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Evening all.

Hopefully this belongs in this section
Want to order a tripod tomorrow. I've decided on the manfrotto 190XPRO, because that's all that fits my budget & weight requirements. Looked at Giotto, Benro, Slik & Benbo & Gitzo - all either too expensive or heavy.
My question tonight is. Are there any real benefits of a ball head over a 3 way. My heaviest lens in my Sigma 70-200 f/2.8. Unless I win lotto I will not be getting anything heavier than this in the near future.
So looking at either manfrotto's 804RC2 (pan /tilt) or the 486RC2 (ball).

Appreciate any comments - maybe I have overlooked something

Do you mean the 488RC2?

The 190 series tripods have a weight rating of 5kgs so the 804RC2 pan-tilt with a 4kg rating is a good match, hence it is kitted together. The 488RC2 has a weight rating of 8kg, so it will support a lot more than the 190 legs, so it is not recommended by Manfrotto to go this way. The 486RC2 is a ultra compact ball head with a 6kg weight limit. All of these heads would be a good match to the legs, but will result in a tripod with a 4-5kg limit, limited by the legs. Buying a 488RC2 will mean your head will be useful if you buy bigger lenses or upgrade your camera body.

On the topic of pan-tilt vs ball heads, pan-tilt provides you with ease of use with the expense of compactness. Ball heads are much more compact but tend to be a little harder to get used to. I would probably recommend the ball head due to the compactness, especially if you plan to take your tripod around a lot.

Personally I have a trigger grip head (322RC2) on my main tripod, a built in ball (on the 714B, which I loathe due to the lack of a quick release) and a pan-tilt (on the crappy Optex).

Hope this helps, and not too many people flame on me for this.

Check out the tripod configurator at http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/news/site/manfrotto/pid/16203/lang/en

thanks 486 is the go then

I use a 486 and have been happy for years.
The only drawback is no panning lock- its all by the one lever so the camera moves on its ball as well as pan. Now I'm into panoramas and stiching I want another head as a result.

Consider the Giottos range- Discount Digital has them dead cheap. I'm contemplating the 1303 before I save the $$$ for a Really Right stuff head.

Robert

robert wrote:I use a 486 and have been happy for years.
The only drawback is no panning lock- its all by the one lever so the camera moves on its ball as well as pan. Now I'm into panoramas and stiching I want another head as a result.

Good point! Maybe have another look at the 488RC2, it has a pan lock.

I've decided on the Giotto MH1001 ball head at the moment.

Good point! Maybe have another look at the 488RC2, it has a pan lock.

I've had a look at this head, how good is it under weight (say 3kg or so)? Does it tend to slip even when fully locked?

Well I have never actually had a chance to road test one of these heads, but I can say that it has a weight limit of 8kg, which is 3kg more than my 322RC head, so I would suspect that you will have not slipping problems. I routinely put my D300+MB-D10+24-70mm f/2.8 on my 322RC2 with no problems. I had this set up with an extra SB-800 on that head the other night, if the 5kg rated head can deal with 3.5-4kg load then I would assume that the 488RC2 will have no probs. I have played with one in shop, and when locked I cant feel any movement when I pull/push on it.

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/bypass/pid/2306?livid=80&lsf=80&child=2 488RC2
http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/cache/bypass/pid/2319?livid=80&lsf=80&child=2 322RC2