Vanguard ABH-340L Ball Head with Quick Release & Combination-Friction Forces Control (CFFC), Max Height: 4-1/8 inch

2012-09-20T21:00:00

This ball head performs quite nicely and achieves its goal to provide very even tension throughout its range. The tensioning control requires a bit of practice as it's not intuitive at first, but you'll quickly get the hang of it. Very smooth and solid lock with 3/4 turn of main knob. I'm using Canon 7D, often with 70-200 f/2.8L which is a very heavy lens. Excellent support thru entire range. Using a Kirk L-bracket which required some adjustment of the quick release mechanism, but now fit is solid as a rock. Great build quality, feels substantial. Actually smoother and easier to control past 30 deg. off vertical than my Kirk ballhead. A steal at current pricing!!! Get one!!

Mervin C.

2012-08-19T21:00:00

I purchased this head to balance some long lenses on a Gitzo tripod. It works wonderfully in this application, easily supporting a 400mm lens while still allowing for smooth sdjustments (not video smooth, however). Best ball head I've ever used.

AP_180

2012-06-17T21:00:00

Great tripod head. This head is solid and well made. It also came in very fancy packaging and included a carry pouch. The controls are a little complicated. A must have for large Dslr Cameras.

Ahvaio

2012-04-20T21:00:00

What do I think of this head? I received one today and after about 45 minutes of testing I ordered another one. Let me start by saying that I don't have lot of experience with top-notch ball heads. I started 7 years ago with one of those Manfrotto grip heads. That would have been OK for a small SLR and kit lens, but nothing bigger. Not only did it slip, but it wasn't smooth and it was very difficult to position precisely. As I expanded my kit and improved my photography, I recognized I needed something better. My next purchase was a Vanguard SBH-200. At the time I liked it as well as any of the more expensive heads I tried in my local camera stores, and it was half the price of anything comparable I could lay my hands on. That said, it clearly wasn't fabulous, and I had one of the few reviews with anything negative to say about that product line. It was far smoother and stronger than my previous head, but if the friction was tight enough to support the weight of a D200 & 80-200 f2/8, it was jerky and hard to position. Once you got it pointed where you wanted, it was very stable in most positions, but it would creep when tilted at extreme angles no matter how tight I wrenched the locking knob. Finally, the friction and locking knobs are very close to the same size and position, just on opposite sides of the head. I often grabbed the wrong knob when shooting at night. It was a good-enough head, but I knew immediately that I would be upgrading sometime in the future. I thought I would buy an Arca or RRS head when I could afford it, but I stumbled on the ABH series by accident a few months ago. The single-knob caught my attention, and in looking closer I could see that it was a completely different design. While it looked promising, there weren't any reviews and I wasn't interested in something marginally better than what I had. Last week I happened to see some positive reviews for the product line and Adorama had this model for an unbelievable price, so I pulled the trigger. This is what a ball head should be. The operation of the friction adjustment wasn't obvious at first, but Vanguard included an illustrated instruction card that explains how to use it in three easy steps. That's in addition to an instruction booklet with more detailed guidance. The first major difference between this and other heads I had tried was the Acra-compatible QR plate. The dovetail design allows the plate to slide on the head to better balance the load. The plate that comes with it has an off-center mounting screw which combined with the dovetail allows the camera to be shifted about 1" on either side of center on the head. This was enough that my D700 with 80-200 and battery grip could be perfectly balanced on the head, eliminating any flexing during camera positioning. If 1" isn't enough for your rig, there are plenty of manufacturers that make longer plates for under $30. The mounting screw also accepts a 5/32 hex wrench in addition to the typical flat-bladed screw driver. This allows you to get good leverage with a small tool to keep the camera from rotating on the plate when shooting in portrait orientation - a problem I've had more than once in the past. Once I centered my camera and dialed in the friction, I could easily position the camera wherever I wanted and release it without any movement - before tightening the locking knob! It turns out that's the way these things are supposed to work. Who knew? Once I tightened the locking knob, there was no creep in any camera position I tried. There was one very small "defect" in the locking mechanism. When tightening the locking knob very tightly the frame would shift slightly toward the knob. The range of motion was very slight, almost exactly the width of the line in my focus area indicator (maybe 3 degrees), and it was only noticeable when I tightened very hard, which I soon realized I didn't need to do. One of the reviews I read indicated that the L-type quick release was a bad design - it was too tight and hard to adjust. That isn't the case with mine. Closed locks the plate securely in place. Open half-way allows the plate to slide in the dovetail, but it's still captive in the head so it can't accidentally fall out. Full open allows the plate to be removed. There's a small thumb-wheel in the head that allows the tension to be adjusted easily and precisely. It's a very clever design. This head is far better than anything under $ that I ever tried in a camera store. Is it as good as a $ Arca? I've never even touched one, so I can't say. I also doubt I'll find out. This is all the ball head I need.

CHARLES E.