Graf Studioball or Bogen manfrotto 3047?

I have a friend who loaned me both of these so I could decide if I wanted to buy one or the other from him. These are both in excellent shape, and I am guessing 3-5 years old.They both have Kirk quick release plates on top which will be included in the price. I haven't asked, but I think he would offer me either one I want for no more than $100 or so all in.


This picture of the Studioball doesn't reflect the platform or the upgraded large automotive knob on the unit I have now. It is otherwise fairly similar, though I can't get a feel for the size of the one in the picture. At least it does have the same 5 degree markings around the base for panning.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/i...x150/52766.jpg


The Studioball is pretty darn big for a ball head, with the base being 3.5" in diameter, and the ball being very close to 2.5" in diameter. Including the plate, it's like 5.75" tall. I can't see a model number, but it seems they make different sizes, and this has to be one of the larger ones. I feel sure it holds a significant amount of weight.





http://www.nikonians.org/html/resour...n_3048_029.gif


The Bogen 3047 (manfrotto 029) also has a Kirk quick release platform, and is very different in construction, but in the end it kind of seems to offer similar functionality. I do like that the three axes are adjustable independently, one at a time. The overall height is more at 7.5", which may be useful since I am about 6' 3" tall. The grips on the handles of the one I have are black rubberized material over-molded around a red harder plastic with a little window showing a manfrotto logo. The ones in the picture are over-molded on blue plastic. The base plate says Made in Italy, but maybe they all are.


They both feel very well made. They are at another level when compared with my Sunpak 7500TM that I got near the time that I bought my 5D last year, which I have since replaced with my 40D. I have to admit that my current tripod, with the built-in removable monopod, seems like a pretty nifty solution, if only the top thread mount were compatible with these nicer heads. It isn't built to the standard of, say, a Bogen 3221, but it sure seems to offer more flexibility (in a good way [:)]).


First question, I guess, is which head of these two would you buy if you could only buy one for now, and second, which tripod out there offers the build quality of a Bogen or Gitzo with the feature set of my current Sunpak? I really love the built-in monopod, but am a sucker for superior fit and engineering, so I would totally fall for something along the lines of a Gitzo 6x carbon fiber tripod/monopod combo if it existed, but I haven't seen such an animal, at least in Bryan's various reviews, which are about the only places I look. I don't get out much, but haven't found anyone else I trust as much as him regarding equipment choices.

Anybody? [:)]

I'd say the ballhead....just because I like ballheads. And as far as a professional tripod that has that nifty monopod feature, I don't know of any.

Sean,


Thank you for your input. I am bummed about the tripod. I kind of feel embarrassed to get out my Sunpak around other photographers, but it really is kind of a neat piece. It doesn't feel THAT flimsy, but it certainly isn't very chic, like those sexy carbon fiber models. Bogen even now has a 90th anniversary limited edition version with carbon fiber tubes attached to titanium castings. I bet it is god-awful expensive, but how sexy is that thing!


Do you have a ball head? If so, what kind? Why do you prefer them? Is it the nearly unlimited range of motion?


Also, I was thinking about the 7D's built-in leveler feature. The Studioball could be used seamlessly with a 7D because of this, whereas my 40D, which lacks the leveler, might be able to take advantage of the Bogen's dual bubble levels. Just food for thought. I am entranced by the idea of a ballhead, mainly because others seem to be, but I need to feel sure that it is the right solution for my needs. It is not likely that I'll be changing bodies in the near future. I am really focused (sorry [:D]) on getting some good glass right now.