ARCA-SWISS Monoball Z1 DP Double Pan with Quick Set Device "Flip-Lock", Supports 122 lbs.

I think the title says it all. Moving the head around is so smooth it's creepy. Once you lock it down it won't move, no creep, nothing. I am very impressed and happy I got this.

Simply irreplaceable item for anybody with large (and heavy) telephoto lenses. Once set it does not move, drift...stays solid.Excellent product

I've had two heads in the past. The first was the basic head that came on a cheap tripod that I got when I was a teenager and was really meant to be used with a video camera. The next time around (about 15 years ago) I purchased a Bogen 3021 tripod and what I thought would be a very flexible  Bogen - Manfrotto 3028 Super 3-D Head  (how can you go wrong with a name like that). The tripod was great and the head was incredibly flexible for setting up for a shot and taking the picture. However, it was not great for shooting anything moving, because It wasn't easy to track things with the design of the head and it tended to move a bit or settle while tightening it in position. Years afterwards I started reading about tripod heads and specifically ball heads. After taking a year to decide I bought this one, which I've now owned for 6-7 months now.I am a very happy person. The head with it tensioning system works great for adjusting to various lenses that I have so I can put it in place and not have it flop around, but with just a tiny adjustment I can loosen it and be able to smoothly track items. Others posted problems they had with the flip-lock mechanism in reviews that I had read, however I didn't have any problems once I understood how it worked. The build quality is fabulous, however it is heavy, so needs a fairly rugged tripod to support it. I am currently using the  Gitzo GT2541EX Series 2 Carbon 6x 4 Section G-Lock Explorer Tripod  as my tripod and the combination is fabulous. I have taken the setup to soccer games and a vacation in Costa Rica and have head no problems. I have used a  Canon EOS 5D Mark II  and  Canon EOS 20D  on it with no problems. It even holds the  Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens  without a problem. I did buy two quick release plates for this, one to use on my camera and one to keep on my 100-400 as that is mounted directly to the head. I am looking forward to taking my next panoramic pictures as well with the double panning capability.All in all a worthwhile investment as I hope to get many years of use and enjoyment out of it.