[Leica] Re: Ball & socket heads

["Doug Richardson" <doug@meditor.demon.co.uk>]

Mention of ball & socket heads in my posting re Florence and Venice
reminds me of a question:

Does anyone make a good quality ball & socket head similar in size to
the Leica one but with a controllable degree of friction rather than a
simple locked/unlocked adjustment?  I've often thought that a head
which can be moved against a good degree of friction when setting the
camera angle would be easier to adjust than one where undoing the
screw suddenly releases the weight of a heavy Leicaflex.

BTW, while visting a photo store in London a few months back I was
able to buy a small accessory-shoe-mounting spirit level - an ideal
aid to getting the camera level when mounted on a ball & socket head.
The Leitz one is a collector's item, but this little gadget was about
$5, and much more practical and - two little spirit levels embedded in
a block of clear plastic.

Regards,

Doug Richardson