vanguard SBH-250 And L-Bracket

[PantelisMor]

Hello,

i am thinking to buy a vanguard SBH-250. I would like to ask how can we use a L-bracket ?
I am asking you because i know this ball head is not arca swiss compatible.

Thx

 

[RAH]

I think the best way is to add an Arca/Swiss adapter, like the Desmond DAC-X1 50mm Quick Release Skeleton Clamp:

Desmond DAC-X1 50mm Quick Release Skeleton Clamp DAC-X1 B&H

Desmond makes a few adapter clamps like that (some smaller, some large), but I find that one to be the best overall. The only downside is that you have to mount it on top of the built-in Vanguard QR plate (you cannot use it to REPLACE the Vanguard plate), so you have to tighten things down well, and it does add a few ounces of weight.

 

[PantelisMor]

Or maybe a better solution would be a ball head Arca/Swiss.

Which head is good under 100.00 euro ??

 

[RAH]

There are a lot of ballheads that meet your criteria. I really like the inexpensive Smith-Victor heads, but they don't seem to be available any more. The Sunwayfoto FB-28i:

Sunwayfoto FB-28i Ball Head FB-28I B&H Photo Video

looks nice, and the well-known company Benro seems to have a bunch of similar arca ballheads too.

The best bang for buck in a small arca ballhead is the Joby Head X:

Joby Ballhead X (Black) JB00157 B&H Photo Video

I use it on several travel tripods and it works great; and it has a separate pan lock, which can be hard to find at this price (e.g. those pathetic Manfrotto heads with only one knob).

 

[PantelisMor]

How about Sirui K-20x Ball Head ?

 

[RAH]

It looks very nice. I would assume that anything made by Sirui is pretty high quality. I have several of their tripods and think they are very good. The head is a little more thna you wanted to spend, I thought, but, yeah, it's nice (even has a tension control!).

 

[mcasan]

Replace any non Area-Swiss clamp with one that is. Any existing clamp should spin off the shaft coming out of the ball. Arca-Swiss compatible clamps from Sunwayphoto and others are dirt cheap at B&H, Adorama,...etc.

 

[SojiOkita]

How about Sirui K-20x Ball Head ?

I use Sirui K-10x ballhead and it's great (so the K-20x should be great too), but it's not available under 100€.

 

[mcasan]

We use the Sirui K-20X and like them very much. Excellent value! It will definitely hold a E-M1 II with 300mm Pro lens.

Sirui K-20x Ball Head SUK20X B&H Photo Video

 

[Speedliner]

How about Sirui K-20x Ball Head ?

The sirui are very nice. I have two. The Vanguard heads are nice too. I have a SBH-100 for sale now. It is arca compatible and plenty for m43 gear.

I also like the acratech heads a lot but they are expensive.

 

[ijm5012]

I own a K-10X & K-20X. Both excellent ball heads IMO, and I'm not really certain what else I would need from a ball head.

I have no problem recommending either of those ball heads. I use the K-20X on my larger tripod, and the K-10X on smaller tripods

 

[RAH]

The sirui are very nice. I have two. The Vanguard heads are nice too. I have a SBH-100 for sale now. It is arca compatible and plenty for m43 gear.

I agree with you that Vanguard heads are nice, but I think you are not correct that the SBH-100 is arca compatible. I looked at your for sale pictures and it looks like a standard (unmodified) SBH-100, which has a Vanguard QR system that uses a Vanguard QR plate, not arca/swiss. I am not disparaging the head in any way, just don't want any possible buyer to be unhappy.

 

[Speedliner]

I'll go test it out. It has been awhile since I used it.

 

[Replytoken]

How about Sirui K-20x Ball Head ?

Sirui heads are often a good value for their price, but I really recommend trying any head before purchasing. A good head is a pleasure to use, and a bad head will make you want to toss your whole tripod setup over the nearest cliff. Keep in mind things like tension knobs and lever vs. screw clamps among other things.

Good luck,

--Ken