Electronics : Manfrotto 804RC2 Basic Pan & Tilt Head with Quick Release Plate

Rating: - Great 3 way head
This is a 3 way pan / tilt head with QR plate, it weighs 750g, and 12cm high, and has a max rated weight of 4kg's.

CONSTRUCTION:

The majority of the head itself is constructed of technopolymer (a special plastic developed by manfrotto specifically for this job). All 3 axis of rotation have plates and markers telling you the angle you are currently pointing your camera at. The axis lock handles have a nice rubbery type grip meaning handling the head in cold weather is not a painful experience.

The mounting plate has a standard 3/8" mounting hole to allow you to pop the head on the legs of your choice. The surrounding part of the plate is angled to allow the grub screws on your tripod to fit securely on the head.

The QR plate is some kind of metal, having a standard 1/4" thread to mount a camera. The plate secures to the head using a double spring loaded lever system to aid quick fitting of the camera, and prevent inadvertent release of the camera during use. Also on the head is a bullseye type spirit level for easy levelling, however like the level on my Manfrotto legs, this is not the most reliable of devices.

IN USE...

The build, and materials used are excellent, offering a real feel of quality that one would expect from a Manfrotto product. All axis of movement are smooth, and the axis locks are great, locking the camera in exactly the right position. It must be noted that the grub screws on your tripods platform need to be tight for the pan axis to be tight. The tilt axis has a spring loading for use with heavier lenses. The handles on the axis locks feel chunky, yet tactile, offering great feel for tightening or using the axis with friction for fine adjustments. Weight wise I use this with a set of 055MF3 legs, and don't find the head especially heavy.

CONCLUSION

Getting great shots starts with having a great set-up, this means initially a rock solid platform to adjust your composition.

As a product 3 way heads are quite simple, so it takes something extra special to make one stand out for recommendation. So what makes this special?

In short, the quality of build, the materials, and the little extra details like the double spring loaded QR, and the feel of the axis locks in use. This head delivers all of this, but most importantly it offers the rock solid platform to get the shot you want.

To be honest its difficult to find anything to be critical of in this design (wonky bullseye level aside {I've never bothered using this level as I do all my fine adjustment in the viewfinder}), and as such it deserves the 5 stars I have awarded it.

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Rating: - Great pan head for the price
I have been using this pan head with a Manfrotto MN-055 PROB tripod for about a year and I am very pleased with it. The build quality is great and it still handles like new. Panning in all directions is pretty smooth and the handles have really nice grips. The only problem is when tightening the pan head there is a small amount of movement meaning that precise locating in changing situations can be difficult but for the price this is a small issue. It is quite a heavy piece of equipment but this gives the pan head its stability. I often use the pan head with a nikon D80 and Sigma 50-500mm lens, which is a heavy combination but there is no movement in any of the bearings and the pan head feels rock solid. In conclusion, a great product at a great price that deserves a high quality tripod so highly recommended.