When the time comes, I will be getting one without a doubt. The FLM feels smooth, precise and oozes quality, just like all German engineering I have ever encountered. If you would like your own plate system attached, then FLM can supply the ball head without it. I need the L Bracket approach for all manner of photographic reasons. For me, I am not so keen, but its personal choice, nothing to do with the design. Its solid, extremely well designed and gives you huge confidence that the plate is attached. Many users will like the QRP 70 plate / grip system. Turn the PRS knob anticlockwise and I am back to smooth horizontal movements. I can capture rotational panoramas far quicker without the light changing. The PRS functionality seems extremely valuable to me now as I no longer have to look at the ball head when shooting panoramas. I found the FLM to almost second nature to use especially coming from my trusty Kirk BH1. These can also be set to varying degrees using a small spanner. As you turn the tripod left and right, the ball head slips into notches keep turning the PRS and the notches feel more pronounced. To engage the PRS functionality for precision panoramas, simply keep turning it clockwise. You can still turn the camera left and right so use the Pan Lock to stop horizontal movement. Now set the camera into position and lock it down with the Main Friction Lock. The grip clicks and the camera can now be locked down with a lever on the side. Then it’s very easy simply place the plate into position on top of the grip, angling one side into the jaws and press down. It has cork on the base to stop the plate scratching your camera which feels far more substantial than the usual rubber coated plates. Tilt lock – stops the ball from moving in all directions and keeps the travel in one plane.Īttach the tripod plate to your camera with a screwdriver.
The FLM Centerball 48FT has to be one of the most exquisite pieces of precision engineering I have ever tested, a build quality on par with Really Right Stuff. Right from the word go, you start to smile. Although an L Bracket user myself, the clamp is not the generic Arca Swiss mount, so for this review I abandoned the bracket and attached the plate provided.
Included was the QRP-70 plate and clamp set, FLM’s clever attachment platform.
It is robust in size, bigger than the average consumer tripod, so it’s aimed at the larger camera body market, perfect for a landscape shooter like myself with a hefty Canon 1 series body. The model I requested for review is the FLM CB48FT Ball Head. Yet stop one second and just take one look at this ball head and you will perhaps be as spellbound as I was when I spotted this on the Speedgraphic stand at Focus on Imaging. Whether it’s a three way head, ball head, or perhaps one of the more precision based geared heads, many of us handing over our money to a big company are convinced that a matching set is the way to go.Īll these companies operate on a massive scale, so finding a company like FLM, a small family run German firm who do not operate in the same way, is always going to divide consumers. Whenever you think about purchasing a new tripod head it’s very easy to imagine yourself satisfied with a safe bet made from one of the usual corporate manufacturers.