diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/GitUtil.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/GitUtil.java
index 3590809795..803348dc33 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/GitUtil.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/GitUtil.java
@@ -350,12 +350,11 @@ public final class GitUtil
    *
    * @throws IOException
    */
-  public static ObjectId getBranchId(org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository repo,
+  public static Ref getBranchId(org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository repo,
     String branchName)
     throws IOException
   {
-    ObjectId branchId = null;
-
+    Ref ref = null;
     if (!branchName.startsWith(REF_HEAD))
     {
       branchName = PREFIX_HEADS.concat(branchName);
@@ -365,24 +364,19 @@ public final class GitUtil
 
     try
     {
-      Ref ref = repo.findRef(branchName);
+      ref = repo.findRef(branchName);
 
-      if (ref != null)
-      {
-        branchId = ref.getObjectId();
-      }
-      else if (logger.isWarnEnabled())
+      if (ref == null)
       {
         logger.warn("could not find branch for {}", branchName);
       }
-
     }
     catch (IOException ex)
     {
       logger.warn("error occured during resolve of branch id", ex);
     }
 
-    return branchId;
+    return ref;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -528,7 +522,7 @@ public final class GitUtil
   private static Optional<Ref> findMostAppropriateHead(Map<String, Ref> refs) {
     Ref refHead = refs.get(REF_HEAD);
     if (refHead != null && refHead.isSymbolic() && isBranch(refHead.getTarget().getName())) {
-      return of(refHead);
+      return of(refHead.getTarget());
     }
 
     Ref master = refs.get(REF_HEAD_PREFIX + REF_MASTER);
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/AbstractGitCommand.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/AbstractGitCommand.java
index f12d1920c7..8e1a48ed1d 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/AbstractGitCommand.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/AbstractGitCommand.java
@@ -102,12 +102,17 @@ public class AbstractGitCommand
     return commit;
   }
 
-  protected BranchWithId getBranchOrDefault(Repository gitRepository, String requestedBranch) throws IOException {
+  protected Ref getBranchOrDefault(Repository gitRepository, String requestedBranch) throws IOException {
     if ( Strings.isNullOrEmpty(requestedBranch) ) {
-      Optional<Ref> repositoryHeadRef = GitUtil.getRepositoryHeadRef(gitRepository);
-      return repositoryHeadRef.map(r -> new BranchWithId(GitUtil.getBranch(r), r.getObjectId())).orElse(null);
+      String defaultBranchName = repository.getProperty(GitConstants.PROPERTY_DEFAULT_BRANCH);
+      if (!Strings.isNullOrEmpty(defaultBranchName)) {
+        return GitUtil.getBranchId(gitRepository, defaultBranchName);
+      } else {
+        Optional<Ref> repositoryHeadRef = GitUtil.getRepositoryHeadRef(gitRepository);
+        return repositoryHeadRef.orElse(null);
+      }
     } else {
-      return new BranchWithId(requestedBranch, GitUtil.getBranchId(gitRepository, requestedBranch));
+      return GitUtil.getBranchId(gitRepository, requestedBranch);
     }
   }
 
@@ -115,7 +120,8 @@ public class AbstractGitCommand
     ObjectId head;
     String defaultBranchName = repository.getProperty(GitConstants.PROPERTY_DEFAULT_BRANCH);
     if (!Strings.isNullOrEmpty(defaultBranchName)) {
-      head = GitUtil.getBranchId(gitRepository, defaultBranchName);
+      Ref ref = GitUtil.getBranchId(gitRepository, defaultBranchName);
+      head = ref == null? null: ref.getObjectId();
     } else {
       logger.trace("no default branch configured, use repository head as default");
       head = GitUtil.getRepositoryHead(gitRepository);
@@ -130,10 +136,4 @@ public class AbstractGitCommand
 
   /** Field description */
   protected sonia.scm.repository.Repository repository;
-
-  @Getter @AllArgsConstructor
-  static class BranchWithId {
-    private final String name;
-    private final ObjectId objectId;
-  }
 }
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommand.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommand.java
index 6d742012ae..4e9261f517 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommand.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/main/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommand.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import com.google.common.base.Strings;
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Ref;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk.RevCommit;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk.RevWalk;
@@ -207,7 +208,7 @@ public class GitLogCommand extends AbstractGitCommand implements LogCommand
               PathFilter.create(request.getPath()), TreeFilter.ANY_DIFF));
         }
 
-        BranchWithId branch = getBranchOrDefault(repository,request.getBranch());
+        Ref branch = getBranchOrDefault(repository,request.getBranch());
 
         if (branch != null) {
           if (startId != null) {
@@ -235,7 +236,7 @@ public class GitLogCommand extends AbstractGitCommand implements LogCommand
         }
 
         if (branch != null) {
-          changesets = new ChangesetPagingResult(counter, changesetList, branch.getName());
+          changesets = new ChangesetPagingResult(counter, changesetList, GitUtil.getBranch(branch.getName()));
         } else {
           changesets = new ChangesetPagingResult(counter, changesetList);
         }
diff --git a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommandTest.java b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommandTest.java
index 2709646aba..78db8ae686 100644
--- a/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommandTest.java
+++ b/scm-plugins/scm-git-plugin/src/test/java/sonia/scm/repository/spi/GitLogCommandTest.java
@@ -83,11 +83,11 @@ public class GitLogCommandTest extends AbstractGitCommandTestBase
     result = createCommand().getChangesets(new LogCommandRequest());
 
     assertNotNull(result);
+    assertEquals("test-branch", result.getBranchName());
     assertEquals(3, result.getTotal());
     assertEquals("3f76a12f08a6ba0dc988c68b7f0b2cd190efc3c4", result.getChangesets().get(0).getId());
     assertEquals("592d797cd36432e591416e8b2b98154f4f163411", result.getChangesets().get(1).getId());
     assertEquals("435df2f061add3589cb326cc64be9b9c3897ceca", result.getChangesets().get(2).getId());
-    assertEquals("test-branch", result.getBranchName());
     assertTrue(result.getChangesets().stream().allMatch(r -> r.getBranches().isEmpty()));
   }