Kirk vs. RRS ball head

Dan7312

Any comments about relative quality/utilility of the Kirk BH-3 vs the RSS BH-40 Pro II ball heads. These are the small ball heads.

I'm about to pull the trigger on a 5D M2. I'll be using the Canon 180 and 24-105 lens. I'm sure I'll eventually get a long lens but I doubt I'll ever get one of those 400mm monsters so I'm pertty sure either of these heads will be more than sufficient.

Is the RSS really smoother to adjust or somehow made much better or what... the Kirk is about $100 cheaper, but I'll go for the RSS is there is a good reason to. I know the current head I have (a Gitzo offset) is tedious to position when I'm trying to do macro stuff.

Thanks for any insights.

Andy

I've never, ever looked at, felt, used anything as well-made and well-performing as RRS Ballheads. It's a one-time-in-a-lifetime purchase, so don't worry about the $100. Buy the BH-40 and enjoy. I use mine every day.

Dan7312

Thanks Andy... it even looks that way from the pictures they have on their web pages but I wanted to hear from someone who had actually touched one. Looks like RSS it is.

Andy wrote:

I've never, ever looked at, felt, used anything as well-made and well-performing as RRS Ballheads. It's a one-time-in-a-lifetime purchase, so don't worry about the $100. Buy the BH-40 and enjoy. I use mine every day.

kdog

Dan7312 wrote:

I wanted to hear from someone who had actually touched one. Looks like RSS it is.

I wasn't going to respond because I haven't touch a Kirk, although I hear good things about them. But I do have the RRS, and like Andy says, it's hard to believe anything could be better. They're so smooooth, it's like magic. You can set the drag adjustment so that you can reposition the camera without locking down the main tension knob. Just grab the camera and move it around, let go, and it just stays there perfectly. Sexy as hell. It's just a joy to use.

Regards,
-joel

Dan7312

Cool... can't wait 'till I get a chance to try one!

Thanks for the info

BigAl

Having owned a BH-3, I can say it's too light for a Canon 40d + Bigma, but it will probably be Ok for the 24-105 and 180 with a 5d.

Andy

BigAl wrote:

Having owned a BH-3, I can say it's too light for a Canon 40d + Bigma, but it will probably be Ok for the 24-105 and 180 with a 5d.

BH-3? He's asking about a BH-40.....

kdog

Andy wrote:

BH-3? He's asking about a BH-40.....

(Psst, actually he asked about both of them.)

Richard

I haven't used the Kirk, but I am completely happy with the RRS BH40. I would note that the RRS is rated at 18 lbs while the Kirk is rated at 15. Nevertheless, the RRS is almost 200 grams lighter, and every little bit helps. The lever shape of the tightening mechanism is much easier to use than a round knob, especially if you are wearing gloves and your fingers are half numb.

I believe in "buy it once." Since I'll probably never be able to afford anything too heavy for the BH40, I don't ever expect to replace it.

Andy

kdog wrote:

(Psst, actually he asked about both of them.)

my bad, I didn't realize BH-3 was the name of the Kirk head.

Sorry guys!

Ric Grupe

Andy wrote:

the name of the Kirk head.

James T. D

Andy

Ric Grupe wrote:

James T. D

Oh. My

Dan7312

And don't confuse that with Selkirk or Nomad will be all over you:D

Andy wrote:

Oh. My

Dan7312

Well, I'm ordering the RRS ball head today. Wow are they nice to deal with.

There is a question, becuase of tolerances, as to whether the Kirk lens plate for my macro lens will properly fit into the quick release clamp. So they asked me to send them the Kirk plate and they will check to make sure it fits properly. If it doesn't they will keep it and give me a $25 credit towards the RSS lens plate. Not a bad deal. I think.

borrowlenses.com

For what it's worth both the Kirk and the RRS is top-notch. Once you have used it you know tripod nirvana.

ian408

Andy wrote:

I've never, ever looked at, felt, used anything as well-made and well-performing as RRS Ballheads. It's a one-time-in-a-lifetime purchase, so don't worry about the $100. Buy the BH-40 and enjoy. I use mine every day.

I agree. For me, it's the BH55.

Dan7312

Well I ended up going with the Kirk ball head. In the end to use the RSS quick release I might have had to replace some camera/lens plates... that might have been an issue with flash bracket... I could have gone with the screw release but the quick release was what initially caught my eye.

I've only put it on a tripod with a camera and wiggled it around a bit, and I don't have a way to make a direct comparison to the RSS, but I think the quality of the Kirk is top of the line. Once you set the drag it's very easy to position and it doesn't move when you lock it down. And the safety cap is a really nice touch.

I'm very, very pleased with it and the Kirk staff were very helpful. on Kirk.

jcdill

For anyone else who might be making this choice in the future - the RSS gear is excellent, but some people don't like doing business with the company for other reasons:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/865962@N20/discuss/72157612473243424/

Icebear

jcdill wrote: »

For anyone else who might be making this choice in the future - the RSS gear is excellent, but some people don't like doing business with the company for other reasons:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/865962@N20/discuss/72157612473243424/

Damn, damn, damn. Back to the drawing board.

Ric Grupe

Icebear wrote: »

Damn, damn, damn. Back to the drawing board.

John...I never subscribed to the "I'll show you by *ucking myself" theory.

I have RSS gear and it is excellent. Politics do not belong here. (that's a period)

BTW...I ain't throwing away what I have either!:D

roakey

RRS's ecommerce side of their site a POS?

Dan7312 wrote: »

Well, I'm ordering the RRS ball head today. Wow are they nice to deal with.

Since the thread has been hijacked once already...

From the sounds of it your ordered over the phone. What kind of luck has anyone had ordering using their web page? The reason I ask is that I wanted some pano gear. Their site hung, timed out, etc constantly.

Since I was in no hurry I turned it into a game -- how long would it take before I made it all the way through? Using multiple browsers (explorer, firefox) on multiple computers at multiple locations I tried ordering over and over. It took me a MONTH of trying once or twice a day before I made it through and an the order was placed (and from that point onward everything went right and the gear is excellent).

The problem appears to be with their e-commerce side of the site. Everything appears to run smoothly until you sign in. Then the trouble begins.

Has anyone else had problems like this? Again, this is multiple computers at multiple locations so one computer being hosed isn't the issue.

Roak

Ps. Yes, I know I could have picked up the phone and ordered. As I said I wasn't in any hurry and it became more interesting to find out just how badly the site was managed. My conclusion: It's managed very, very poorly.

In addition, after such glowing reviews about their service I was also quite surprised when I sent them an email after I finally had managed to order, telling them about their problems and haven't heard a thing back.

Dan7312

I did find their site pretty slow even when not logged in, but lately it seems to be working much better.

Dan

roakey wrote: »

Since the thread has been hijacked once already...

From the sounds of it your ordered over the phone. What kind of luck has anyone had ordering using their web page? The reason I ask is that I wanted some pano gear. Their site hung, timed out, etc constantly.

Since I was in no hurry I turned it into a game -- how long would it take before I made it all the way through? Using multiple browsers (explorer, firefox) on multiple computers at multiple locations I tried ordering over and over. It took me a MONTH of trying once or twice a day before I made it through and an the order was placed (and from that point onward everything went right and the gear is excellent).

The problem appears to be with their e-commerce side of the site. Everything appears to run smoothly until you sign in. Then the trouble begins.

Has anyone else had problems like this? Again, this is multiple computers at multiple locations so one computer being hosed isn't the issue.

Roak

Ps. Yes, I know I could have picked up the phone and ordered. As I said I wasn't in any hurry and it became more interesting to find out just how badly the site was managed. My conclusion: It's managed very, very poorly.

In addition, after such glowing reviews about their service I was also quite surprised when I sent them an email after I finally had managed to order, telling them about their problems and haven't heard a thing back.

JimKarczewski

Never had issues with RRS' site. Ordered my pano head about 3 months ago... Now I'm planning on upgrading to the multi-row. Single wasn't enough for me... but Now that I see they offer a ball head with part of the pano system attached already I think I'll be upgrading heads too..

robscomputer

I ordered my RRS head from their site but I also heard that calling is a much better experience. I think I didn't have any issues but again, after dealing with KEH's site, it couldn't have been than bad.