July 20, 2011
Tiger Lily in Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Idaho, and the Really Right Stuff BH-55 Pro Ballhead

Yesterday morning we photographed some wildflowers in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, including this tiger lily. It was a new species for me to photograph, and I enjoyed exploring the compositional possibilities.

Really Right Stuff BH-55 Pro Ballhead

I've been using my new Really Right Stuff BH-55 Pro ballhead, or ball head if you prefer, for a few days and thought I'd share some initial thoughts about it. I had been using an Arca-Swiss B-1 ball head for about ten years, and the panning motion was no longer smooth enough to accurately track a moving subject, so I sent it in for an overhaul. When it came back, the panning motion was really stiff and it was even harder to track a moving subject! I had been thinking about the Really Right Stuff BH-55 Pro and had heard lots of good reviews and thought I'd try one out instead of ordering a new Arca-Swiss Z-1 ball head because I don't like the teardrop knob for the panning lock on the Arca-Swiss Z-1 — there's not enough clearance between it and the base plate.

The Really Right Stuff BH-55 Pro model comes with a knob to secure the camera clamp and has a wonderful build quality. The knurled knobs feel great in the hand and the black finish is nice — until you rub your fingernails on it when operating the knobs and then there are tracks all over it. I'm still getting used to having the panning lock on the opposite side of the ballhead from the ball lock — the Arca-Swiss B-1 and Z-1 have them both on the same side so it's possible to access all of the controls with your left hand while your right hand is holding onto the camera. The ball tension knob and the ball lock knob are also really high on the body so that the camera clamp can knock into them — the same controls on the Arca-Swiss B-1 and Z-1 are much lower and do not interfere with the camera clamp under most circumstances. The threads for the camera clamp and the ball lock are finer than on the Arca-Swiss B-1, so it takes several more turns to get the job done. The whole unit is about half an inch (1.3cm) shorter than the Arca-Swiss B-1, so it's possible to shoot from ever so slightly closer to ground level which is nice.

After using the Really Right Stuff BH-55 Pro for a few days, I'm not sure whether to recommend it. The Kirk BH-1 ballhead, which is similar to the Arca-Swis B-1, might be a better solution.