Yoshiaki Kobayashi | Ball Head

I first got a camera when I was still in elementary school. I had a teacher who loved photography, and he let me try black and white printing. After that, I got my own camera and started taking pictures of the creatures around me that I liked. I started taking pictures of insects and flowers with a 135mm medium telephoto lens and a close-up lens on my Pentax ME Super. Since then, I've been taking pictures of nature around me.

Then, I wanted to take pictures of larger creatures that are hard to photograph in Tokyo, so I finally moved to Hokkaido. Now I enjoy taking pictures of creatures such as red-crowned cranes, Ezo red foxes, and Hokkaido squirrels up close.

I take pictures of anything natural. Since I started living in Hokkaido, the proportion of birds and animals I take with super telephoto lenses has increased, but I also use a wide range of equipment, from wide-angle to super telephoto to macro lenses, because I aim my lens at a variety of things, from small flowers and insects to beautiful landscapes.

My photography style is basically the same as snapshots around town, and I call it nature snaps. While walking in nature, I snap pictures of interesting scenes I come across. Therefore, I don't use a tripod very often during the day, and I mostly shoot handheld, even with a super telephoto lens.

On the other hand, a tripod is essential when shooting in the morning or evening, when I want to decide on the composition precisely, or when I have to wait a long time even during the day with a super telephoto lens. However, even in these cases, I don't want to lose mobility, so I wanted a tripod and head that was as compact and reliable as possible, and that's when I came across Markins.

The Markins ball head Q20iQ-BK is more compact and has a higher load capacity than the head I had used until then. It has a high braking force, so the composition doesn't shift slightly when you let go of the camera after deciding and locking it, which is common with ball heads. Especially in macro photography, the angle of the tripod head needs to be changed quite frequently, so a two-way tripod head with a pan bar gets in the way and is difficult to use, making a free-angle head essential. However, after many tripod heads that I was dissatisfied with for their lack of braking power, I was finally able to find a free-angle head that I was satisfied with.

Another advantage of using a ball head is that you can adjust the camera angle with one touch even if the tripod is not exactly level. This is very useful when you have to set up a tripod on short notice or on uneven ground. It can also be used when setting up a tripod inside a car. With a 3-way head, if the tripod itself is tilted, the image will tilt when panning, and adjusting the angle with the head is a hassle because you have to adjust three places. Although this goes against the basics of how to set up a tripod, it is necessary to use equipment that can be used on site to prevent shaking.

Also, the L-plate attached to the Pentax K-1 and Nikon D500 is very useful because it allows the camera to be easily switched between vertical and horizontal positions. Of course, it is possible to shoot vertically without using the L-plate by tilting the camera 90 degrees, but using the L-plate allows the ball to move in a wider range and stabilizes the balance of the entire equipment. Another advantage is that there is little deviation in the composition even when switching between vertical and horizontal positions, making it easy to decide on the composition. Markins' L-plate is also sufficiently rigid and stable even when shooting with a slow shutter speed.