Ball heads

While everyone who’s spent any time taking photos will recommend the best tripods, and probably fall over themselves to argue the merits of one brand or another, the humble ball head does get forgotten about. Ball heads are one of two common head designs: the other is the three-way head, which offers more precision with small movements, but is typically larger and more expensive.

Ball heads operate on a very simple principle. The camera is mounted on a ball that can move freely in a socket, but can be locked firmly in position with a locking knob. Some have separate panning axes to make panoramas or panning shots easier, and some have a friction control so you can move the camera against a fixed resistance.

A good ball head can be transformative