No Tripod Head Photography - Kingjoy C85 Tripod & RB-40 Review

Have You Lost Your Head?

The idea of using a tripod without a ball or geared head for landscape photography sounds a bit odd doesn’t it. But the suggestion of leaving a bulky or heavy tripod head behind is exactly what tripod manufacturer Kingjoy is now giving you as an option. You may remember the name Kingjoy as I reviewed their C83 carbon fibre tripod recently.

The RB-40 Compact Head (yes, I know it’s still a head) isn’t like any other tripod head I’ve seen before. It’s small, flat, and light. The reason it can be this small is that aside from have an arca-Swiss style slot, and the ability pan, it does nothing else. It can’t tilt or tip. So, with the head locked flat, and therefore the camera as well, how do you adjust your composition?

This is where the Kingjoy C85 tripod comes in. The C85 has a levelling bowl as standard, allowing free movement of the surface area where the RB-40 attaches. To tilt or tip the camera, you simply do so by adjusting the levelling bowl (plate). But is this system any better than a traditional head? Will the limitations on the amount of tilt and tip be, well, too limiting for landscape photography?

To find out I head out on location to review and put to the test the Kingjoy SolidRock C85 Carbon Fibre Tripod and RB-40 Compact Head.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

If you’d like to purchase either or both items, you can do so using the links below:

 💳 You can purchase the Kingjoy SolidRock C85 Carbon Fibre Tripod HERE.

💳And you can purchase the Kingjoy RB-40 Compact Head HERE.

🎥 And you can watch a video review of the Kingjoy SolidRock C83 Carbon Fibre Tripod HERE.

Use the code kjbaird5 and you'll get a 5% discount.

Dartmoor Landscape Photographs - Belstone Common

Here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video.

A landscape photograph of Belstone Tor taken at sunrise.

Belstone Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/15 sec at ISO 64.

A landscape photograph of Belstone Tor taken at sunrise.

Belstone Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 18mm, f/13, 1/30 sec at ISO 64.

A landscape photograph of Irishman's Wall on Belstone Common taken at sunrise.

Irishman’s Wall, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 26mm, f/13, 1/50 sec at ISO 64.

A sunrise view of Dartmoor taken from Belstone Common.

A Dartmoor View #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 15mm, f/13, 1/50 sec at ISO 64.

A sunrise view of Dartmoor taken from Belstone Common.

A Dartmoor View #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 16mm, f/13, 1/20 sec at ISO 64.