K. Tripod head - Manfrotto - 410 Junior Geared Head

[Overread]

Well I was lucky enough that my local store had a couple of these from the Focus demos so used stock prices that I took advantage of.
First impressions on the head:

1) Like many Manfrotto products this is a solid and strong build - the best part is that the joints will take a surprising amount of weight and yet won't show any sign of slipping even when using an anglefinder to see magnified view on a macro lens (with silly amounts of stuff added). The quick release plate on top is also a very firm fitting and features a safety lock to prevent accidental removal of the plate.

2) The fine adjustment knobs work well and smooth - though turning them is a firm action its easily done with no problems. The addition of quick adjustment releases on each of the axis allows for a quick alteration of the positioning which then locks back into fine positioning as soon as you release the quick positioning turner. Further for those after a very precise and more scientific move there are marked radial dials for each axes.

3) Weight - this is no lightweight of a head and its weight is noticeable. On a solid tripod (such as the 055PROXB) this is not a problem at all and it does not lead to unbalancing - but its a consideration if one is looking to travel distances by foot.

4) Additional points - the head comes with a single bubble level on the upper plate for aiding a level setting of the head. The base is also typical Manfrotto and has a plate with grooves to allow the 3 locking pins of a tripod to take hold and prevent turning of the head. A final point is that the plate on top comes with two connecting screws - one for a camera/tripod collar and the other for a tripod head fitting or focusing rail. The spare screw can be held under the top plate for later use and quick access.

Downsides - like my Manfrotto focusing rail this head does not mount that well with a tripod collar lens where the collar is nearer the back of the setup (such as the sigma 150mm macro). It will take the camera but one of the axis knobs is almost totally blocked in use for fine tuning and the quick adjust feature cannot be used at all. On something like my 70-200mm f2.8 there is a gap to allow use of both of these features though the knob is still very close to the camera bottom which can make thinks a bit tricky to adjust at times.
There can also be a jurk as the quick moving knobs lock back into place - a bit of a pain but since most uses of this setup are going to have time to take the shot it should not prove too inhibiting

Overall its a solid head well suited to landscape, macro, architecture and any other sort of photography where one is in need of fine and precise movements of the camera setup.
By design it is not well suited to fast movement or tracking of a subject and the locks cannot be turned off permanently - so one can only adjust one at a time (two at most if you don't have a hand on the camera). For those sorts of uses a different head (ball is ideal) would be recommended.

[daft_biker]

The MN410 is my favourite tripod head...so far Mine is a couple of years old now.

The jerk I think you refer to is the moving teeth for the main adjust knobs landing on the oposing teeth. The quick adjust lever rotates off centre and lifts the small cog off the big cog so the head can rotate freely on one axis...the small cog doesn't always mesh when you release the sprung qr lever. To get around it you can be a little more ham-fisted with your quick adjustments (let go the spring go while there's still pressure on the axis you're moving in) or just twiddle the knob and the gears will jerk back so they mesh properly.

Also, the 2nd screw is, IIRC, another size rather than a spare and I think the extra screw being stored under the head is common to other heads using the same qr plate. Although as my camera(s), focus rail and tripod collar all use the same thread I've no use for that.

Weight wise I think it feels unbalanced on carbon legs and is top heavy even before you put a camera on it. Doesn't seem to a big problem in use...just feels weird carrying a tripod that is heavy at the wrong end

[alanS]

Thanks for this.

I've been thinking about getting one of these but as I have the Sigma 150mm f2.8 I'll have to look very closely.

[Overread]

Thanks for the input Daft - I do agree that it is a heavy head - but setup on a good sturdy tripod and it is fine. And this is the lightest geared head - and your looking for another!

AlanS - for general use I would probably not use the geared head at all - the 150mm has a good working distance (its also my primary macro lens) and even a flash in the camera hotshoe gives pleasing lighting (provided that its diffused of course).
I intend to use the geared head myself with a focusing rail and the 150mm macro along with a series of teleconverters and macro lens adaptors/filters/diopters (namly the Raynox DCR250) for stacked shooting at greater magnifications

[alanS]

I went for a Giottos MH1301 ball head with rotating base and quick release and I'm quite impressed.

[Monobod]

I also have the junior geared head. I have found that the upward limit of the tilt of 30 degrees is very limiting when photographing tall buildings close up, such as Church towers. This needs an adjustment of the tripod legs to overcome, which is a bit of a pain. I now use it only in conjunction with the Manfrotto macro rail for fine adjustment in close up work, for which it is excellent.

Also, when tilted up at 30 degrees, the adjustment wheels foul the mounting plate on my Manfrotto 440 carbon One tripod. Not a clever design!

I have bought the 322RC2 ball head with the side grip handle, which is much quicker to use and far more flexible for general field photography, but retains the heavy camera lens capability.

[beejaybee]

I have found that the upward limit of the tilt of 30 degrees is very limiting

The 410 is not the only head with this issue.

Astrophotographers have long fitted the quick release plate with the LENS-> arrow pointed to the camera. The issue now becomes that the height adjustment know is facing away from you - but you can pitch up to 90 degrees without a problem, and astrophotographers rarely want to point downward.

[daft_biker]

...quick release plate with the LENS-> arrow pointed to the camera.

Aye, it doesn't take long to turn it round....

....and it's not like those mushrooms were going anywhere fast

[Overread]

looking at the design of the plate I suspect that moving the camera round so that you can take advantage of a greater height angle was a thought of the designers - just not one that got into the short multilanguage guide sheet that comes with it.
And yes for speed something and general use a 322RC2 is a good tripod head - though I find that at odd angles it does not have the grip nessessary to hold a heavier macro setup still enough.

[Monobod]

To my mind, there isn't a 'perfect' tripod head, any more than there is a 'perfect' camera bag. They all seem to have something not quite right.

But we muddle through in the end.

Good point, though, about reversing the camera on the QR plate. What is a s/h 322/RC2 worth?

Perhaps I now need two tripods, one for each head?