise, since it is mentioned nowhere in the product description and is proving to be very useful.I have no hesitation in recommending this ball head, and I’m not easily pleased!

I've bought a few of these for various things, and I've had nothing but good experiences with them. If you're looking for a compact, low profile ball-head without spending loads of $ This might be worth I try, I know I'm glad I found it

CAVIX hit it out of the park with this design and production. When I picked it up it felt heavy. Controls are large and easy to use which means tool free adjustments. Allen wrench was included so the top can be removed from the ball but I cannot figure out why you would want to. Level built in so it can level whatever you mount regardless of how far off the tripod was set up. This is a product I can recommend without reservation.

I had a tripod with a still camera head. Leveling for video is maddening because the only way to do it is constantly adjust the legs.

This ball head has some good grip, once it's locked down camera doesent move, very satisfied. For the price it's a keeper, and the panning action is silky smooth.