The top 5 ball head tripod heads for birding

One of the major benefits of a ball head style of tripod head is its compactness. If you are looking to scale your tripod set-up right down to the smallest and lightest possible, with a spherical range of motion, a ball head tripod head solves this.

Here’s an overview of the top ball heads available on the market:

Quick comparison: best ball head tripod heads for birding spotting scopes

Manfrotto XPRO Magnesium Ball Head

Manfrotto’s XPRO is simple but accurate to use, with good friction control on the movement. It’s a stable and versatile set-up.

Best ball head tripod head – overall winner

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Benro GX35 low profile ball head

A stylish as well as solidly reliable ball head from a very reputable manufacturer. This Benro tripod head boasts quality and usability.

Best ball head tripod head – for big scopes

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Neewer Metal Ball Head Tripod Head tripod

Excellent product at its low price point, with enough solidity and basic but adequate features.

Best value ball head tripod head

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Vanguard Alta BH-300 Ball Head Tripod Head

The largest in Vanguard’s Alta ball head series, but still very economical. The BH-300 has a 55 mm ball with a correspondingly large payload, made from aircraft aluminum.

Best ball head tripod head – aluminum

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Gitzo GH1382TQD Center Ball Head Series 1 Traveler Tripod Head

Lighter, slim and good-looking. The contours of the GH1382 please the eye, fitting perfectly with the high quality build.

Best ball head if money is no object

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Reviews: best ball head tripod heads

Are there any ball head tripod heads that maintain stability while being smaller, lighter and easy to manipulate? We’ve identified some potentials.

Let’s take a look…

Best ball head tripod head – overall winner

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Manfrotto XPRO Magnesium Ball Head Overview

The main body of the Manfrotto XPRO is magnesium alloy, with a hollow sphere to keep the weight low. The visible outer is of hard plastic, though. It feels tough enough but it lessens the overall classiness of its visual impact.

Ease of use

Set up is straightforward, with the quick release plates, which are also fitted with rubber cushioning to prevent any slide. It’s obvious how to release the additional red safety catch, when necessary.

The helpful bubble levels are easily visible.

Controls are close together

It must be difficult to figure out the best layout for the controls – allowing sufficient room to access and turn them, on such a small sized curved body. With this in mind, the controls are quite close together.

While this keeps it easy for people with small hands or nimble fingers, it might be a point of contention for those with large hands or less compliant digits!

On the plus side, rather than being twist knobs like on many tripod heads, Manfrotto uses levers, so these are less fiddly.

Satisfying friction control

Overall, on the key feature of how well the ball head moves, the Manfrotto XPRO scores well, with on-point simple but accurate friction control. It’s a stable set-up that is versatile as it can be used with non-Manfrotto tripods and monopods.

Best ball head tripod head – for big spotting scopes

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Benro GX35 Three Series Low Profile Aluminum Ballhead Overview

This GX series ball head tripod head offers a high level of comfort in its use. The twist controls feel like they are durable. They stay firmly in place, as well as being pleasant to turn.

You can pan horizontally, and there are clear markings to indicate progress across the range. It is also possible to achieve any angle of perspective once the ball head is unlocked and manipulated.

There’s a nice friction control to enable you to stay in control of the speed of movement.

Adaptable attachment

The safety lock keeps the spotting scope secure once it is attached. The scope will not slide off the plate if left unattended – and who wants their precious optics taking a tumble? The plate is Arca compatible.

The ball head features a bubble level, which is handy for aligning during set-up. It’s not so easily visible once the optics are attached though. That could be an issue for digiscopers, in case of the need to alter position and move the tripod.

Stylish and solid

Its aluminum construction allows this Benro ball head to be light and hard wearing. There is so much to appreciate with this ball head, which gives a great impression of being stylish as well as solidly reliable.

A stylish as well as solidly reliable ball head from a very reputable manufacturer. This Benro tripod head boasts quality and usability.

Best ball head tripod head – best value

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Neewer Metal Ball Head Tripod Head Overview

The Neewer is fantastic value for money if you’re in search of a small but solid ball head option. Depending on the level of your expectations, what this tripod head delivers is simple but effective.

Despite its diminutive size, the rubberized controls are not a problem to operate. There is a locking knob on the base on either side of the head. Most of the head is metal.

Compact but with enough solidity

The panning control is at the base of the head, in the center. There’s a mounting plate, which feels solid, plus the screw to switch it if necessary.

The Neewer ball head is compact without being completely lacking in weight, and so is able to cope with loads up to 17 pounds.

Its features are basic but adequate for the needs of most birders who will be mounting a small to medium sized scope.

For other choices of tripod head in the most economic range of budget, feel free to check here > The best value tripod heads for spotting scopes

Best ball head tripod head – aluminum

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Vanguard Alta BH-300 Ball Head Tripod Head Overview

The BH-300 is the largest in Vanguard’s Alta ball head series, which includes the BH-100 and the BH-250. Maximum payload ranges from 22 pounds on the BH-100 to a massive 66 pounds on the BH-300 that we are looking at here.

All of the BH series tripod heads have a vaguely industrial look to them. They are made from aircraft aluminum.

The grey metal anodized surface gives the impression of being well machined and produced, with the associated stability in its construction as well as in its appearance.

Functional and practical

In keeping with this functional look, the control knobs are of a decent size. Their textured surface gives good grip even if a little damp.

At a height of over 4.5 inches, the Vanguard BH 300 is one of the taller ball head tripod heads we review here. It’s not as low profile as, for example, the Benro GX35. That could be something to consider if you’re paring right down for absolute minimal size.

Extra height but slim width

The advantage of its taller height is that the controls are more widely spaced out, giving plenty of room to adjust them.

Width-wise, the ball head is fairly slim. So if your tripod legs are of the flip-up style then they should fit okay around the head when folded.

Best ball head tripod head if money is no object

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Gitzo GH1382TQD Center Ball Head Series 1 Traveler Tripod Head Overview

This is the Traveler version of Gitzo’s GH1382QD range, which means it’s lighter, slimmer and less heavy duty. Its contours please the eye and the build quality is high, justifying the similarly high price.

The slim profile is designed to allow the ball head to fit within the folded legs of the Traveler series tripod. However, the mounting plate is compatible with most Arca Swiss plates so the GH1382QD will work well with other brands of tripod legs.

Smooth ball motion

The movement of the ball is very smooth, thanks to its coating. Fans of precision adjustments will be happy with this motion, which includes sufficient amounts of friction.

The tension can be set via a dial. Knobs on the Gitzo are on the small size, in comparison with the locks and levers on the other tripod heads we mention here. They have a rubber coating on them, making them grippable.

The panning range is clearly marked on the base. The bubble level is clearly visible.

Main criteria when choosing a ball head for your tripod

There are a few things to pay particular attention to when choosing a ball head design of tripod head. Specifically applicable to ball head tripod heads, these key features or considerations include the following:

Ball width

The diameter of the ball head itself affects the amount of weight it supports safely and effectively. In general, the wider the diameter, the larger the stability and payload.

Maximum payload

As with any tripod head, the maximum payload is one of the most important figures to consider in the specification.

In addition to the actual weight in numbers, also think about the shape and length of your optics. A longer spotting scope puts more stress on the tripod head that is holding it.

One disadvantage of a ball head is that the payload they can cope with is usually less. It’s something to be aware of if you have a large scope – or may increase in size in the future.

Resistance

Because of the limitless range of motion, it’s best to have sufficient drag to feel completely in control of the tripod head and, by extension, your spotting scope. On many ball heads it’s possible to vary the amount of friction to suit the amount of resistance that suits you.

With this in mind, it’s worth looking for separate controls first to adjust the drag, and secondly to completely lock the motion. You want these knobs to feel firm, strong and durable, without being too stiff or awkward to turn.

Another crucial thing is to be able to maintain some tension on the ball. This keeps it roughly in position, rather than just slipping around.

It’s worth paying particular attention to this if you are intending to mount an especially heavy set of kit on it like, for example, a large spotting scope with digiscoping attachment.

Stability

The whole point of a tripod is to hold your optics stable. So look for the most solid tripod head that you can, one that lessens the transmission of any vibration or movement to the actual image through the scope.

While the tripod legs can usually be left untouched while you are birding, the tripod head itself is the point that you will be most in contact with. You’re likely to be touching it more than the legs and lower part of the tripod, whether it is to unlock and adjust the direction of the head, or to change the focus on the spotting scope.

Quality of build and coatings

The ball should rotate cleanly in its socket, without play, which might cause extra wear on some areas of the surface. Otherwise this could risk future compromises on the smoothness of the movement.

Ideally the materials used for the ball head, and its coatings, will be of sufficient quality to withstand the frequent movements and maintain smoothness.

QR or quick release

As with any tripod head, you want to be able to attach and detach simply, so that setting up your tripod heads and legs is a quick and easy task.

Standard mounting plates include the Arca-Swiss compatible designs. These types of quick release are commonly available, as are adapting plates.

There are also brand-specific plates, such as Manfrotto’s attachment.

We also have a general overview of How to choose a tripod head for a spotting scope

The pros and cons of the best ball head tripod heads

While the compact proportions and lighter weight of these types of tripod heads are a great advantage, the extra movement in the ball head design sometimes does not suit birders. That flexibility of different angles is great for photographers, so maybe it might suit digiscopers.

For most bird watching, the pan and tilt ranges of motion is sufficient. The totally spherical range of movement could be seen as overkill. Once the tripod head is set up level with the horizon, there can be little need to change it.

Although some spotting scopes themselves do feature rotating collars to be able to alter the angle. This is more relevant to digiscopers, as rotating the scope when using the naked eye obviously doesn’t make much difference!

Ball heads, however, are ideal for those people wanting to pare down the size and weight of their kit. Often they are made of magnesium or aluminum. Ball head tripod heads that are lockable can be simple to use – like so many things, once you know how!

Next steps to picking the best ball head tripod head

For those people looking to save on size and weight in their birding kit, tripods with ball heads are a simple solution. By the time you add up the pounds of spotting scopes, tripods, binoculars and other optical hardware (not to mention drinks and snacks!), your bag can start to weigh a lot.

One of the major benefits of a ball head style of tripod head is its compactness. If you are looking to scale your tripod set-up right down to the smallest and lightest possible, a ball head tripod head solves this.

We have more picks for light, compact tripod heads here >>> Best lightweight compact tripod heads

And of course the spherical movement gives total freedom on what direction you aim your spotting scope. Most of these tripod heads also offer a damping control to add friction and make sure the ball head doesn’t roll all over the place.

In addition, many complete tripod kits include a head with a ball head design as standard. So these reviews may shed more light on the features or models to look out for.

Feel free to check out our complete round-up of The best tripod heads for birding spotting scopes