Manfrotto 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release

A good solid ball head. I have placed a Canon 5Dmk4 with 70-200/2.8 and an Atomos 7 Recorder on top and it held up no problem. The only downside that I can see, from a purely Videography standpoint, that is that the pan function is not very easy.

No idea it was this big! It is super smooth and works great

I'm using it for stills and video Its easy to level quickly and panning is smooth Its fairly heavy which is good to damp vibration but not so good on long hikes

I've owned many ball heads in the past. This is the best out there in my opinion. The build quality is top notch. I use mine heavily in dusty environments, extreme heat and in rain and it's never let me down. A blast with the air compressor cleans it up nice.

This ball head is absolutely solid. i bought it to stabilize DSLRs on short tracks that are basically portable dollies. And i wanted a ball head that would be able to hold it and stay ABSOLUTELY solid during the entirety of the track.

I bought this ball head in order to be able to position the camera closer to obstacles while shooting interiors. It accomplishes that by eliminating any protruding handles that let me get a few precious inches closer to a door frame for example.

This head is what I was looking for and it has delivered, perfectly. Solidly build, all the right features. Features like the adjustable levers, the 90 degree stop and the levels, outstanding. Worth every penny.

Big and sturdy, chunky feeling release plate. Has basically all the features you would need, but it's a bit heavy. Pairs well with an 057 tripod. Adjustable handles are a nice touch, as well as levels. Pretty smooth and functional. Not the most precise engineering, but for 98% of uses it is fine.

Excellant companion to the 057 3-section carbon fiber tripod w/ rapid center column. My first priority was stability and this combination met my expectations. Easy to use with an ergonomic design. Alittle on the heavy side but well worth it.

No flaws at all. Rock solid, quite easy to adjust. Can't ask for more.