The #496 head itself is fine, but I gave up on all the Manfrotto heads that use the RC2 quick release mechanism. It's just too imprecise for me ... I hate it when I get the camera and lens set up just right, touch the camera to change a setting or do the final critical focus, and the plate shifts 2mm in the clamp so the setup is ruined. If you're not that critical or work your framing as the last thing you do, this head and QR system can work ok. I used the RC2 system with a couple of heads for some time.
Nowadays, I only buy heads that can take the Arca-Swiss type of QR mechanism. Rock steady, no play at all between clamp and plate. The ball heads I currently use are the Acratech Ultimate Ball Head and the Markins Q3 Emilié ... both priced in the $250-320 range. I expect these heads will last me the rest of my natural life, and a bit into my unnatural one too. ;-) For more precise work (table top product shooting, architecture, landscape, etc) the Manfrotto 3D Junior geared head is what I plan to buy. That one uses the RC4 QR system, which I'm also not so fond of although it is much more precise than the RC2. Good news is that Kirk Photo makes an RC4 to Arca-Swiss adapter plate with a clamp that will take all my camera and lens plates, so when go for it, I have a complete solution. On Tue, Dec 14, 2010 at 10:33 AM, Eric Weir <[email protected]> wrote: > > I've been wanting to get a ball head for my tripod. The two I have are > rudimentary and awkward to adjust. I've had my eye on this one -- Manfrotto > Compact Ball Head 496 with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate -- and now I see that > Adorama has it for $29 with a $50 rebate through mid-January. > > I'm on a tight budget. Not yet a "pro." Those two facts in mind, any opinions > about this ball head? > > Thanks, > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Eric Weir > Decatur, GA USA > [email protected] > > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > -- Godfrey godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
