Manfrotto 484RC2 Mini Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate (3157N)
by Manfrotto
|
Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Manfrotto 484RC2 Mini Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate (3157N)
Customer Review: Excellent Upgrade Tripod Head
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've purchased an inexpensive or entry level tripod it is likely that the head that came with it is not the best. Assuming that the head is removable this problem is easily remedied with an upgrade.
I chose the Manfrotto 484RC2 to upgrade my Velbon travel tripod which came with a decent head that lacked a quick release. For me a quick release makes the tripod/head much more convenient with the ability to quickly mount and remove your camera.
The 484RC2 comes with a great quick release that includes a locking mechanism which prevents accidental removal of your camera. This is an excellent safeguard.
I also like the plate that comes with the 484RC2. The mechanism used to screw the plate to your camera includes a flip out arm for easy tightening. Other plates just have a slot that requires a coin or screwdriver to tighten. If you don't have one of those it's difficult to get the plate tight on the camera which means it's going to slip around.
I was recommended the 484RC2 head since it was relatively light, came at a reasonable price and would work well with my camera. I'm using this with my Canon XTi and a borrowed Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens (my heaviest lens) and although the recommendation was to go with a bigger head, the 484RC2 holds steady with no slipping.
I'll be putting this head through its paces shortly but initially I'm very happy with my purchase.
Customer Review: Works Very Well, But May Not Be Compatible With All Tripods
Summary: 4 Stars
Besides what is covered in the Product Description above, the Manfrotto site says about this item: "Product Code: 484RC2 - Bogen code (USA only): 3262QR ... This versatile head is fitted with a 200PL-14 [Manfrotto code] quick-release camera plate with a secondary safety catch. ... [It is a] direct replacement of the 352QR Midi Ball Head.... It has a... double groove for +90°-90° tilt movements. Camera plate has a 1/4-20" male thread...."
The product works very well. It's relatively light. The ballhead moves fluidly but is relatively stable when locked. You can easily flip a 35mm SLR from horizontal to vertical either clockwise or counterclockwise into the two grooves and be confident that your camera will stay in place. If the locking lever is at an unwanted angle, you can pull the lever outwards and rotate it, and when you release it the lever will spring back to a new position. The rectangular quick release plate and mechanism are secure yet convenient. Furthermore, it's a good value; you'd have to pay a lot more for a little better performance.
The only problem is that the diameter of the base plate may be too small for the placement of some tripods' set screws. The head's base plate has a radius of about 1.7cm, but holes for the set screws in the top plate of one of my tripods are >2 cm from the center, so I can't use this head with that tripod without worrying that it'll twist unexpectedly. If your tripod is compatible, buy this head from Amazon.com!
Customer Review: Manfrotto excellent as usual
Summary: 4 Stars
This head does what it's supposed to do, with good looks and solid construction. It is a good alternative to a 3-way pan head or a larger ball. It handles a full-size DSLR with tele-zoom without wobbling, and has fine friction adjustment (allowing small movements without suddenly falling over). It also allows a vertical position on either side of the groove, with an adjustable knob that never gets in the way. The only deduction (4 versus 5 stars) is for the lack of a pan adjustment. Quite often this is the only parameter that needs to be adjusted, once vertical and horizontal lines are established, but with this head it's all or nothing. In other words, I would not recommend this head if you specialize in architectural subjects. It is still a great head, though, because it's tiny yet powerful, and really lightweight, so it is a useful travel tripod and has the simplicity of a ball head for shooting sports, theater, etc. The head also does not have any locking bolts to fix it to the tripod, and this could be a problem if you inadvertently allow it to loosen over time (voila, there's your "pan" adjustment!), but if you're attentive to this, it's not a problem, especially if you expect to switch it out regularly with an alternate head and don't want to carry a screwdriver.Customer Review: Not even close to being strong enough
Summary: 1 Stars
I have purchased the Induro 470-000 AB0 Tripod Kit (Black) and decided to get a manfrotto head for it just because all my other heads were manfrotto and the head on this tripod looked cheap plastic.
i received the manfrotto 484RC2 today and but it on that tripod right away. i just wanted to test the strength of the ball head. i locked it as hard as i could and tried to see how hard is it to bend it while locked. i have the Manfrotto 488RC4 Midi Ball Head with RC4 Rapid Connect System (3271) and i cannot bend it at all no matter how hard i try.
this bent pretty easily so i told myself that i should not compare this to the larger manfrotto i should compare it to the small plastic induro the tripod kit came with. i could not even bend the indure a little bit. even though i did not like the quick release of the induro the sturdiness is far more stronger than this manfrotto.
i own many manfrotto ball heads and tripods but after this i am thinking of exchanging my manfrotto 488rc2 with an induro DM01 i just need to find the 75 dolar difference somewhere.
Customer Review: Good bang for the buck
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this ball head to go on my Feisol carbon fiber monopod. From the picture it looks small and light, but to my amazement was quite a decently sized, durable, metal head. That put my monopod weight over 2lbs as this head is about 1.5 lbs alone, but this head is pretty sturdy. I can easily put my Canon 30D with the heavy EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens with the tripod ring no problem on it. I use this setup for fashion shows as it's the most convenient.
Just a note, this thing only has one center column screw to screw the head into. It does not have the 3 base screws (to prevent rotation of the head). It's not really a big of a deal, especially on a monopod, but some might like to know that it doesn't have these screws, even though the manual has it illustrated (it doesn't even have the 3 holes to screw in)
The Quick release plate is very well designed, and even comes with a saftey (good for me with using a monopod as it can catch a sleeve, strap, etc. then pop off). The quick release also auto locks once you pop it back in.