Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Bought this to photograph interiors for my wife's kitchen design business. Appreciate the flexibility and smoothness of the controls. Once you get the tension set correctly the camera can be moved without fear of it flopping over and then locked into position with a twist of the the large knob. The leveling bubble is very useful in order to avoid distortion with wide angle lenses.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

This ballhead gives me evertyhing I need, stability, robustness, easy and smooth operation, and most important light weight but strong enough to handle my 5D MK II with 70-200mm/F2.8L IS II.

The build quality of this ballhead is second to none, great ballhead for travel and hiking.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I bought this primarily for landscape and travel photography. Currently my travel tripod is a Feisol 3441T and the head works well with it. The weight, QR clamp inclusive, is just under one pound (I weighed it). The only thing I would improve would be to perhaps offset the panning knob somewhat to allow tripod legs to close a little bit tighter in. The GV2 seems to be an investment that will last judging by the machining, stainless parts, etc.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

light weight, holds any position it is set in rock solid, interesting looking

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Excellent, versatile and compact ballhead with a gimbal function. I use it perfectly with a 300 2.8. Takes some practice, but possible to balance the lens for smooth panning.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I bought this to use with the Kirk low pod. I like the open design and simplicity when working in the mud. Not as refined as the Arca Swiss Z1, but I'd rather get this one dirty.

Not a fan of the quick connect, it's large size can interfere with rails and the detent pin is not really removable. I should have gotten without a release and gotten a Kirk.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Very versitile and easy to use. I especially like the gimbal functionality.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

This ballhead is easy to adjust the tension for smooth motion, locks down tight with little effort and doesn't sag.

The head can sometimes spin loose from my tripod during transport.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Nice, lightweight ballhead. Works great with my Nikon D5100 and 55-300mm Nikkor lens. I have no complaints about this products, it's light and sturdy which makes it perfect for hiking and daily use. Incredibly easy to operate and maintain due to it's open and exposed body. Looks nice as well!

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I use the GV2 ballhead on my tripod, frequently for low light shots and support for a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 lens. I currently do not have a camera lens to justify using a traditional gimbal head setup. The GV2 ball head supports the camera very well, locks down easily, yet is smooth throughout. Once locked in place, the lens/camera is very steady. I did not notice any camera drift when locking down, regardless of tension on the ball. Using the rubberized knobs is easy on the hands and with practice it is easy to feel the differences between the knobs to loosen/tighten the correct knob while looking through the viewfinder. Like most ballheads (the aspherical Arca-Swiss Z1 is an exception), be careful when moving the camera away from being centered on the ballhead because the torque increases on the ballhead, requiring more tension to keep the camera from flopping over. The GV2 is great at keeping my camera setup very steady. Because I do not have a large lens/camera setup, I am not very concerned with moving the camera into portrait orientation for the "Gimbal" feature of the GV2. I would be more concerned if I was using a larger telephoto lens, because the weight is no longer close to being centered on the tripod.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

It is light and beautiful, I use it for landscape night, day and macro.
It is easy to love this piece of engineering. I guess the rubber knobs will be great in winter, they feel very solid.

I would say it has 2 buts:

1 When you tight it, it rotates right enough to readjust for macro photography. I do not see much problem on landscape.
2 The panning rotation it either rotates free or very tight, there is not a "fluid" in between. Not a problem, but this is something I notice when doing panoramas.

Please note that the deterred pin does not work with giotto plates...

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

This is an excellent Ballhead, it is very well made. There is no sloppiness in any of the threads or movement. I like the tension control as well as panning. When mounted on a carbon tripod, this is very light set up for taking with you. The detent pin works great. The bubble levelis very visible.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I've always been a reluctant tripod user. Even when I had one in the car, it tended to stay in the car. But using a high-resolution camera with a long lens and radical cropping pointed out that my rock-steady hands weren't always so rock steady. I needed a tripod assembly appropriate for birding.

My own pan-and-tilt tripods were a pain to use. So I borrowed tripods. I tested tripods in stores. I bought a new one that didn't work out. Everything had problems. And after months of research and watching all the tutorial videos on the Acratech website, I ordered a GV2 from B&H.

When it arrived, I attached it to a tripod. ...solid as a rock. I put a long lens on it. I dropped it over into its "gimbal" slot. I balanced it and tweaked the friction controls to near-zero. Wow! It moved smoothly anywhere I wanted to point it. I took my hands off of the camera and smiled. ...no ball-head "flop-over." I tightened the friction lock, and sure enough, the camera didn't move.

I added a luggage strap to the assembly. Then with a camera on one shoulder and the tripod on the other, I went looking for birds. With my Canon 100-400mm lens quick-connected to the head, I could zoom rapidly, tweak focus, and follow a bird in flight -- all at the same time. The freedom was exhilarating. It did everything I could have hoped for in a classic gimbal head. But it was lighter, cheaper, and less clumsy to carry around.

Oh -- and the tripod on which I mounted the GV2 has a removable monopod shaft. With an ordinary ball head, I couldn't change the expansion settings on it without taking both hands off the camera. Using the GV2 dropped into its slot and its pan knob locked, I can stay focused on a bug while reaching down to alter the monopod extension without hassle.

I'm very satisfied. I have a tripod that I'm actually USING. And my wife is happy that I've stopped whining.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I use this with a Wimberly Sidekick and I am very satisfied with it's performance.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Swapped out a Photoclam 44 for this head instead. The only thing I miss from the PC is the detent pin release lever. Other than that, the GV2 outperforms. Really like the bubble level, which often times is worthless on a head but with the GV2 is visible even with my camera on and comes in quite handy.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

It is light in weight and easy to use

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I'm very happy with this purchase. I originally bought the Giottos MH-1300 which I knew right away was not the head for me or my equipment. I returned that and bought this one. Good decision.
This head is strong, very lightweight, solid, smooth operating, tight locking, good looking. It's a nice piece of machinery. I look forward to using the gimbal feature with my D300s w/80-400mm. I just ordered the lens plate for that.
I bought this to replace an old, heavy Bogen 3047 3-way pan head. In doing so, I cut 2 1/2 lbs off my tripod/head combo. I mounted the head to a set of old Bogen 3021 legs. It's a great setup now but im looking into some carbon fiber legs to make it even better.
Acratech GV2. Highly recommend.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

I bought this head because of its efficient function in gimbal mode, mediated by the bushing on the stem that rides in the notch on the casing. I have mated it to the Benro GH-A,equivalent to the Wimberley Sidekick. This allows my Sigma 50-500 and camera to ride directly above the ballhead base. It balances perfectly and moves with minimal effort.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Shooting landscapes with ruins and standing stones, or historical landscape architecture sums up what I shoot.

GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head looks unconventional.  I wasn't too sure what the outcome was going to be. Once I began working with the Head. I was blown away. The ease and quickness for getting a right angel , or a true level shot was a pure pleasure after trekking on steep inclines and over bogs for distances.

Working with a tripod and GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head was fast, easy, and once the shot was locked in I had more time to work my color meter and filter set.

Until working with the GV2, I've never had the experience of feeling I had time to explore the what if second shots at the location. Like most we think about that on the way home. It was unbelievable, this product produces a confidence  to explore unthought of shooting situations where a Ball Head is needed. A Basset Hound approached me while shooting a ruin. I simply loosen the ball head and my camera and GV2 foud the natural true gravity point to make a level shot upside down.

Now I'm thinking this head is also great for street and cityscapes.
The Gv2 ballhead is very light.

I'm use to feeling the weight becoming a factor by slowing me down and taking a physical toll on me during the many hours walking about. I kept waiting for my body to cave in. It never happened. In stead the GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head got me into a zone shooting.

The GV2 is like the American Express Card. Don't leave home without it.

Comments about Acratech GV2 Ballhead/Gimbal Head:

Use with Canon 5D MkII and up to 400mm Canon lens.
The gimbal head is rock steady
Ease of use and great weight support will make this my last ballhead.