Yoshinori Takahashi | Markins Ball Head

≪ Prev　Next ≫

Theme

Winter scenery in Nara Prefecture

Photographer

Yoshinori Takahashi

Date

December 2018 - February 2019

Location

Nara Prefecture (Uda City, Asuka Village, Higashiyoshino Village, Tenkawa Village)

Device

Review

Originally, I was a fan of three-way heads, but that doesn't mean I've never been attracted to ball heads. When taking landscape photos, I often have to walk to the shooting location, and trekking is a common occurrence, if not full-scale mountain climbing. At such times, I was attracted to compact and lightweight ball heads, and I have picked them up a few times in the past. However, I found it difficult to make fine adjustments, and as soon as I loosened the screws, they would start to jerk, which made it difficult to concentrate on shooting, and as a result, I ended up using a three-way head... To be honest, I thought that a ball head was not suitable for me.

At that time, several senior photographers from the Japan Landscape Photographers Association, to which I belong, told me that the Markins ball head could be used comfortably without such worries. I tried it out right away, and sure enough, you can switch between open and fixed with a delicate knob operation. And above all, it is easy to use because the head does not move even if you let go of the camera, and moves smoothly when you apply force from there, in a so-called "semi-fixed" state. If you leave the knob in that position, it won't suddenly loosen, which was my image of a conventional ball head, and since it has a subtle tension, it's easy to fine-tune. Even with the 100-400mm zoom lens, the heaviest lens I own, it maintained a firm "semi-fixed" state. Once the camera position is decided, you can tighten the knob further to secure it firmly. As there are fewer screws, the setup is obviously faster than with a 3-way head, and after repeated shooting, I became convinced that this would suit me! I should also add that the smoothness did not change even in extremely cold conditions.

Furthermore, if you use the limit dial to set the limit of how much the knob can be loosened to your liking, when you are in a hurry to operate it, even if you turn the knob all the way at once, it will not loosen any more. I also really like this point.

In addition, the plate, which is specially designed for each camera model, is a type that is firmly fixed with a hex wrench. There is absolutely no misalignment from the camera, and the frequency of re-tightening is extremely low. Regarding the plate attached to the telephoto lens, a two-point type is used for the 100-400mm zoom, so even heavy lenses can be held firmly. The plate and the head are attached without any rattling, so stable framing is possible and there is no need to worry about camera shake.

When using a tripod to release the shutter, I use either a remote control or a cable release depending on the situation. On my beloved Sony α7RIII, the release socket is on the left side when viewed from the LCD side of the camera, so I was concerned about whether the L plate would interfere with it when using the release. Also, when in vertical position, would the release socket interfere with the head? First of all, there were no problems with the L plate, and I was able to confirm that the cover on the terminal part could be opened and closed smoothly. And as for my biggest concern about shooting in vertical position, I was able to clear this by slightly shifting the center of the plate and the head. This is a major point, so please refer to it.

I was born and raised in Nara Prefecture. Therefore, I continue to photograph Nara Prefecture with the desire to "record Nara Prefecture in photographs and convey its charm to many people."

When you think of Nara, many people will think of famous shrines and temples. In my photography, many shrines, temples and buildings are photographed, and I often have the opportunity to photograph them upon request. In such cases, I sometimes feel that a three-way head that allows independent horizontal adjustment is more suitable. Therefore, I always attach a Markins quick shoe to the three-way head to enable quick attachment and detachment from the camera. Of course, when it comes to attachment, it can be firmly fixed in place just like in combination with a free-standing head. I would like those who prefer a three-way head to try out this rigid quick shoe and plate.

As for the quick shoe mentioned above, the one I use is the "Markins QR-70P-38 Panorama Quick Shoe," whose original purpose was to give the quick shoe a horizontal rotation function for panoramic photography. The reason for using it is that the plate on the camera side is horizontal, while the plate on the lens side is vertical, so the orientation is different. This is not a problem when using a ball head, but when attaching a camera to a 3-way head, the head will face a different direction by 90 degrees depending on which plate is used, and as a result, the position of the pan bar changes, which is obvious, making it difficult to use...
So with the Panorama Quick Shoe, the quick shoe itself can be rotated according to the plate on the camera side and the plate on the lens side, so it can be operated without changing the feel of the camera.

In recent years, camera image stabilization functions have become more advanced. Although handheld shooting has become easier, there are countless benefits to using a tripod, such as shooting in dark places, using slow shutter speeds, and more accurate framing. In addition, there are countless benefits to using a tripod, such as fine adjustment of the position when using a half ND filter in scenes with large differences in light and dark, such as mornings and evenings.

Sony α7RⅢ / FE16-35mm F2.8 GM
1/6 s　F11.0　+0.5　EV　ISO100　Half ND Used

Sony α7RⅢ / FE24-70mm F2.8 GM
1/90 s　F8.0　+0.0　EV　ISO100　Half ND Used

Sony α7RⅢ / FE100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM
1/200 s　F8.0　-0.5　EV　ISO400

Sony α7RⅢ / FE24-70mm F2.8 GM
1/20 s　F16.0　-0.5　EV　ISO400

≪ Prev　Next ≫