What am I doing wrong?

[sanjosedave]

When I switched to the Manfrotto 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release, I expected the droops to go away.

On top of it I use a 6D with 70-200, and sometimes with the 2x.

I was set up this weekend for some countryside landscapes, and had to keep framing higher than the image I wanted because of the continual drooping.

Any thoughts?

 

[Loswr]

What did you do wrong? You bought a Manfrotto ballhead instead of one from Really Right Stuff, Kirk, or Markins.

Sorry, but that's the honest truth...

EDIT: I assume you were mounting via the tripod collar? My old 488RC2 would settle by ~5° under modest load, and would slowly drift over time. I upgraded to the hydrostatic 468MG, which still drooped by ~0.5-1° but no drift. I can mount my 1D X with 70-200 II via the body plate on my RRS BH-55, lock it down and it doesn't move...then leave it like that for days and it still won't move.

 

[Don Haines]

When I switched to the Manfrotto 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release, I expected the droops to go away.

On top of it I use a 6D with 70-200, and sometimes with the 2x.

I was set up this weekend for some countryside landscapes, and had to keep framing higher than the image I wanted because of the continual drooping.

Any thoughts?

You could also look at gear-heads... VERY good for precise positioning, but much less convenient than a ball-head.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

When I switched to the Manfrotto 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release, I expected the droops to go away.

On top of it I use a 6D with 70-200, and sometimes with the 2x.

I was set up this weekend for some countryside landscapes, and had to keep framing higher than the image I wanted because of the continual drooping.

Any thoughts?

You probably already checked the friction adjustment knob ... if not, that could be the reason. If the friction knob is adequately tightened but it is still drooping, then it sounds like it is a bit defective ... was it always like that from day one, or something that happened recently? The Manfrotto 057 is a very sturdy ball head ... I have used it with 5D MKIII + Sigma 150-500 OS lens (together they are heavier then the 6D + 70-200 combo you mentioned) and I never had any issues with it drooping ever.

 

[Lurker]

When does it droop, right away as your setting up or over time?

I had Manfrotto for a long time and had pretty good luck. What I found was that as my glass grew the plates couldn't keep up. The plates weren't long enough and I couldn't get the plate under the center of gravity of the setup. Add a TC or ET and it got worse.

After switching to RRS and Markings and using long Arca style plates I have no more issues. You may not need a different head just a long plate if they are available. You want to get the CG over the ball head. Note that when shooting up or down you may need to slide the setup forward or backward.

 

[Deleted member 91053]

You could try a Triopo RS3 as it has zero droop that I can detect with any available Canon lens regardless of how badly set up it is. Unfortunately you may then find you start blaming your tripod for flexing. This cheap little Chinese ball head will show just how bendy a 3+ series Gitzo (or similar) is.

 

[SPL]

What did you do wrong? You bought a Manfrotto ballhead instead of one from Really Right Stuff, Kirk, or Markins.

Sorry, but that's the honest truth...

EDIT: I assume you were mounting via the tripod collar? My old 488RC2 would settle by ~5° under modest load, and would slowly drift over time. I upgraded to the hydrostatic 468MG, which still drooped by ~0.5-1° but no drift. I can mount my 1D X with 70-200 II via the body plate on my RRS BH-55, lock it down and it doesn't move...then leave it like that for days and it still won't move.

+1
Have to say RRS stuff is simply awesome,...very high quality. It's an investment, but worth it! I have no worries during a shoot, and look forward to using their gear. Again, it's a bit of an investment, but I would go the RRS route again, and again.

 

[Aglet]

You could also look at gear-heads... VERY good for precise positioning, but much less convenient than a ball-head.

+ 1

405 or 410 Jr gearheads top my tripods and I reserve ballheads for lightweight gear or monopod.