The Best Tripod Ballhead You've Never Heard Of? // Innorel N44 Ballhead Review

[@andrewsnape1705]

Thanks for the video Murray; I’ve ordered this in a bundle with the tripod. It was £50 extra on top of the tripod, so a decent enough saving. I’m a bit new to this, and didn’t want to spend too much. Some of these prices are astronomical, like Gitzo stuff, and I can’t/won’t spend that much

[@MurrayLivingston]

Nice one Andrew! Best of luck with it, it should serve you well. Yes some of the big brands charge a huge premium... always nice to find quality gear at a discount. Thanks for watching :)

[@andyvan5692]

great review, I have the sirui M2204 (the older one, which was kitted with this K-30x ball head), its great, but the plate isn't Arca-Swiss, its a proprietary one called a TY plate, a dovetail yes, But NOT an Arca one!

[@MurrayLivingston]

Thanks for watching Andy! Argh that sounds frustrating - bet you can't find an L-bracket for that... would do my head in haha. I didn't realise the sirui K30x was a different dovetail as that's the other good option in this price range, although I'm not a fan of the rubberised grips as I mentioned in this review. Makes it a non-starter imo. Cheers, M.

[@andyvan5692]

@@MurrayLivingston they have updated, from research these where a 2004? till 2014 production run, they have new K30's out now, castellated knobs, not rubber anymore, so no slips, and I believe arca compatible QR plate systems, so most of the Caveats of the old head are gone now, but I still love the older M2204 as it had a monopod conversion included with it, and as far as L brackets, I just used the notch in the ball head, or the tripod foot in long lenses, fyi I also mount that head on a manfrotto 058 and put my sinar F2 4x5" monorail on it, and it holds that (base rail with a short macro rail attached, and a 90mm lens); and my Hasselblad H1 with HC300 on it with Hassy's own qr system; easy, so no qualms about heavy loads with this head, just keep an Allen key handy, as the rubber pads on the TY camera plate need a good snug so they don't turn loose, and before going out, set the tension knob right, so no drooping when the load is on.

[@RFranks]

I have the N36 which is also excellent - no issues after 2 years of use. I'm probably going to pick up one of their tripods too in the near future.

[@MurrayLivingston]

good to hear they last! :)

[@stealthmanofthewoods2570]

prennez directementle innorel RT 90c il est top

[@joekelly9369]

Iv used this ballhead for years its great with all my lenses , the ball is huge the nikon 200-400 f4 is a beast , iv used it on this ball head

[@MurrayLivingston]

Nice one, Joe! thanks for watching :)

[@basilbcf]

Been looking at the Innorel N52 (same head just a little bigger), but there is another that looks very similar at the same price: The Artcise LB52. Of these three, the Artcise and Innorel have "claimed" load capacity of 66lbs. (Remember, I'm talking about the 52mm ball not this 44mm ball). They both look almost identical and even have identical looking knobs. I'm wondering if these are not the exact same ball head sold under two different brand names? Then there is also an Artcise QB54 (54mm ball) that has a 77lb load capacity. This head is the same price, but beefier and it has an additional tensioner "inner knob" that fits inside the main locking knob. It is also a low profile head.

[@MurrayLivingston]

You're right, it does look to be the same product with a different label on the front. At least for me in the UK though, the artcise is almost double the price and doesn't ship for 6 weeks so it's a non-starter. I'm personally not a big fan of tensioners in ballheads as I find I can just adjust the main ballhead finely enough to give me enough play to make small adjustments when needed. Hope that helps. Any other questions just shout :)

[@basilbcf]

@@MurrayLivingston It's interesting that the Artcise would be so much more in UK. Here in US, at least on Amazon, they are both the exact same price of $99.90 (£78.66) Interestingly the much larger Artcise QB54 is actually a couple cents less than the other two. Go figure. As for tension adjusters, I think I'm with you ron that. I have such an adjustment feature on my Sirui that I've never touched. Your video was made 5 months ago. How is the Innorel ball head holding up? To get a head like that with a big name on it, like RRS, you're going to spend north of $500.

[@MurrayLivingston]

​@@basilbcf so far so good! no issues to report. used it extensively in Scotland over the winter period in temps down to -10C and it worked perfectly, as well as lots of use on the beaches of Harris in windy sandy wet conditions.

[@WINDSHEAR-STUDIO]

@@basilbcfI looked up the QB 54 on Amazon Canada. Impressive looking piece, nice video ad they include for the overview. I suppose in this price bracket, it’s kind of hard to beat. I mean it looks capable and robust enough to get years out of it. I had my eyes on a Benro, but now I’m leaning towards this. Most reviews appear favourable.

[@basilbcf]

@@WINDSHEAR-STUDIO I haven;t bought one yet, but I'm really leaning towards the QB54.

[@JeffreyTadlockPhotography]

Great video! Anxious to try mine out!

[@MurrayLivingston]

Thanks mate, I'm keen to hear what you think!

[@ryansartoski5537]

i'm hoping someone will do a review on how well it does in extreme cold due to hollow center. to this day nothing has out performed my Markins, but weighs a ton.

[@MurrayLivingston]

a friend of mine who lives in canada picked one up... will have to see in a few months!

[@MurrayLivingston]

p.s. I took it out in about -10C this weekend and didn't notice a difference even with the R5 & RF100-500 on it. hope that helps ryan!

[@montanaguy51]

Does it do a full vertical hang? I’m trying to avoid buying an L-bracket.

[@MurrayLivingston]

The clamp will go into two different cut outs for vertical comps no problem, but I would highly recommend an L-bracket either way. I use a small rig one on my R5 and love it. Not only will it be more stable but it's faster to change comps and you don't shift your perspective when going from vertical to horizontal. Just my 2c! Hope that answers your question, thanks for watching :)

[@montanaguy51]

@@MurrayLivingston Thank You. I definitely appreciate the feedback!!

[@TC_Conner]

Great review! Have you noticed any creep at all since you've been using this ball head? I have 4 pretty hefty Canon RF lenses, including the RF 100-500mm and I'm wondering if creep will "creep in" over timr? Thanks!

[@MurrayLivingston]

Thanks TC! Haven't noticed any creep with the 100-500mm - was just using it two days ago for some "macro" bark shots and it worked great for those fine close up adjustments at 300mm+.

[@TC_Conner]

@@MurrayLivingston Thanks for getting back to me! I've been wondering about those "macro" shots they say you can get with the 100-500.

[@surreallife777]

I'm using a Nikon F4 80-200 2.8. Should I buy the n36 or the n44?

[@MurrayLivingston]

I'd recommend the N44 for that combo as it's fairly heavy.

[@surreallife777]

@@MurrayLivingston thanks for telling me that because I was thinking of purchasing the smaller N36 since it’s rated for I think 44 pounds. What’s the reasoning for purchasing the N44 since my set up doesn’t weigh 44 pounds?

[@MurrayLivingston]

@@surreallife777 the weight ratings are usually a best case scenario. As soon as you point the camera down or lean the weight of the lens off-centre, your camera will exert a lot more force on the ball head. It's not an exact science unfortunately. I use a similar weight kit when I have my 100-500 attached to the R5 and wouldn't want the smaller version personally

[@surreallife777]

@@MurrayLivingston Ok, thanks for getting back to me.

[@Giantcappuccino]

If you loosen the panning knob all the way, will this head have very easy movement, or is it quite dampened? Thanks!

[@MurrayLivingston]

The panning knob stays a little bit dampened (not "fully loose") with a smooth action. Still very easy to move for quick changes.

[@jordancruz9843]

1st time I've heard of this brand...I'm seeing N36 and M36..what's the difference? Thanks.

[@MurrayLivingston]

Hi Jordan, I don't see an M36 model? The N/V/G etc. represent different models in the Innorel range. The N & V models are the "high quality" ones, but the N is the lightest/shortest which was important to me when trying to save every gram for hiking. And of course the number is the ball diameter in mm. Hope this helps! :)

[@jordancruz9843]

@@MurrayLivingston good thing I didn't push through with the purchase...this brand is new to me and didn't find much resource to study. Great thing I found your video!

[@zanafaic8448]

Can I use it for my phone?

[@MurrayLivingston]

Thanks for the comment. You will need an adapter to mount your phone. It is made for an arca-swiss plate. I would probably get the smaller version in your case, as this will be overkill for just a phone.

[@zanafaic8448]

@@MurrayLivingston I already got it😩 It has to be a specific adapter? I wasn't even thinking about that too much. It's my first one and I don't know anything, shame on me🙃 Thank you for reply😊

[@MurrayLivingston]

@@zanafaic8448 that's fine, it will definitely do the job well for you! Your best bet will be to find something on Amazon that connects your phone to the Arca swiss clamp 👍🏻 I don't have one so can't recommend anything specific sorry

[@zanafaic8448]

@@MurrayLivingston Thank you!😊

[@chriscard6544]

I have a dumb question: can we change ballhead to any tripod ?

[@MurrayLivingston]

Hi Chris, you should be able to fit this ballhead on almost all tripods. The exceptions will be mini tripods like a JOBY gorilla pod which uses a smaller thread on the base plate.

[@chriscard6544]

@@MurrayLivingston thanks so much

[@NCMilVet]

t tripod are you using with the n44 head?

[@MurrayLivingston]

In the video is a Benro Mach3 TMA28C - good tripod at a reasonable price. Have since upgraded to an FLM CP30-L4 ii.

[@joekelly9369]

Artcise is another company (same head) my 52 is 5 years old my 54 head is a month old ,, theyre the toughest HD heads going

[@MurrayLivingston]

Yep, seems the design is sold under a few different names and depending on where you are in the world its easier to get one or the other! Glad to hear another positive experience :)