Tripod head Q. - ball head or 3 way !?

[EastCoastHucker]

Hi..

I'd like to hear some inputs about tripod head preferences...

Thanks.

[mjs1973]

I have a Bogen 488 RC2 ball head and I love it. I also have a very cheap, plastic 3 way, pan/tilt head on an equally cheap tripod from walmart. I realize I'm comparing apples to oranges as far as quality goes between these two, but the fact that I can move my camera to any positon by loosening a single knob, vs 3 seperate knobs on a pan/tilt is a HUGE plus. The pan/tilt head takes too long to get everything the way you want it.

[another view]

Ball head. I do have a good but inexpensive (Bogen 3025) 3-way pan head that's very sturdy. I haven't used it in about forever, but if you only want to adjust one direction at a time it's the way to go - architectural photography would be a good thing for it.

[livin4lax09]

i have a pistol grip ballhead and it holds my 1d w/ canon 70-200mm f/2.8 just fine. very easy to use, and strong at that.

[freygr]

It depends if you going to do architectural or panorama photography then you will need a pan-tilt head. If you find you like doing panorama photography you will end up buying a specialized tripod head. Other than that it's personal preference.

BUT buy a sturdy tripod with which ever head you end up purchasing.