Spice up your photography this weekend with a 3-way!

An AI-generated image of a male photographer using a tripod and two females.

When we buy a tripod kit, it invariably comes complete with a ball head. And with good reason: they are compact, easy to use, quick to operate and effective. But for all their merits, they are simply not as accurate as a pan-and-tilt tripod head, commonly known as a 3-way.

With a ball head, a single clamp grips the ball upon which the camera mounting plate is positioned. This is what makes them so fast and easy to use; a quick twist and the camera is locked in place, ready to shoot.

However, that simplicity comes at the price of accuracy; if your composition is generally good but the horizon is a teeny bit off kilter, then unlocking the clamp loosens the whole kit and caboodle. So you may find that in attempting to fix your wonky horizon, you inadvertantly tilt the camera up or down by a couple of degrees – thereby ruining your carefully crafted composition.

Then there's the dreaded ball sag; it's common for a ball head to dip just a teeny bit once you lock the clamp and then let go of the camera. And the heavier your setup, the greater the degree of danger.

Looks aren't everything! They're sexier than they seem – stop being so judgy (Image credit: Digital Photographer magazine)

A 3-way tripod head, by contrast, has separate locking controls for panning, tilting side to side, and tilting up and down. So while they are slower to use – necessitating the use of three separate controls and locks – they are far more accurate.

You can concentrate first on leveling your horizon and, once that's bang-on, panning to perfect your angle of view, then you can lock that off and get your angle of elevation just right. For lovingly composed landscapes, there's simply nothing better.

Taking things a step further, a geared tripod head is essentially a pan-and-tilt head that is permanently solidly locked in place, but can be adjusted in all three planes in microscopic amounts with a geared knob. They are even slower still, but supremely accurate. And let's face it: if you're up at dawn waiting for the sun to peep above the horizon, then you have the time.

Naturally, Digital Camera World has buying guides dedicated to helping you find the best pan-and-tilt head and the perfect geared head for you. But if you insist on sticking with a ball head, then why not invest in a better one? We have a guide to the best ball heads, too.

So when it comes to a 3-way, don’t be shy, give it a try!