I use this head with the 055XPROB Tripod and it is worth the money by far. Shooting a CANON 30D with a 70-200 2.8 IS (a beast of a lens) with a converter, this ball head has excellent support for heavy equipment at an infinite number of positions. even 90 deg. portrait with the camera far off center i have confidence my camera is secure.I really like the separate pan and ball locking knobs allowing for panning without accidentally knocking the camera off level.Enjoy...