Markins BVQ12L Set for Bird Photography or Videography

Markins BVQ12L Set for Bird Photography or Videography

The Markins high-capacity Pro Ball Heads just got better, now also thinking of the special needs of birds, panorama and video shooters!

This new Markins BVQ12L Ball Head with Lever Release Clamp has a lightweight removable module designed for bird, wildlife and panorama photography and/or videography, also very useful for sports.

Without the module, it functions like the Q10i ball head for landscape, portrait and macro photography.

• The module constrains ball head movements to two axis only.

• It makes the ball to rotate on one up-down axis only and with its panning base is able to move around in the panning axis.

• It also helps reduce vibration because the centers of mass of the BV-Head and your camera-lens setup can easily and securedly be aligned and balanced very close on top of each other.

• With this compact , easy-to-install module and lightweight BV head, your photographic experience will not only be more pleasurable buy also more effective and convenient, as it replaces a Sidekick or Gimbal head.

Bundle includes

• Q10i-Q with Lever Release

• BV-14

• optional BV-stopper, which provides further protection with a longer and heavier teleport lens over 4lg, you will find here

The ball head by itself has these characteristics  which have made it unique in the small market segment of true pro ball heads:

• STRONGEST: With a torque of 225 kgf-cm / 195 lbf-in

• HIGHEST LOAD CAPACITY: Measured to be 45kg / 99 lbs, for a load offset of 5cm / 1.97in from the center of gravity

• LIGHTER: Now weighting only 498 g / 1.08 lbs

• MORE EFFICIENT: The load capacity to weight ratio is 92:1

• IMPROVED PAN LOCK: By means of a slightly larger knob, there is now an even better lock, however still allowing for vibration absorption. It should not be overtighten.

  All of the above in addition to the already remarkable list of properties:

• DURABLE AND SCRATCH RESISTANT: 30% stronger than stainless steel thanks to its patented hard anodizing silky finish of all metal surfaces

• TOUGHER: Titanium center bolt. Precision machined, light weight but stronger than any other.

• COMPACT AND WITH LOW PROFILE:  Now with bell-shaped ball head housing.

• WITH A TRUE "SWEET SPOT": An amazing and unique anti-flop fingertip setting which allows you to move the camera to any new position and stay put, without having to touch the controls again once set

• POSITION MARKS: Laser engraved position marks in the panning base for precise stitching of panorama images

• SELF CLEANING: The compact ball heads Q10i and Q20i are self-cleaning, self-lubricating made out of ultra durable 7075-T6 Duraluminum and are virtually maintenance free.

• COMPATIBLE WITH ALL ARCA SWISS TYPE PLATES: The Markins quick release connection plate system is the Arca Swiss imduystry standard, compatible with Markins, Wimberley, Kirk and RRS plates.

Markins plates available for most cameras and tele-lenses such as from Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Hasselblad, Mamiya, Sony and generic plates for other systems Since most plates are custom designed, the ball head comes with no camera or lens plates - they have to be chosen and ordered separately.
The ball head Q10i comes with the new Markins QL-60i Lever Release (quick shoe or clamp) attached. This high quality lever release combines the best of both worlds, efficiency of lever release and compatibility of with knob release systems It is lightening quick and easy to fully open and close, while it has the flexibility to be adjusted for plates that are slightly larger than the Markins standard.

RECOMMENDED APPLICATION: For superior smoothness in operation, the BVQ12L is recommended for camera bodies with small to medium length lenses like the 70-200mm VR or the 80-400mm 

Fingertip control for "Sweet Spot" setting: After mounting your setup on the loose quick release shoe, you adjust the main friction knob (PFC) enough for the gear not to fall but still able to move. Then you screw in the limit control dial with your fingertip. Now you minimally adjust the Progressive Friction Control (PFC) knob to your taste and needs depending on the where is the center of gravity of your setup and the maximum angle you will be shooting at.
By using a unique bi-axial mechanism the main friction knob can fully lock your heaviest equipment at a quarter of a turn if you feel you need to. This triple action sliding cam construction securely clamps the ball while still letting you easily slide your camera into any position.
The limit dial prevents the friction control from turning loose beyond the safe point set, avoiding flops and drops Few, robust controls make the system easy to work with and operation with gloves is not an issue, something important for the outdoor photographer. With the smooth panning base you track moving objects with ease and the pan index at the base helps panorama stitching.

The standard color for these ball heads is black.

The ball head comes with no camera or lens plates - since most are custom fit for a specific camera or lens they have to be ordered separately

Weight:
Ball head:       17.2 oz / 498 grams
BV module:    7.0 oz / 200 grams

For a comparison of all ball heads options, see this

Reviews
Why Markins Ball Heads, detailed review by Nikonians co-founder J. Ramon Palacios
Markins M10 White Paper (extensive user report) by professional photographer Marsel van Oosten. Adobe Acrobat PDF file (1.5MByte)
Markins M10/M20 Ball Head Review by Darrell Young

Follow this link for a Users Guide and Technical Data Sheet in pdf file format

The operation manual for mounting the attachment module can be found here

Warranty
All Markins products bought here come with a three year warranty.

If still unsure on whether you should get a ball head or a 3-way pan-tilt head, you may want to read this "Why a Ball Head" PDF file.