The Markins Ball Heads
by J. Ramón Palacios

tell a friend about this article

FOR THE REALLY BIG GUNS

For added peace of mind and superior smoothness when handling big guns, like the 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor, the 500mm f/4D IF-ED AF-S II Nikkor, or even the 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED AF-S II Nikkor and the 600mm f/4D IF-ED AF-S II Nikkor, one may resort to the M20 instead of the M10.

Claus Brandt, European Nature Photographer of the Year 2005 With his Markins M20 with Wimberley Sidekick at the Florida Everglades

In my definition of a pro ball head, one important characteristic is that the controls are not binary, i.e. locked or unlocked; but there is a mid ground where the gear stays put if left alone -without slipping or creeping- and can be moved easily without having to touch the controls. The higher the load capacity in relation to the actual load -more so with heavy gear- the easier is to find and enjoy effortlessly that mid ground. This is called by many the "sweet spot".

So it is not that you need a higher load capacity than that of the M10, but with heavier gear it adds peace of mind as it keeps the ball head silky smooth in that mentioned middle ground, even when dealing with a monster lens.

As the table below shows, the M20 retains almost the same efficient load capacity to weight ratio of the M10, increasing it by 5Kg ~ 11lbs while only adding 70g ~ 0.26lbs of weight, 3mm of height and a very few mm of diameter. In consequence, even when handling the really big guns, with the Markins M20 you keep the most efficient load capacity to weight ratio and smoothest operation at its sweet spot.

 

Arca Swiss B2	Burzynski	Markins  M20	Markins  M10
Weight: 3.4 lbs	2.28 lbs	1.25 lbs	1.09 lbs
1,550 grams	1,035 grams	568 grams	498 grams
Load capacity: 150 lbs	110 lbs	100 lbs	88 lbs
68 Kg	50 Kg	45 Kg	40 Kg
Load/Weight ratio: 44:1	48:1	79:1	80:1
Height: 5 inches	3.78 inches	3.98 inches	3.86 inches
127mm	96mm	101mm	98mm
Street Price USD: $730	$430	$390	$340
100%	59%	53%	47%

And so the Markins_M20 is also light and small, capable of the same loads of any other biggie and the price remains most competitive.

A small note on the 2006-2007 Markins ball head models. The 2004 and 2005 stop screw at the end of the clamp was replaced by an innovative spring-loaded retention or "stop pin" for hollow plates in the new clamps. The even newer QR-48 on the M10 and QR-60 on the M20 are lighter compared to the former models and not only they have rounder corners, they also now have an integrated bubble level and remain having a captive knob.

As mentioned before, we are very proud of having been successful to make these ball heads, clamps and plates globally available to Nikonians at the Photo Pro Shop.