I’m guessing, but I’d have thought that ball heads are easily the most commonly used head type on tripods. This is for a variety of good reasons including their compact nature, ease of use and versatility.
I can well remember someone years ago advising that “a good ball head can be great but a bad ball head will be truly bad.” Wise words indeed and since then I’ve had my share of good, bad and dire ball heads.
When done well, ball heads can be brilliant but, unfortunately, the opposite is true. Manufacturers of ball heads have to tread a careful line if they are to avoid the pitfalls all too often inherent in ball heads. Too many ball heads are fraught with frustration inducing design faults. Clunky controls, the notorious droop factor after you have carefully composed your image and seemingly tightened things down only to find your image isn’t level or the top has been cut off.
If all this sounds like a rather negative view of ball heads, it isn’t meant to be. Rather, it is a warning to choose your ball head with care. Last year Benro teamed up with the German company, Novoflex, to release a series of distinctive looking ball heads. Billed as “German Precison Meets Benro Innovation,” the NBBH Series was launched as “Benro’s most advanced ball heads yet. All Metal CNC machined, these precision-engineered heads deliver exceptional smoothness, rock-solid stability and the reliability photographers demand.”
To be honest, I wasn’t even aware of the new Benro/Novoflex heads until @Danny Dullforce told me about them. A quick look at Benro’s website had me intrigued and left me wondering if the new heads could deliver on such big promises.
Straight out of the box and the new head felt beautifully constructed. Those of a certain age may remember a German car manufacturer bringing in the slogan, “vorsprung durch technick”. Well, this phrase, which translates as “progress through technology” suitably sums up the new series of ball heads created by the marriage of Benro and Novoflex.
The heads are available in three sizes, Series 2, Series 3 and Series 4, all similar designs with varying diameter ball heads and corresponding payloads. I was sent the middle one, the Series 3, which has a 40mm diameter ball with a payload capacity of 8kg. It’s in the middle ground with smaller and larger sizes available depending on your needs but, for me the capacity was perfect. Perhaps a bit of overkill given that my heaviest lens and camera body probably only weights 3-4 kg but I prefer to err on the side of caution especially in the mountains where high winds can cause problems when trying to get sharp photos.
Having used the head for quite a few months, it has been put through its paces not just high in the mountains but also a lot in coastal environments with not just trips to local beaches here on Skye but a trip to the island of Eigg during Storm Dave. Coastal locations provide one of the toughest of test beds for camera kit. Factor in salt water, high winds, rain and snow as well as the omnipresent salt which seems to get everywhere and you have the perfect storm of gnarly conditions.
Added to the coastal testing, there was the usual mix of high mountain adventures with quite a few sunrise trips. These mountain trips involve another set of testing conditions for camera gear. Scree and rock everywhere, things can easily get bashed or damaged. Big ascents in the darkness so light weight is appreciated. The gabbro rock is super abrasive, like sandpaper on steroids and chews up and spits out less than robust gear.
What’s great about the NBHH 3 Series head?
1. The design and fabrication is faultless. Perhaps, most amazing is the ball itself and the locking of it. No post composition droop, no tilted horizons after you set up. The locking control works so well that what you see is what you get with no slippage. Top marks to Benro and Novoflex for such a robust locking design that just does what is needed when so many ball heads fail this essential criteria.
2. Ease of use. Love the ultra ergonomic control lever which is nicely shaped and super easy to use even with big winter gloves on. Definitely prefer a lever to a knob to control the ball. Quick and easy to use even in very adverse conditions.
3. The other controls are also well thought out. The large, chunky, Pull & Twist control to lock your camera in place now seems to have become pretty much a Benro standard feature. Not only easy to use but it’s double action means as near to zero chance as possible of your camera accidentally being dropped from the head.
4. Dual panning controls work well with one at the base, below the actual ball head, the other being above. These dual controls work really well especially for panoramic format images. Some ball heads have either no panning control or a single one so this is a real added bonus.
5. The colour. The anodised “Benro Blue” colour looks eye catching but does actually have a benefit over the more normal black colour for heads. When out for sunrise shots, the shiny, blue colour is definitely more visible in the pre dawn darkness making for easier set up and use.
6. Maybe opting for the version with an up to 8kg payload capacity was overkill but it has performed fautlessly even in high winds on mountain tops and during the aftermath of Storm Dave on the island of Eigg.
The NBBH3 has proved a joy to use and feels like a timelessly engineered tool that should last for pretty much ever. I may have only used for about five months so can’t really comment on its long term durability but I have Benro gear that has been used since 2018 and is still going strong. Benro UK obviously believe in their kit since it comes with a three year warranty which can be extended to five years by registering it on line.
Not only does it look good but it also lives up to the advertising hype and the precision engineering delivers a mix of robustness and precision in an elegant looking product.
