The BH-40 Ball Head with B2-mAS Mini Clamp from Really Right Stuff is a 14.4 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 w/ B2-mAS Mini Clamp Overview
Really Right Stuff BH-40 w/ B2-mAS Mini Clamp Specs
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| Independent Pan Lock | |
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Really Right Stuff BH-40 w/ B2-mAS Mini Clamp Reviews
Serious equipment
Having never used a top-notch ball head, this was a revelation. Even the Gitzo I have used before isn't nearly as nice.
Great for Travel Tripod
Let me start off by saying I don’t have a lot of experience with high-end ball heads. Can I tell if one ballhead handles better in the wind than another, nope. Neither can I tell if one transmits less vibration from running water hitting the tripod. However, I don’t have insecurities about what I have purchased and call it like I see it no matter how much I paid for something. So, here are my general observations. I purchased this ballhead to put on my travel tripod. The BH-40 Pro appeals to me for this application because with the compact clamp it is lighter and shorter than competing ballheads. Plus, this ballhead has a drag tension adjustment which I rank in terms of everyday usage as one of the most important things in a ballhead. I don’t have empirical evidence, but I suspect the compact clamp will do fine with most gear. I use generic arca-swiss compatible L-brackets. I do see a minuscule amount of movement between the clamp and the L-bracket when torquing the L-bracket by hand. However, the play is similar to what I see in a larger clamp by Acratech. So, maybe it is the L-bracket that is flexing and an RRS L-bracket would have zero movement. I should emphasize that it takes a fair amount of torque to see this movement. My guess is that I will be worrying more about anchoring the tripod in the wind than whether the clamp and bracket are flexing in the wind. Obviously the longer the lens, the more this becomes an issue. Overall, the functionality of this ballhead is really nice. The screw on the clamp has the best action of all my high-end ballheads. The lever to release the ballhead for adjustment is really nice. The length allows you to just twirl it with a finger for faster action. The very minor drawback to the lever is that it can get in the way of the clamp. Too bad they didn’t design it so when tightened, the lever isn’t pointing up to the clamp. In my limited use of the ballhead so far, this has not been an issue. If you do clamp on a lens foot though, you will want to make sure the clamp screw is on the opposite side of of the lever. The panning action is nice and smooth. The knob to control the panning action is very close to the tension knob though. If you are wearing thick gloves, this can be an issue. The one design element I am surprised to see is that the tension control on the ballhead is done by a foam insert that is partially exposed to the elements. So as for anything, it is best to not store this ballhead exposed to the sun. Will it be an issue in a few decades, maybe. Let’s face it, there is no perfect ballhead. But if you are looking for a light and short robust ballhead with tension control that works nicely, then I don’t think you will find anything better than this BH-40.