Ball Heads

Ball heads are the perfect pair with a photography tripod. While a set of legs provides your camera with stable support, it’s the head that allows you to position it in any direction. Most tripods come with a basic head that will do the job, but a ball head offers much more flexibility and precision – in the course of a shoot, you’ll likely be adjusting the head a lot more than the legs.

Ball Heads

A ball head is a pretty straightforward thing, consisting of a rotating ball housed inside a socket that gives the camera a full range of movement through almost any axis. Commonly constructed from aluminium or magnesium alloy, ball heads are designed to be strong, but lightweight. At the top sits the mounting plate with a screw thread for fixing into the bottom of the camera, either a ¼-inch or a ⅜-inch thread. Many ball heads will use Arca-Swiss quick-release plates that can be rapidly attached and removed. If you see a ball head referred to as “Arca-style” or “Arca-compatible” or similar, this is what it means.

Like a tripod, a ball head will have a maximum recommended load capacity for how much gear can be safely mounted. If you’re using a heavier setup (i.e. a DSLR with large telephoto lenses) then it’s important to double-check that a head can support the weight of your kit. In general, heads with a larger ball diameter can support a greater amount of weight – though, naturally, they are bulkier and less portable as a result.

If you’re using a lightweight camera setup, such as a small mirrorless camera, a compact camera or even a smartphone, then you will likely be better off with a smaller, lighter ball head that doesn’t take up too much room in your kit bag.

There are a number of key features to look out for in ball heads for photography tripods. A good head should have tight locking knobs that keep the camera rigidly in place once you’ve selected your desired position. These are generally rubberised or knurled knobs, though some ball heads use locking levers. Many heads also have built-in bubble levels for alignment purposes, meaning you can easily make sure your shots are straight and level.

Ideally, a photographer’s ball head should also have a dedicated panoramic locking knob, which allows the camera to be smoothly rotated along a horizontal axis – this is useful for panning shots. Alternatively, a ball head might offer a 360-degree rotation ring that operates independently of the ball mechanism. Some dedicated panoramic ball heads also have numbered degree scales that allow you to be precise and consistent with your horizontal rotation, which is handy not just for panoramas, but also for shooting time-lapse.

While ball heads can be useful for video, in general they are more popular among photographers for their precision and the ease with which the user can make quick adjustments to camera position. Video shooters will likely be better off with a fluid video head, allowing them to make smooth camera movements while continuously recording.