Ballheads

A reader of The Sharpest Image inquires whether I have compared the Burzynski ballhead to the Really Right Stuff BH-50/55 and/or the Arca Swiss B1 (now replaced by the Z1).

Indeed, I did swap heads between the G1325 and G1548 tripods, but found little evidence of any variance in sharpness caused by the ballhead, with image sharpness apparently being dominated by tripod-leg resonance. When appropriately tightened/clamped, all of them offered excellent stability with the camera (or lens) balanced over the head.

With unequal weight distribution, the story might be different; the outrageously sturdy Burzynski head inspires confidence, and its design is inherently strong. With really large lenses (300mm f/2.8 and larger), the Burzynski is unruffled whereas the other two ballheads might exhibit somewhat less stability, and simply are not built (or at least do not appear to be built) to accommodate such lenses. Of course, such huge lenses are often more easily handled with a gymballed head, such as the Wimberly.