ANNSMTripod Ball Head 360 Degree Rotating Swivel Panoramic Head with Cold Shoe Seat and 38mm Width QR Plate for DSLR Camera,Smartphone,Video Light,Slider,Stabilizer,Monopod

I am quite impressed with this ball head. The pan and ball movements are very smooth. Even the screws are impressively smooth. I highly recommend it.

I'll begin by admitting that I don't use a tripod most of the time. I prefer handholding my camera unless I'm shooting with my 150-600, and I still handhold more often than I should.I will acknowledge though that I've seen the difference in sharpness of my camera club's members who do use a tripod regularly. A couple of them have ball heads which seem to operate easier than the standard head I've been wrestling with. The handles always seem to be interfering with where I want my camera to be, and I don't like hauling it around.I saw this ball head and was intrigued by the reviews and the price, so I ordered one for myself.It arrived very quickly and was well packaged, with no damages at all.Upon my initial inspection of the unit I was very impressed. The materials feel high-quality, the machining is very professional looking, and the knobs and the ball itself operate very smoothly.The head is basically the same weight as the factory head it replaced. The knobs are easy to operate, and they lock down with little effort. There are also built-in levels to assist you with making sure your camera is set at the angle you desire.After swapping out my original tripod's head for the ball head, I wanted to see how supportive it is with my heaviest lens, a Sigma 150-600 Contemporary.The photos I've included with this review aren't great, just cell phone shots in my living room, but I've shown it mounted with my gear at various angles. Each position I've placed it in has held steady with no drift or drop at all!Using it in the field has actually been an easier adjustment than I expected. It has a quick release plate so mounting and dismounting are relatively easy. The unlimited number of positions you can place your camera in is amazing. It's very easy to adjust, and has far more latitude than the original head has.The closest thing to a complaint I have about this head is that the quick release knob is a tad difficult to use when mounted to the bottom of my camera, just because it's physically close to the camera.It also has a cold shoe mount if you have the need for one.I did read one review that mentioned the attachment screw being too long. I didn't have that issue at all. The screw allows mounting to both of my cameras with no issues. I'm thinking there was a materials issue with a batch/lot of these that quality control unfortunately missed.After using this ball head a few times, I am definitely recommending it. The quality is great, it's easy to use, and the price is impressive! It's helped convince me that a tripod can be a good thing!

Right away I attached this nice ball head to my monopod to use while traveling. I had a cheaper plastic ball head on it that would always creak and flex a little. No movement or flex with this one, its all metal construction makes sure of that, and I really like the black and red color scheme .I admit the weight is a little more that that of my plastic rig, but it is also much better made. It has a cold show to which you can attach a microphone, light, or other accessory. It also has a bubble level so you can make sure your shot is level before pressing the shutter.It easily accepts attachments for the most common devices I use for photography, my phone, a GoPro camera and a large SLR. It is also very easy to attach these devices with the captive ring on the attachments plate. You don't need any tools to attach them, you just use this ring to turn the screw until it is tight or to unscrew it. The base also mounts securely to the ball head once you screw it tight using the red set screw on its side.The ball head sets securely with no creep or sliding at all and rotates freely when you loosen its large and easy to turn knob. Finally, the horizontal rotation can be fixed for screwing the whole assembly onto a monopod or tripod, or loosened for very smooth rotation and includes an angle guide along its circumference.Excellent quality device for a good price. Recommended. Especially if you are like me and want to cut down on the equipment you carry on your trips abroad.

I presume the parts of this ball head are machined. They are beautifully crafted and finished, imparting both a visual and tactile impression of high quality. Once you handle the unit, those impressions are confirmed. This is a quality ball head, larger and heavier than the inexpensive ball heads so many of us use. Yes, this adds some weight and bulk to my field kit that I use with my iPhone and Sony RX100, but the quality and versatility render it a worthwhile trade-off. The QR Plate is a nice addition, making camera handling in the field easier and quicker. Very unusual in my experience is the provision of two bullseye bubble levels on the ball head. One is located on the horizontal top plate next to the channel for the removable plate and the other is in the head of the knob that adjusts tension for the plate. Oddly, the levels aren’t mentioned in the description, but you can see them in the photographs of the head on the Amazon ad page. I estimate ball size at about one inch, so you can do some pretty fine adjustments. There is also a scale on the bottom ring of the head for shooting panoramas. The degree markings are very crisp and clear. A cold shoe is provided, so you can mount a mic, light, magic arm or what have you. On the bottom is a 3/8th hole with a ¼-20 adapter already screwed in. There are three knobs for adjustments. Each of them has knurled ridges, so they are easy to grasp and use for fine adjustments. All three tighten down firmly so there is no movement of any part of the head. The vendor headlines this as “Designed for Vlog” and I agree with that contention. A little larger and heavier than you might like, but quality through and through. This is far superior to the lighter and smaller ball heads I’ve been using – and immeasurably superior to them.Jerry