Ball Head vs Pistol grip

I was just wondering about the relative merits of either as I am looking to get a decent tripod set up.

The pistol grip just looks more ergonomic and easier to use.

I generally photograph still life and landscapes but might use a monopod as well for gigs.

Andy

Hi andy i've had both and i prefer my giottos ball head anyday to the pistol grip.

But that's just me

Certainly for still life, and to a lesser extent for landscapes, I'd recommend a three way head over either ball or pistol. I have a ball head for use on my monopod and tried it on the tripod for still life. It was a right royal pain in the butt to try and get things lined up. Using a three way head for still life allows you to adjust each axis independently. Using a ball head meant that once you'd got it right in one plane and wanted to tweak it in another, you'd mess up the bit you'd just spent ages sorting out as the darned thing flopped about all over the place.

For monopod a ball head is fine as you tend to swing the stick to fine tune it anyway.

Sometimes people have trouble with the ball head with regards to adjusting the tension screw while moving adjusting the camera. Probably more of an issue on a mono-pod than a tripod if you tried to adjust that way, but have heard some complaints for both.

The pistol grip is nice, but mine sticks and takes a good amount of effort to initially move. The tensions is then very nice to work with.
Very fine adjustments (such as using for macro work) with the pistol grip become difficult as the movement of gripping and letting go will inevitably move the head.

So the ball head is likely better for small adjustments but I am personally not as ambidextrous and I would probably also have some troubles fiddling with tightening and loosening the screws.

Otherwise, they both operate on a ball, so I don't see much else as a benefit for one over the other.

A ball head can generally take more weight than a pistol grip so if you are thinking of using it with any heavy lens/body combos check the maximum weight the head can hold first.

I prefer a 3 way head (Gitzo G1270M)for the digital cameras and a B&S for
6x6 film.

shim

A pistol grip for me.

Mine easily holds a K10/20 with the DA*300 at any angle.

[IMG]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s30/Hyram_Hare/IMGP1152-1-1.jpg[/IMG]