So, I looked in the website of Vanguard company and saw many different types of ball heads.
I would like to ask what features are must have in a ball head? On what factors does it depend?
Answer
There are plenty of factors which must be considered:
Maximum Load: All ball-heads are rated to support a maximum weight after which they do not hold so steadily. Normally I aim for something that can hold about twice my current maximum weight of camera and lens, just to be safe.
Independent Panning Lock: Some ball heads have a single dial, some two and some three. The second on lets you pan the camera without losing the ball which is useful for various reasons. If you do panoramas its the second-best thing to a panoramic head.
Friction Lock: The third knob is usually to control friction. It costs more but it makes a difference when using heavy gear if you cant get a geared head.
Quick Release Mechanism: The are plenty of types of mechanisms to choose from and they differ in quality and usability. It should be easy to remove from the tripod without moving the whole setup, have firm contact with the camera and be actually quick :) Manfrotto alone makes several and their ballheads come in versions with each type of plate. For example a 055 Head comes in RC4, Q2 or Q5 plates.
Level: When cameras rarely had a digital level this was more important. It simply lets you know that the camera is level. You need this even if you have a level on the tripod because it is possible for the tripod to be level and not the head. The other option is to get a level which goes into the hot-shoe, assuming you camera had one and that it is not otherwise occupied.
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