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The BH-40 Ball Head with Full-Size Lever-Release Clamp from Really Right Stuff is a 17.1 oz mid-sized ball head that will support camera-lens combinations weighing up to 18 lb. Crafted from aluminum and stainless steel, the BH-40 has all of the features you'd expect from a professional-level head. An over-sized, ergonomic locking T-knob allows 45-degree tilting in all directions and a 90-degree drop-notch facilitates quick and accurate switching from the horizontal landscape position to vertical portrait orientation. A separate tension knob is provided to apply the appropriate pressure that safely corresponds to the weight of your camera. A third knob loosens and locks the panning base which is laser-engraved with markers every 2.5 degrees from 0 to 360 degrees.
- 18 lb Load Capacity
- Max Height: 3.0"
- 90-Degree Notch for Portrait Orientation
- Separate Tension Control Knob
Really Right Stuff BH-40 with Full-Size Lever... Overview
Really Right Stuff BH-40 with Full-Size Lever... Specs
| Head Type | |
| Base Mount | |
| Camera Mounting Screw | |
| Quick Release Plate Type | |
| Friction Control | |
| Load Capacity | |
| Weight |
| Head Type | |
| Base Mount | |
| Camera Mounting Screw | |
| Quick Release Plate Type | |
| Number of Bubble Levels | |
| Friction Control | |
| Independent Pan Lock | |
| Ball Sphere Diameter |
| Vertical Tilt | |
| Panning Range |
| Load Capacity | |
| Weight |
| Package Weight | |
| Box Dimensions (LxWxH) |
Really Right Stuff BH-40 with Full-Size Lever... Reviews
Terrific Ball Head
As most reviewers will tell you, this is very well built and holds everything tight (e.g., full frame camera with 70-200 f/2.8 lens). The clamp works like a charm.
Great ball head
Great ball head. Easily handles a Canon R6 with RF 100-500 lens.
No base plate included!
Was shocked to see that a $485.00 ball head does NOT come with a base plate of any kind. Never had that happen before with any other ball head company. Had to come back here an buy one for it. Wow! Last RRS product I will buy.
Balhead for my Ascend-14
I purchased the Ascend-14 without the head and this fits perfectly! It's small, stable and secure! I am so happy!
Love This Ball head
I have been looking at this ball head for a number of months as I have transitioned from Nikon to the Fuji Mirrorless cameras. The build quality is exceptional and just what I need. I have been using Kirk L-brackets on the Nikon bodies and they seem to work with the BH-40 lever clamp. Once there are choices available for the Fuji XT-5 L-bracket wise I will need to explore this further.
Just okay
I was expecting to love this ball head, but unfortunately, I don't. The size and weight are great, and it holds firmly. However, I find the lever that tightens the head frequently clashes with the plate base. There's just not enough room to operate both if you have the camera tilted back / pointing up. I'm constantly fussing around with the direction everything is facing to line things up properly and have been unable to compose some shots in the exact way I wanted because the equipment simply wasn't capable. They just needed to make the neck on the ball a bit taller and it would be fine.
Unmatched quality
TL;DR: this is a rock-solid ball head that will last forever and easily holds by Z9 paired with a 100-400 lens. I initially wrote a long review praising this ball head, but instead I'm going to try and highlight the things that I wondered about before buying the BH-40: Q: How does it compare to the Leofoto LH-40? A: The LH-40 is a blatant copy of the original BH-40 design with two drop-notches. The LH-40 felt high-quality until I got my hands on the BH-40, which has a feel and look that is just far superior. It's clear that the LH-40 will work for most people and is more affordable but it's not built to last the way the BH-40 is. The LH-40 also has a few frustrating flaws that caused me to replace it: - Tension knob would loosen and turn freely when the main ball head locking knob was tightened down. This meant constantly adjusting two knobs instead of one - Drop notch is ~95 degrees, vs a flat 90 which makes leveling for portraits without an L-bracket quite irritating. - Drop notch has a sharp edge that carves deep scratches into the ball stem and adds friction when rotating the ball in the notch. Q: How does it compare to the Acratech GXP? A: After reading reviews raving about the build quality and durability of the GXP I thought that was going to be the winner for me. However, for the price, the quality didn't match: - GXP ball head is similarly smooth to the BH-40 and the tension knob is equally effective. - Open construction will make it easy to clean if you are are frequenting sandy, dusty, wet, etc. locations - GXP Gimbal feature is sweet, very smooth movement when the head is dropped into the 90-degree notch and it is a truly perfect 90 degrees - GXP composition shifts noticeably when the ball is tightened down. Not a huge problem on wide shots, but with a telephoto lens the shift was pretty significant. No such shift on the BH-40. - Panning on the GXP is an on or off option. The threads on the panning knob are quite course so you can't really add resistance which makes panning kind of jerky, whereas the BH-40 creates a smooth panning experience. -GXP is tall at 4 vs 3 for the BH-40, which easily clears tripod legs when the camera is dropped into the notch. The BH-40 does get pretty cramped with a large camera body on it. Conclusion: The BH-40 is one of those no-regrets type products that will enhance my photography experience rather than hinder it. Great work RRS!
Downsizing
Had a BH-55 when I was using a Canon 5D mk4 and EF100-400 lens and liked it. Now with a 5R and R 100-400 the BH-40 is a great weight saver and just as stable.
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