Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head

by Vanguard

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 3.7 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003XDE8TK
• Item model number: GH-100
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Fusing the smooth precision of a ball head with impressive ergonomic control, GH-100 enables you to position your camera or spotting scope quickly with unmatched versatility. This well-engineered ball head has the Grip Position Release System with an industry-leading pistol grip-style handle, which rotates 360 degrees and enables you to unlock, reposition and lock gear into place with ease. Its one-handed, maximum comfort and convenient operation frees your other hand to make lens zoom adjustments. Depression of the handle allows 360-degrees of panning movement and -32 to +90-degrees of side-to-side tilt and -8 to +90-degree back to front tilt movement all round. It instantly locks into place with simple release of the handle. Other impressive features include its Friction Control System which allows you to modify the level of friction on the ball to accommodate changing equipment weight such as switching to heavier lenses.The anodized center ball allows for extremely fluid movement without sacrificing precise control. GH-100 ensures the safety of your expensive equipment with a dual-locking quick shoe mechanism that prevents accidental release. It lets you attach and detach your gear quickly and efficiently. Other notable features include its 72-click point panorama, offering 72-point rotation with click-into-place positioning that moves the camera 5 degrees per click and prevents jumps in shots to ensure a perfect 360-degree panorama.GH-100 provides impressive versatility in positioning with 360-degree horizontal movement and 90-angle tilt.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect ball head for any photographer!, December 29, 2010

By 

Ruth Krueger "Because of your smile, you make... (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head (Electronics)

I'm thoroughly impressed with the Vanguard Pistol Grip Ball Head! I decided to take a chance with an unfamiliar brand and am so happy I did. I inherited a Manfrotto tripod from my father and was looking to update the mount with something a little more versatile than the basic quick release.

I've been wanting a ball head for quite some time, but hated the idea of spending $200+ for the Really Right Stuff brand that Scott Kelby recommends. So I started looking at the Manfrotto Joystick that Sandy Puc swears by and realized it had a limited range of motion when using heavier equipment and larger lenses (like my Nikon D700 with 70-200mm lens)! Thank goodness I picked up a copy of Popular Photography Magazine...I noticed they had announced their POP Awards and that the Vanguard GH-100 had won one of the coveted spots on their list of top products for 2010! After reading their endorsement I decided to take chance and judge the product for myself.

For less than $100 I have a professional grade ball head with bonus trigger grip. I love how adjustable it is and I feel confident my equipment is safe and won't sag under the weight of my camera/lens or tip the tripod over. I highly recommend you give a try and see for yourself how versatile and durable it is.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick. Intuitive. Versatile., March 23, 2011

By 

Joe MacBu - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head (Electronics)

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The Vanguard GH-100 is almost everything I could hope for in a head. It seems durable, but doesn't weigh too much due to the blend of metal and plastic. It's easy to use and to place into almost any position due to its versatile design.

What I like:
- The ball head allows the greatest flexibility and quickness for positioning.
- The panoramic rotation part works well. It allows the camera to rotate with very little friction, so that the rest of the alignment is not thrown off.
- Easy to attach to the tripod (but comes off too easily).


What I don't like:
- The trigger requires a lot of pressure to depress, even on the loosest setting. After using it for a bit, my hand was actually hurting. If you have a weak grip or arthritis, you should avoid this item.

- While I appreciate the bubble level, it is housed where the camera plate snaps into place. Hence, it is not visible when the camera is mounted.

- I wish there was a way to lock the head to the tripod. The head screws on easily to attach to the tripod, but it also unscrews easily, even when you don't intend it to.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When seconds matter, March 2, 2011

By 

Jim - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head (Electronics)

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Seconds often do matter where photography is concerned, and the time it takes to adjust a standard ball head mounted on a tripod can make the difference between getting the shot and not getting it. For tripod-using photographers on a budget who do not have arthritic or unusually weak hands, the Vanguard GH-100 Pistol Grip Ball Head is a godsend. It safely supports up to 13 lbs. (13.2 to be exact) of equipment and enables the photographer to make precise adjustments as fast as she can squeeze and pan. (At this moment my GH-100 is mounted on an Induro tripod, which is sitting in front of my cat's window perch, outside of which is a bird feeder. While typing this review I saw a bird at the feeder and thanks to the GH-100 I was able to get off several shots of my cat ignoring then watching the bird at different angles before the bird left.)

I've used a Manfrotto tripod with a pistol grip head - the 785 Modo Maxi Photo Video Grip Head Tripod (all one piece, i.e., the head cannot be separated from the tripod) - and there is no comparison between the ball head on that unit and the Vanguard GH-100.

I don't have any scientific and therefore accurate way to measure how much pressure must be applied to the GH-100 grip, but going by feel I would say it's around a little less than half of the pressure required to squeeze one of the pair of Gold's hand grip exercisers I own (I came up with this admittedly highly subjective result by squeezing the GH-100 grip and the Gold's side by side). I can imagine my late mom trying to squeeze the GH-100 grip when she was rather frail, and perhaps not succeeding even with both hands on the grip.

In addition to using the GH-100 for photography, I use it for an oversized binoculars I use for stargazing (the Celestron Skymaster 15x70 Binocular). This binocular is huge and heavy (around 3 1/2 lbs.), and is impossible to hold steady without a tripod. Trying to adjust a standard tripod head outside under the night sky to move the binocular around is a pain in the neck, but with the GH-100 it's as easy as it could possibly be. Vanguard manufactures outdoor and hunting equipment and recommends the GH-100 for both cameras and spotting scopes.

Photographer Kerry Garrison of cameradojo dot com has created an excellent video (and written) review of the GH-100, and I highly recommend that prospective buyers check it out (buyers too, for Kerry's video is instructional).

The GH-100 won Popular Photography's 2010 POP Award (Photography's Outstanding Products). Amateur Photographer rates the GH-100 five stars and says, "An intuitive, secure and well-made tripod head." The German magazine PROFIFOTO selected the GH-100 as its "equipment des monats" ("equipment of the month") in May, 2010.