KPS Geared Ball Head

BabaGanoush

Over the years I have owned a variety of tripod heads: pan heads from several different manufacturers, two versions of Manfrotto geared heads, and different capacity ball heads to accommodate either my DSLRs or my mirrorless cameras. I have to admit I was never able to get the hang of the ball head. I managed okay for coarse pointing, but for fine pointing I was a total klutz. I could never get the pointing exactly right. Pan heads were more to my liking, but I would get frustrated when, after carefully positioning my camera, the pointing moved each time I tightened the handles of the head to secure the camera. Geared heads are a lot more my style, except they tend to be large and heavy...and their axial motions under load are not always precise enough to satisfy me.

Recently I decided to purchase the KPS T5D geared ball head, which intrigued me because it combines the advantages of both the ball head as well as the geared head, i.e., the flexibility of the coarse motions of the former and the fine motions of the latter. I've had the head for about a month now, and find that it has worked well for me in every respect. The head works just as you would expect: you loosen the ball head with one knob to aim your camera in the approximate direction you want, and then, after tightening the same knob to increase the friction on the ball, you use the two geared knobs and the panorama knob to correct the coarse pointing to the precise orientation you want.

The head is relatively expensive as such things go, but it appears well engineered. So far, based on my short trial period using it, I consider it worth the price. The T5D model I ordered comes with a permanently affixed Arca-Swiss clamp. To that I've attached a Sunwayfoto panoramic discal clamp, which lets me switch with a quick 90 degree rotation between mounting my camera body with a light lens or mounting a heavy telephoto lens with its own AS compatible footing. The KPS head is manufactured in Korea. The US dealer, located in Maryland, is Legio Aerium.

donaldejose

Looks great! Wish I had one.

spraynpray

Yes, very nice head Baba.

paulr

I suppose the Arca Swiss Cube is the RR of geared heads but at a price, you hardly ever see them for sale second hand, maybe they don't sell many in view of cost.

Msmoto

Very nice piece of equipment, especially for architectural work where getting the camera back straight is important, at least for some of us.....OCD types...

haroldp

There are no OCD types in this forum.
We are all icons of balance and reasonableness.

Msmoto

Balance and reasonableness....nice phrase....

trolley

I'm CDO - that's the same as OCD, but with the letters in the correct order

Msmoto

Geared ball head....what a great idea....seriously, this can eliminate some very sore pinched fingers, like when a heavy camera tips on the ball head crushing a finger.

Now back to the serious discussion of EMABPD.....

Ironheart

I'm not a control freak. I'm a control enthusiast.