[Leica] Leica ball head questions

["Brian Walsh \(E-mail\)" <rbwalsh1@dcn.davis.ca.us>]

Hi,

I've managed to confuse myself by looking at various Leica ball heads
available on the used market. My needs are pretty simple: I want to be able
to lock the head down securely enough to hold either my modest 35mm kit or
my Mamiya 7 6x7. (The Mamiya is quite light for the format, and it uses
nearly vibrationless leaf shutter lenses, so it shouldn't require a large
ball head.)

Is the current "large" ball and socket head stronger than older models? Are
there other factors to consider before I make my purchase?

Thanks,

Brian Walsh