17.3.2011

***The item in the picture is actually a bit more like the older model. The older model has the blue degree indicator plate, but does have different handles, which are a longer bar shape. The new/current model looks essentially the same as the picture, but has a red plate with degree's marked on it.***I use this head with a Manfrotto 190XProB tripod. Both units fit inside a larger camping mat bag, which is waterproof and has a carry strap. This combination is very light, and easy to carry over long distances, and over more demanding terrain (alpine hiking).The head allows for orientation in 3 directions, horizontal panning, vertical tilt, and portrait/landscape tilt.Every possible angle of shot can be reached with this style of head,and so excels for wide/medium angle stills photography, which incorporates landscape, macro, portrait, still life.It is not designed as a pan and tilt, and so cannot be recommended for videography, or telephoto still photography, which would be wildlife, birding, sports, or any other fast moving style.Because I primarily bought this head to be used for wide angle shots, where a remote shutter release would be employed (night scene, waterfall, slow shutter movement) I am not especially fussed about a little movement when handled. However, this head is rock solid. When the knobs are locked off, there is no movement at all, in any direction.I was also not particularly fussed about the movement action over pan and tilt angles, as I was not intending to be moving about the axes. However, although not designed for this by any means, I do use a 400mm f/5.6L lens with 1.4X converter on this head, and have managed to track wildlife with a smooth panning action. The tilt action is a lot less smooth as there is more of a 'locked off or freely loose' action to the vertical axes locks, but I can use it.I have yet to find a weight that this head will not take, in my use, I have even placed a 24" softbox with flash onto of the head, and utilised the head to angle this towards the subject, perfectly stable, and easy to use.Attachment:I did not want a quick release system, and so did not buy the arguable better 460MG head. Every time I wish to attach my camera to this head I must use the screw system. It is a simple task, there is a large grey knob underneath the top plate, spin this and the screw thread screws into the base of the camera or lens ring foot. Once the camera is fully down, it sits onto rubber which offers a good level of friction. I have yet to find my camera working loose when orientated in portrait or other angle. There is a small notch cut out of the grey plastic knob, which facilitates the use of a lever to apply additional locking force if needed, however I can't see that ever happening.The screw is double ended, with 1/4" at one end and 3/8" at the other. If a small rubber bung is removed from the top plate, the screw can be taken out and inverted so that the other thread can be used. By default this is set as the typical 1/4" which is found on nearly all cameras, lenses, and accessories.To attach this head to the tripod, it simply screws onto the centre column until it screws down no more, and is bedded to the top plate of tripod column. Additional security can be applied with this particular tripod, by using three grub screws on the underside of the column plate. These bite into the base of the head, and stop it from coming undone from the tripod when panning. I have done this, once, and have not had any movement that shouldn't be there.OK, well, there are some bad points:The oil/grease that is used to lubricate the conical joints has been liberally applied, and under hot weather leaks out. I have since wiped much of the excess off, and have not had any grinding issues. Not pleasant to pick up the tripod and get covered in goo though.There is no spirit level on the top plate, and no marks on the joints to indicate when everything lines up. How much this bothers people is preference, as photography is a subject where we can line by eye, not by gravity. I have since found the spot where my tripods spirit level is central, and then used a spirit level on top of the head plate to line it up to level. This means I can use the tripod level to get close to perfect level on the top.The rubber on the top plate, although good for friction, is quite soft, and when I placed a softbox on top, the small footprint started to bed right into the rubber. I since drilled out a small steel plate, which covers the top, and this works fine for when I use the softbox (I do have a dedicated light stand now, however).Verdict:I have had this for over 3 years, and all in all, its a cheap and reliable 3D head for wide/medium angle still photography, that can with sacrifice, be used for other tasks. It's strong, stable, and lightweight, everything that a head of this purpose needs to be.Highly recommended if you do not want the quick release of the 460MG.

31.1.2011

I've had this 'Frotto head for years. I had a ball & socket one before because everyone said that's what was best; maybe for them - not me.I have the 808RC4 head permanently attached to my modestly sized 443 carbon fibre tripod, (also Manfrotto) which is inherently light and the head adds about the same weight, but never seems top heavy.I'm the sort of photographer who glosses over the long list of features but appreciates a tool that gets me the photos that match my imagination. Such as having the camera absolutely upside down - and level. Looking straight up, at the night sky or city lights, the fluid movements mean I can rotate slowly the head 360 degrees through a time exposure with my fingertip,

22.6.2015

I decided to buy this head as a replacement for a Manfrotto pistol-grip head (RC322). I use this head on a Manfrotto 055CXPRO4 tripod and the results so far have been excellent.The build quality of the head is excellent; it is very sturdy and precise; the individual 3-way angular movements are precisely marked, so very exact movements (such as for panning, etc) can be made. The three bubble-levels (plus one on the tripod) allow for very precise levelling, and the individual key arms operate smoothly and tighten up easily with little pressure. The head is heavy (1.9 kg), which improves stability, and sturdy, able to take a load of up to 12 kg, so it will easily handle a professional DSLR and a hefty zoom or prime lens.

18.3.2010

I use extension tubes for close up work a fair amount, I needed a tripod head that was smooth in opperation. I emailed Manfrotto UK direct and got a reply back the same day recommending the 229 pro head. (very good helpful service from Manfrotto)In my opinion this is a very good head. Operation is silky smooth but still locks up rock solid on all three axis with just a 1/4 turn of the rubber clad handles. The quick relese plate is a easy one hand operation and also locks up solid with just a simple snap down of the camera and once locked down has a safety device to prevent it becoming detatched from the tripod. For me it is almost perfect and I would rate it as very good value and fantastic quality.

25.2.2010

This is a very well designed and innovative 3-way head. Straight out the box, one is presented with exceptional build quality. This head is compact and light, due to its magnesium construction, but still feels rugged and stable. All moving parts are precise with no play once locked into place.Instead of the usual pan and tilt handles, this head comes with three adjustment knobs, which are large and coated with tough rubber grips. Once you get used to where the knobs are and what they do, agjustments are quick and effortless; a few small turns on each will lock your camera securely. Manfrotto seem to have got the balance between speed and precision bang on.The head has a small spirit level and an angular measurement disc to aid those stitched panoramic shots.

16.1.2011

It's not only flash cars & racing bikes that the Italians are known for - they also make very fine tripods & heads (& all sorts of other things!)This 3 way head is beautifully made & is about as light as you can get - it goes very nicely with my 190CXPRO4. This head has a spirit level & quick-release plate that can be screwed onto the bottom of you camera for instant handholding. The only mild criticism is that the folding ring in the bottom of the plate is a little stiff but should loosen enough with use. The quick-release mechanism has a safety catch that can be operated with one hand but stops accidental release. This plate is tightened by a cam lever - there is no play.

31.12.2011

i bought a 494RC2 ball head to go with my 055X PRO. this was fine with a small lens. unfortunately when using either the Nikon 105mm macro lens or the Nikon 70-300mm lens there was a tendency for the lens to gradually "creep" down (no matter how much i tightened the controls). yesterday i took delivery of the 808RC4. nobody told me how BIG it is. yes ok in the blurb are the dimensions but they did not prepare me for what arrived!!! i used it more or less straight away (after attaching the levers) WOW, what a difference. during multiple exposure i was able to (between the multiple shots) re-focus without the merest hint of movement and the pic remained sharp, unlike when i tried to do that using the ball head!!

8.9.2011

Bought this head for my Manfrotto 190 XProB tripod about three years ago, on an offer of £24.99 This is a simple to use, very robust and well made piece of kit, that is fully adjustable in the 3 planes. Excellent for still photography, as there is no long 'panning arm' to get in the way and jab you in the face when you are using it, as there usually is on a cheaper tripod head for general use for stills and video photography. (This would not be very good for video photography, where you would require the long arm for panning technique.) This bit of kit should last for several years to come, (it will probably last longer than me!!) and as with all Manfrotto equipment,

17.6.2012

After 4 months of extensive analysis I finally bought this head over the 'easy to use' single-handed model after reading that it was difficult to be precise with that model + you can't really have reliable panning.I am very happy with the performance.Easy to assemble and easy to use - those who say it is very hard to put in place and that their hands pain because it's too tight, well that may be true in some cases, but maybe you need to oil the thread.To me, this is a solid product and being a mechanical one, will need that little bit of extra strength.Overall - great control vertically and horizontally.Smooth panning for those pano photographs or for video shooting.Can hold 7+ kgs - pretty

12.4.2010

I got this head to pair up with my Redsnapper 283C carbon tripod. I really liked the light weight of this head combined with a decent weight carrying capacity.Operation is very simple using the thumb locking screws, these work really nicely with a very positive action, without needing a huge amount of strength to loosen and tighten. I particularly like the fact that these are not long handles that get in the way or prevent you packing the tripod and head into a standard bag.As a true three way head it is very simple to allow movement in only 1 axis while keeping the other axis fixed. This does mean that it can take slightly longer to get in perfect position compared to a ball head,

28.1.2011

I have owned this head for over 2 years now and it is one solid piece of engineering. It will be able to hold a heavy camera with ease, up to around 6 kg I think it says. I have used this for panoramas due to the angle markings and the ability to lock the unit on 2 planes and just rotate it horizontally. I've used it for portraits and I've even kept the handles slightly loose and shot smooth video with this head.Not a fault with this head but just 3 way head in general is that it can take a lot of twisting and turning to get the right set up for a shot, unlike a ball head. I purchased a ball head for ease of use and use it as well as this head so I have the best of both worlds. In summary,

21.5.2014

This is a no frills but sturdy head for those who want something proper to keep a camera steady but are short on the folding stuff. It simply pivots in the three planes and will swivel. I put it on a heavy, old video tripod I inherited and see no need to "upgrade" to something more expensive.There are no quick releases, ball sockets or removeable bits that attach to the camera. It has no handle for panning either; I regard this as a plus point because I rarely want to pan but always used to catch things on the handle of my old tripod. This one holds my camera steady and keeps out of the way. I'm very happy with it, especially at the price,

22.1.2016

I bought this for my Manfrotto Befree and it is perfect. To fit you need to tighten the ball head first on the Befree so it doesn't move, this then allows you to unscrew the ball head from the central column and fit the 3-Way Head. I found it easier to remove the central column from the Befree first (take the rubber stopper of the bottom - it will then slide out when you have loosened the column).It is brilliant once fitted, extremely stable and easy to use. Once you have worked out how to change, it is quick and easy to switch between the ball head mount and the 3-way.As with all Manfrotto items, this is a quality product.Highly recommended.

26.5.2016

There's nothing wrong with this head - it's reasonably well built and as it claims, relatively light. My only gripe is the fact that pan and tilt are controlled by the same handle, so if you set one and then decide you need to adjust the other, you're probably going to shift the first! The three spirit levels do help keep things, well, level; it's just fiddly to get everything aligned. In it's defence, I use this for landscape photography, so it may well suit other people and other types of photography better.

14.10.2011

I upgraded to this head from a simple manfrotto ball-type head because I was looking for something more adjustable but not too cumbersome or heavy. My 190MF3 magfiber tripod feels more top-heavy than before, especially when it's strapped to my backpack but in use the tripod is more stable with the extra weight. The controls are well designed and give good mechanical feedback, you can tighten and adjust incrementally, allowing for fine adjustment. I don't know what more you could want from a 3-way head.

Manfrotto Super-Pro 229 - Reviews

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