Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

This ball head is a great value for what you are paying. The lock is very tight and this is when I have my 70mm-300mm zoom lens on my D600.

If you are looking for a solid and economical ball head for your tripod, you can't go wrong.

The only thing I complaint that I have is that I wish the top opens a little more. I have an arca plate for my camera and it barely fits. Other than that, this is a good buy.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

I bought this to mount on a Pico Dolly, so I can easily move my camera from my tripod that has an Arca-Swiss type QR plate to the dolly. Wasn't expecting much for the $$ but it's very heavy duty and well made. The ball is a little stiff; that's the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. BTW, I originally bought a BH5 head for the Pico Dolly but it was too large. This fits perfectly.

NOTE: be sure to buy a 1/4-20 reducing bushing if you're putting this on the Pico Dolly, as it only has 3/8" threads.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

I bought this head to compliment a lightweight, compact set of legs for long hikes and backpacking. It's the perfect fit for that role. It's very small and light, but the friction is smooth and it locks as firmly even with a pro body and 70-200mm f2.8 lens attached. My chief concern with the head is that the knobs, with the exception of the QR knob, are not captive, meaning that they can unscrew and come completely out. The threaded part of the knobs is fairly long, so I doubt this will happen with this head, but I've had this happen with other heads in the past. The proprietary safety stop on the QR clamp prevents Arca-Swiss style plates from other manufacturers from sliding in, but it's very simple to remove. For the price, there isn't a better ball head in this size range.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

Easy to use and store. Can be use with different types of tripods. Great for traveling.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

This is a good ball head if not a little heavy. I typically bring a tripod along with me when backpacking, so the extra weight on my dolica 62" 2.5 lbs tripod was a little unwelcome. However, this is a much better head then what came with the tripod. I use a panasonic gmc-d3 mirrorless slr with the olympus 12-50mm lens on it. The clamps hold very securely with no slip. My old head used to sag just a bit after securing which was really annoying because you would have to overshoot the framing by just a bit to get it right. Very smooth operation. Only 4 stars because the two clamps for the ball are a little cumbersome. All in all, great ball head for under $[$].

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

This is my second BH2. Mounted my first one to a Benro MA98 Tripod. I liked so much I bought another for my Manfrotto 680B. Pretty basic Ball head. It meets my simple needs and reasonbly priced.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

This Ball Head Tripod is amazing. It supports 40 LBs, 38 more than JOBY's ball head. If you have a gorilla pod this is a must have. The build quality is superb and the knobs are very responsive. And the quick release plate is fantastic if you want to remove your camera for another shot. Never have crooked shots again when using the Gorillapod !!!!

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

Item seems to be fine very sturdy when I attached my canon 7d. The only downside for me is it's just too heavy. But for the price it's pretty good buy.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

fantastic product for this price

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

Fantastic for this price.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

Exactly as advertised heavy load capacity. used with a variety of cameres and the 16-35 lens . I know its not close to capacity but its so sturdy its like theres nothing attached.and it was way cheaper than the competition. I dont see how anyone could need more than this for a first tripod head. and i imagine it would be fine for the seasoned proffessional as well.Oh and AAAAAArca type release, sturdy quick and universal what more could i ask for.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

This seems like a sturdy head with more adjustments than make sense to me. I actually had to read the manual to understand the tension knob vs. the lock knob.

A very good head, but I question the 'quick' part of the release. You secure the plate in place with a knob, and to release it you have to loosen the knob then press a button and slide it out.

I have a Manfrotto head that you just twist a lever and it's off.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

I bought the BH8 first, also great but almost double the weight of the BH2. I am still surprised of its low cost compared to most known brand names. Haven't been in the field yet, maybe I will discover the bad points :-)
The only thing that I saw so far is that the knob that locks the plate is almost at the end of its motion - the two metal parts are already touching one another.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

It is a really nice tripod head. Very easy to use and to regulate. the panorama feature is very good. great head for the price. quick release is kind of cumbersome, but it is very safe.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

i picked this up to support both my d7000 and gh2 cameras. even with the extended battery pack, and a heavy lens [11-16 tokina] on the d7000, this ball head was easy to adjust and very stable.

i'm aiming to test it with a rails setup, just haven't gotten to it yet.

works great on my rails setup for slides.

only item i would have changed for a ball head supporting so much weight would be t-handled tighteners rather than gnurled knobs.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

Build is ex. finish is ex. works very well ...but...the locks are not as positive as I would like.they will lock the ballhead in any position but you really have to lean on the screws to get a good lock...for the price..I am very pleased overall...Also I do have a very heavy camera lens combo to keep locked.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

A solid, light, well-built ballhead. A great value for the price! Holds a fairly heavy (6 lbs.) load fine upright, but as noted by others, it wants to creep a bit when laid over in the notch for a vertical unless tightened pretty tight. For folks who shoot a lot of verticals laid over in the notch with heavier gear, the BH5 or BH8 may be better choices. That said, it'll hold a heavy load (D200, batt. grip, 70-200 f/2.8) upright using the lens rotator for vertical just fine.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

This ballhead is just what I expected. I had to buy a conversion screw to make it fit my monopod and tripod. One cap from one screw-handle was loose, but I glued it. Really little con.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

for the price for about 40 dollars, it is a pretty good deal. It handles most light weight DSLR camera nicely without any problem of doing landscape and portrait.

Comments about Smith-Victor BH2 Metal Alloy Ball Head:

very good quality