page_title: Tripod head
section_title: Ballheads
hierarchical_section_title: Tripod head / Types of tripod heads / Photography / Ballheads
caption_attribution_description: Photo of Manfrotto 488 MIDI ball head, with RC4 quick release plate.
context_page_description: A tripod head is the part of a tripod system that attaches the supported device to the tripod legs, and allows the orientation of the device to be manipulated or locked down. Modular or stand-alone tripod heads can be used on a wide range of tripods, allowing the user to choose which type of head best suits their needs. Integrated heads are built directly onto the tripod legs, reducing the cost of the tripod system.
  The main function of any tripod head is to provide the ability to hold the attached device fixed in a specific orientation until the user needs to change its position. In the case of a photographic camera, this can help reduce vibration that would appear when using relatively slow shutter speeds while still being able to quickly recompose for another shot, or allow for very long exposures. In cinematography or video applications, a tripod head allows the camera operator to pan and tilt with much more control when compared to hand-holding the camera.
  The various types of tripod heads available provide different control mechanisms and have distinct applications.
context_section_description: A ballhead uses a ball and socket type joint for orientation control. The ball sits in a socket, which can be tightened to lock the ball in place. A stem extends from the ball which terminates at the head mount. They tend to have fewer parts than other types of tripod heads due to their simple mechanism, but the parts must be precisely machined to fit well together and provide smooth movement, increasing their average price. Ballheads offer the convenience of simple controls, but are lacking in terms of precise movements, making specific alignment and image positioning a challenge.
  The most basic ballheads offer a single control, a tension control, which is used to tighten or loosen the joint and prevent or allow movement of the attached device. Higher end heads may offer additional controls. Some have independent panning control, which allow the entire joint mechanism to be rotated horizontally 360°, while maintaining the orientation of the ball joint. Other ballheads include an additional control on the joint, called a drag control. This allows the user to set a secondary tension level on the ball, based on the current load, to hold the attached device in place when the tension control is disengaged, while still allowing explicit movements.
caption: A ball head, showing panoramic rotation lock lever, and ball lock knob.
exif: {"Image ImageWidth": "3456", "Image ImageLength": "2304", "Image BitsPerSample": "[16, 16, 16]", "Image Compression": "Uncompressed", "Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XT", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image SamplesPerPixel": "3", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image PlanarConfiguration": "1", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS2 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2008:03:21 05:06:37", "Image ExifOffset": "312", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1070", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4809", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/125", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:03:21 03:51:12", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2008:03:21 03:51:12", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "228255/32768", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "50", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1810", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1933", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1728000/437", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "384000/97", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}