Manfrotto XPRO 3-Way Head, Camera Tripod Head, 3-Axis Movement, High Precision, Photography Equipment for Content Creation, Photography, Vlogging

As a real estate photographer, I'm using this head a lot day in and day out.Being able to re-adjust the levels every time I move the tripod without having to mess around with a ball head saves me a lot of time.It's just more quickly accurate than any ball head can be.Material wise it seemed a little cheap whenI 1st opened the box as it's mostly plastic but it does seem to be sturdy enough and works really well on the job.I'm sure others have a nicer, smoother action when turning the knobs but this one does work as you'd expect and at the price, and because I had a Manfrotto tripod already, it seemed like a good choice.No actual complaints here.I'm very pleased with my choice...

This tripod head was bought for a working studio that serves approximately 40 customers a week for the United States Space Force. It was mounted on a Studio Titan stand and provides a perfectly stabilized base for the camera. This is useful for portraits and still life images. In particular, the knobs are easily adjusted for swings and tilts and even provides a fine-tune feature that allows perfect horizontal and vertical alignments. This is one of the best, and most useful studio purchases we've made for this purpose and I highly recommend it as a MUST HAVE for all working photographers.

The media could not be loaded. I needed to make the jump from a regular ballhead to a geared head to be able to make finer adjustments on the Tilt and pan axis. With the ballhead, once the ball is released the camera would move in every direction and sometimes I only need to move one of the three axis. I got this geared head because my accessories are all RC2 compatible and I liked the easy of making big as well as small movements.Pros:Controls for pan and also tilt on two axis (left/right, up/down)SturdyLightweightEasy to make big or small movementsConsRated for 8.8 pounds but gears slip on lens/camera combo that are less than 6 poundsNot enough up/down angle of movement; 20 degrees is not high enoughI wanted to love this geared tripod head as much as I do my Manfrotto ballhead, but the two cons made that impossible. First, this head is rated for 8.8 pounds but when using it with a heavier lens/camera combination that is under that max rated weight, the up/down gear skips when the angle is pass the 0 degree mark (see video). When trying to get back to the 0 from 20, rotating the fine adjustment knob to move it is not possible since the knob just jumps. The only option is to put some weight on the camera (press my hand on it) to assist the gear, or to push up on the knob while turning. This is a bit frustrating. I returned the first one I ordered thinking it was a defect, only to realize the replacement is only just a little better, but not much. This isn’t an issue when using smaller, short, lightweight lenses.The second issue is that it only goes 20 degrees up from horizontal. This is an issue if you’re shooting anything higher in elevation, like birds. The alternative is to mount the quick release plate backwards (see photo), effectively reversing the whole system. This does work to get the higher angle, though you’d have to get used to make the adjustments backwards.I’ve looked at alternatives and this is the only one that suits my needs, even with its flaws. I really like that there is a squeeze trigger for bigger movements to go along with the knob for finer movements. If you are already part of the Manfrotto RC2/200PL-14 system, this is the geared head for you; especially with shorter or wide angle lenses.

I purchased this for the upcoming eclipse (04.08.24) but have already put have been putting it through it's paces. I am mounting a Canon R5 with a Sigma 150-800mm lens. Together, the rig weighs close to 10 lbs. I found all the adjustments to be accurate, smooth and solid. No drifting. Also fantastic for landscape and portrature photography. Easy to set up, easy to use. A name brand that is worth every penny I paid and then some. The only downside is that the mounting plate is proprietary, and a little bit fiddly to mount to the ball head. Also, I'm not fond of latch style mouting systems.

Looks solid and long lasting piece.

Initially I loved this tripod from a functionality standpoint as a real estate photographer, but I quickly found out that its quality leaves a lot to be desired. Because I travel with my gear my tripod takes a little of a beating and this plastic geared head just doesn’t handle it well. I now have chipped parts that cannot be fixed. It still functions, but I wish those parts were aluminum so they wouldn’t have chipped. That being said, the head is very light because it is plastic. It locks in my camera decently well, but I do have to double check that it’s actually locked in. It’s a little bigger in size compared to others, but because you can switch between big movements and small movements, it’s worth it over smaller geared heads. Due to durability issues, I probably wouldn’t buy again, but it does the job very well for now. I’ve gotten 18 months of work out of it and we’ll see how much longer it lasts. I’d recommend Manfrotto replace some of the small plastic pieces with more durable metal parts so they don’t chip and break.

I had the older Manfrotto 410 junior that got really stiff, and hard to adjust.this one is smooth and works a lot better than the old one.

I use this with a macro rail for outside shots and it works great. I like that you can make fine adjustments or gross movements