The 3055 is Bogen’s original “medium” ball head. It has a panoramic base like the 3038, but it’s not calibrated in degrees (the 3038 is). The ball and base actions are slightly “sloppy”. This isn’t a super-precision made device, but for $40, what do you expect! Though the ball tension might in theory be adjustable (depending on how hard you lock the locking lever), in practice it’s more or less “locked” or “free”. It takes the standard hex QR plates. Kirk can adapt it to take Arca Swiss type plates (they can do this for the 3038 too), but I’ve no idea why anyone would do this. The Arca Swiss QR plates are $40-$50 each. Why anyone would want to use them on a $40 ball head I don’t know. There’s also a Bogen version which takes thesmaller Bogen rectangular plates. I’d say the 3055 is adequate if you have a limited budget. There’s really nothing any better in a QR ballhead for the price. It’s OK with lenses up to a 300/4 or 400/5.6. I’ll admit to putting a 300/2.8 on one. It worked OK but it’s not something I’d recommend. READ FULL REVIEW AT BobAtkins.com
If you own or have used this tripod and camera support, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.