|
How
Do I Make the Tensioning System Work, or How Do
I Find the Sweet Spot?
It
is a very simple system requiring only a thumb. Huh?
That's right, you do need to have at least one thumb
to use a Markins M series ball head. Well, If you have
no thumbs, you could simply use a fingernail to set a
special "friction limit control dial" (tension
lock) on the side of the "progressive friction control
knob" (main tension knob).
After you select your camera and lens combo for your shooting
session, you'll mount the camera on the ball head.
Then, just like with a cheaper ball head, you'll then
hold your camera with one hand, and tighten the tension
knob with the other. The only difference is that you
do not set the tension knob so tightly that the camera
cannot move. You only tighten it up enough so that
the camera does not flop over in any direction. Then
you turn the little tension lock with your fingernail
or thumb clockwise until it stops. At this point, your
camera will move to any position the ball head allows,
without creeping or flopping around.
When
you are done with a shot, you don't have to do anything
except move the camera to a new position for the next spot.
You've got the sweet spot set for that camera lens combo.
That's all there is to it!
One
nice thing about the tension lock that also takes away
a measure of aggravation is
that, once you have it set,
you cannot loosen the ball head enough to make the camera
flop
over. You can loosen it enough to let it creep under
its own weight, but not flop with catastrophic results.
This
is a marvelous protection for your expensive camera and
lens, and takes away the most difficult part of using
a ball head.
No more too loose settings.
Later,
if you decide to use a bigger camera body, or a much
heavier lens, you may
need to readjust the tension
ball and
lock. First you'll use your thumb or nail to release
the
lock in a counterclockwise direction. Then you'll reset
the tension on the main knob to match the weight of
the new camera
lens combo, and then you'll turn the tension knob lock
back clockwise until it stops. Another sweet spot located! This
is a really simple system of adjustments. It takes all
of two minutes to learn how to use. I cannot begin to tell
you how much time it saves, and how much faster you can
use your camera with this Markins Q-Ball head. |
