Gimbal head

Elliott says… A gimbal head, when shooting with big telephoto lenses like the Nikon AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VR, is essential. I’ve seen photographers try to shoot with these lenses on ball heads and it’s a nightmare. The ball head just isn’t strong enough to hold all that weight above the tripod, and it sags. Gimbal heads are great at taking the weight, and allow you to move the lens around with minimal effort.