Tripod Ball Head PICTRON U-80L Metal Ball Head Camera Quick Release Arca Swiss 360° Rotating dslr Ball Head with Cold Shoe, 22lbs/10kg Load for DSLR Cameras, Tripod, Monopod, Slider (U-80L)

I have a SmallRig mini tripod but it didn’t come with a ball head and my spare ball heads fit larger threads. I saw this ULANZI head with a 1/4" thread, and it seemed to be just the right size for my needs. I have a Lumix S5ii within a SmallRig cage. So, it already has an Arca mounting..The ULANZI is light, well-built and holds my camera with a 70-300mm lens perfectly rigid, with no slippage at the ball whatsoever, even if I apply force to the lens. The tripod flexes first. It is a pretty small item. I particularly like that the clamp screw is flat and not a round, knurled knob. I can get a really good purchase on it to tighten the ball. The ball sounds rough as it moves with a loosened clamp but this probably assists with the 10Kg load capability, increasing the friction. I don’t find the noise to be an issue. Note, there is no panning feature with this mount. You’d have to loosen the clamp to rotate the camera on a full-size tripod. It is not an issue at all for a table-top tripod setup, or maybe a monopod with a small camera, since it is quite small..The cold shoe mounting is stiff and can be rotated to suit whatever you are fitting there without tools (Allen keys included), such as a light, though it is close to the bottom of the camera. Therefore, it may result in ideal adjustment issues for anything large. I don’t tend to use cold shoe mounts, and if I did, I’d use one of the cage’s shoe mounts..$25 with a 5% discount coupon is a reasonable price and I can confidently recommend it for table-top applications. For anything else, I’d certainly recommend a much larger diameter ball head with panning. This one just feels tiny.

It is really well made. Holds in place when you tighten it.

Its costly but worth it, after having 2.0L+ camera you cant rely on cheap ball head.Will buy more products of Ulanzi and review themUsing it for overhead photography and Youtube Unboxing

This head is all metal , and very sturdy. I have used it with my Sony A7III WITH Battery grip and plate mounted on my 70-200mm F/2.8 lens . It locks very tight in all positions. . So far I have not had any issues with it. It is a lot smaller than I expected, but work great.

I don’t know if I’d trust it with my dslr, cage, external ssd etc.Maybe more for lights