RRP at $US279.95 plus shipping. If you're interested in one, contact Birddog for a special price.
It comes very well packaged, thoughtfully packed with cut out foam bits and instruction manual (contrasted to Markins which has 1 piece foam padding the shipping box, and no instruction manuals). It's also made in US whereas the Markins in made in Korea.
Build quality is excellent. Because of the 45 degree angle which grips the rotating ball, it's very easy to orientate the camera mount from horizontal to vertical. There's also a separate panorama plate with angle markings all the way around.
Here it is mounted on a Gitzo tripod.
Here it is holding about the most mass I could gather - Nikon D2H, 70-200VR lens, SB800 with fifth cell attached. This is as much as anyone would sanely attach to the AUB under shooting conditions (although once Birddog's $10k 200-400VR lens arrives, we'll re-assess this situation).
With this much mass, I would say it's near the limits of the ballhead's ability to hold steadily (at a weird angle). If I grip the camera/lens and attempt to tilt or rotate it on the ballhead, I am able to do so. Even when screwed extremely tight to prevent ball movement, this amount of mass overcomes it. This was a brand new unit, and I don't know if it would get better or worst with age. Contrasted to the Markins M20 which has I think an assisted friction screw, as it was effortless to tighten the screw and it seems to hold this amount of mass much more steadily. The Markins ballhead costs more than the AUB, and I believe it's also rated for a heavier load. Personally, the Markins seems to instill a more confident feel in use.
