HEAD TO HEAD

Which is best, ball or 3-way? There’s something to be said for both

Ball heads have become massively popular over the last few years. The main attraction is that the release of a single locking clamp enables a full range of movement. Ball heads are therefore supremely quick for making positional adjustments. Extra features nowadays usually include a separate variable friction damper and a pan-only release. The former enables better handling with different weights of camera and lens combinations, while the latter is useful for tracking action or taking a series of shots for stitching into a panorama. A 3-way head can still be the preferred option if you need to make fine adjustments in just the vertical or horizontal plane. A frustration, is you’ll often have to remove one or both locking arms in order to stow your tripod in its carrying case.