VANGUARDAlta BH-300 – Ball head

Following some challenges trying to track and capture video of someone on a zip wire, I was looking for a new head for my existing tripod, better suited for smooth video panning. I ordered the Alta PH-31 after contacting Vanguard to ask for guidance on choosing the right head from the many in their range. After exchanging an email, Vanguard called me and gave me all the guidance I could wish for. These days it is not common to be able to receive expert advice directly from the manufacturer so I am delighted with the customer care provided by Vanguard.My new PH-31 head is now mounted on my tripod, it fitted in seconds via the standard tripod thread and gives me the silky smooth panning and tilt operation I was looking for. It is beautifully constructed and super easy to use. The camera and mounting plate can quickly be attached and detached from the tripod unlike my previous setup where it took an age. The built-in spirit level bubble is really useful. I've not had this capability before and now wonder how I lived without it.All-in-all, a great product offering excellent value for money, backed up by great support. I have no connection with Vanguard or any industry connection - I'm just a happy customer looking forward to getting greater use from my improved tripod rig and therefore also getting more use from my camera.

A very solid and adaptable head. Easy to use, the screws dont need to be tightened up hard to hold even mid size lenses firmly and securely in place. (300mm f 2.8 with x2 extender is a reasonable test and it passes with no difficulty) all the controls fall easy to hand and the ability to lock or not lock the pan on a single lever is great. For the money it is hard to do any better as the quality really become apparent in use.

The head looks well made, expect the handles which are made of hard plastic with a very cheap feel to it. Vertical and tilt axis lock correctly with no issues. The pan axis is hard to lock and drifting occurs in certain circumstances. I liked the "look" of the product with a sleek and modern design, but its engineering is still not there.

easy to handle, perfect for my macro and long exposure photography, will recommend this to all my friends.

Well constructed solid product and is very smooth and impressive in use. I have purchased a number of Vanguard products including tripods and to date they have all performed really very well

Excellent value for money. I did buy mine at a slightly cheaper price as a 'warehouse' item but even full priced this ball head does the same and more that heads costing double the price do. Arca swiss compatible - I've added this to my old Manfrotto 190 aluminum tripod so I have a really stable platform for my heavy MF digital camera. I also like the unusual paint finish which makes a change from boring bland black. Knobs are a very good size and all movements as smooth or as stiff as you want them. Cannot find a single fault with this bargain price head.

I had to return this item to Amazon who agreed to refund me. I purchased this ballhead to take a series of panoramas of some of the Norfolk Broads in my home area but found it to be unfit for purpose. The amount of play between the mounting base, and the ball housing cylinder was horrendous, With a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 USM L lens mounted on a 7D Mk II and the head flipped through 90 degrees into the cut out slot, it was possible to move the camera, and lens up, and down a good 8th of an inch at the lens objective end with all adjusters locked down tight. I bought this based on the reviews I read on Amazon so was very surprised at the poor quality. given that all reviews were positive. It may just be that I had a bad one, but it has put me off of Vanguard in a big way, and I shall steer well clear of them in future, once bitten, twice shy. I guess you get what you pay for.My thanks to Amazon for agreeing to refund the full purchase price.

Excellent product, as always from Vanguard. Can fully recommend this ball head.

testa robusta, indicata per still life o paesaggi

Cabeça de bola bastante resistente 30kg podeser utilizada com uma DSLR + 100-400mm.Altamente recomendada!!!

Lo compré por las buenas criticas y porque mi gatillo Manfrotto ya está muy viejo, pero es incomparable. Con éste tienes que anclar cada vez que mueves el mango, y va muy duro, es super incomodo.Prefiero los gatillos Manfrotto, que fijas y sueltas simplemente apretando y soltando el gatillo.Me he decidido por uno de los últimos modelos de Manfrotto, no hay color...

The spiritlevel gets covered by the camera when mounted. The arca swiss plate holder is 90 degrees offset, unless the tilt and level are the other way around. Weird though. The level and tilt do not go far enough to fold the whole thing neatly. The thumb knob of the lower handle is facing down which makes it hard to reach. The panning can get locked by means of that thumbwheel, however, only when the lower handle is tightened. Kinda weird concept. The handles can be telescopically enlarged which is a very welcome feature, and the rubber feels nice. The whole thing looks very handsome and feels quite sturdy. After getting used to the weird illogic, this cheap pan head is a joy to work with.

Rótula de mucha calidad, muy fiable, segura excelente producto de calidad.