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@ raymo
Mate, I might be very new to the astronomy scene but I do know a little bit about photographic gear.
A well designed ball head should drop to 90°, not 87° or 94° or whatever, but spot-on 90°, the standard portrait orientation, no ifs or buts.
Yes, in a perfect world all ball heads would support your gear at all angles, however that reality doesn't apply in the real world. Most manufacturers stated carrying capacity is based on the ballhead being upright. Tilt it a bit off-centre and it is a different story.
Your assertion that "ball heads are mainly made to be used on photographic tripods, which are often not level, and the shafts are often made to go beyond horizontal to allow for this" is way off the mark.
Most quality tripods have a built-in spirit level. Try telling an architectural, or landscape photographer, that their tripod doesn't really need to be level because their ball head is designed to compensate and they will give you a look of incredulity.
And just for the record, my photo tripod is a Markins Q10, and on today's market I wouldn't get enough change from $600.00 to buy a Schooner.
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