Acratech GXP Ballhead with Arca Swiss style plate
I have been shooting with this very special ballhead now for around nine months. I had heard of Acratech years ago, and noted they were a highly sought after brand based in California. In recent times, I updated (or added to) my current tripod by purchasing a Gitzo Mountaineer Series 3 - finally being properly serious in the tripod department. Not a cheap investment, and more on that later. I was searching for a new, excellent ballhead to pair it up with. I searched around and explored / mulled options for a good few weeks - which is mostly how I make all my decisions photographic. What always impresses me is solid engineering concepts. This thing looked very different, and with the Acratech name branded on it - caught my eye immediately. I watched this video on youtube which I have got to admit, totally reeled me in, called Acratech Ball Head Performance. Watch as Scott, drops a two-tonne truck onto this ballhead, and it does nothing to it. He freezes it, drops it in sand. It comes out unscathed, undamaged, fully functional. I am sorry if this doesn’t do it for you but to me and my background - I simply love when someone designs something and puts their heart into it and better still, gives you a 10 year guarantee with it. I love people that stand by their designs and products - this sort of behaviour speaks to me. (More on this later)
The Build
This Ballhead is constructed of aircraft quality 6061-T6 Aluminium and is C.N.C (computer numerically controlled) manufactured, which basically means - to very high tolerances. All threaded fasteners are machined from stainless steels and all bearing surfaces are machined from a special copolymer similar to Teflon. The ballhead has a very solid and substantial feel, weighing in at 450 grams, yet able to support a weight of just under 23kg. There is a very handy and accurate spirit level too that comes with both versions of this GXP head. All the knobs and dials have a quality feel and are locktited to and designed not to be able to come undone or fall off. Unlike other ballheads, this is an open design, which means sand, grit etc does not affect it in the same way that it could with other ballhead designs. This is definitely a plus. There is even a lovely 360 degree dial on the base with a moveable marker - perfect for panoramic / star tracker usage. I have used this as my main ballhead for landscape and astrophotography for some time now and I have never had more trust in a product. I love the solid feel, the overall construction, the solidness of the clamp and the fine adjustment of the dials. I use the marked base for astro work to give me nice overlaps too - it all just works and nothing gets in the way of it’s function, cold, heat, or even dropping a two-tonne truck on it! (I try to avoid this, though).
Panoramic Function and Star Tracker Use
The GXP also has a very nice panoramic function. Using the provided allen key, in the field, the whole thing can be turned up side down by removing the quick release clamp and installing it on the base (it is a very fast thing to do and sounds more difficult to do than it actually is - it’s easy), allowing for panoramic images to be taken without the requirement for a levelling base! It really is win win if you hate getting the whole tripod level for functions such as this, and will aid your pano stitching software and improve your end result with things like distortion and stitching. For star tracker use, which I do a great deal of it works really well. With a camera like the Nikon Z 8, I have done away with bothering to use a shaky V platform to level the ballhead, and now I just use the GPX directly connected into the star tracker declination plate. I am able to do this up to about 85mm no problem and still stitch the panorama no problem. (85mm is where I stop with panos - I find any more than this and it is torturous, I prefer 50mm maximum most of the time). The reason I am able to do all this is the Z 8 camera is so sensitive at night, I can swing the camera to the right positions using the LCD monitor and the GXP keeps everything ultra stable as the shot is taken.
Which one is right for you?
There are two varients of this ballhead, a standard clamp which is what most of us are used to when using arca - swiss style clamp systems. One simply places the plate into the clamp and tightens it down with the knob. The other option is a locking lever. Faster of course, however I prefer to stick with the standard so that there are not differences between my other ball heads. This could lead to problems at night, at worst, equipment falling from a height and being damaged. It is for this reason that I try to keep consistency with these types of things. I like to have the spirit level my side of the camera, so this means with the standard clamp, the knob is at the side you don’t see when clamping. I got used to this very quickly and have had no problems ensuring a snug and secure connection to my camera.
Where to Buy?
In the UK these babies can be difficult to come across. I highly recommend looking at Bob Rigby Photographic, who are official UK importers of Acratech products. Their service and advice is second to none and they always go above and beyond with aftercare. They have both style’s of GXP and other Acratech products on their website which come usually in only a few days maximum. Regarding Acratech themselves, I’ve actually been in conversation with the founder and CEO, Scott Dordick when I accidentally scraped one of the adjustment knobs off a rock during a minor fall. Via the team at Bob, he simply sent a knew knob with instruction on how to fit it. He reassured me that if any servicing or the like was ever needed to post it back to him and he would look at it. Now that is peace of mind that is missing in a lot of products these days, and the old adage: you get what you pay for. Whilst not a cheap product at all, this absolutely applies here, and a user can waste so much money buying multiple inferior products. Coming in at around about the same price points as RRS ballheads of this level (B-40, B-55), I feel I snagged all the advantages and none of the disadvantages of a what I feel is the best ballhead on the market today for landscape / astro use with the caveats mentioned in this short review. Highly Recommended!
Steve
