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Arca-compatible ballheads from Joby and Vanguard

4season

Well-known member
I haven't had a chance to try it, but Joby (of Gorillapod fame) has been selling a mini Arca-Swiss compatible ballhead for awhile now for all of $70. I did pick a quick-release plate for it at Mike's Camera for all of $14.99. Great for those situations where you don't want a custom plate bolted permanently to your camera. Tool-free design, no need to carry a hex key.

http://joby.com/gorillapod/ballheadx/

Vanguard was a new brand to me until very recently, but I'm kind of amazed by their ABH-120K ballhead which is a pint-sized clone of the Arca B1 at a pint-sized price. The overall finish and smoothness of operation are top-notch too. And unlike the real B1, it's smaller size works well with lighter cameras such as the Leica M.

http://www.adorama.com/VGABH120K.html

Hope the info proves useful to someone. I've used Arca-Swiss and Really Right Stuff products in the past and expect to do so in the future too, but these Joby and Vanguard products nicely fill a niche not really addressed by the big guys.
 
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