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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from zion, utah on 8/6/2008
this head is great and is the only one to have. however it may be cumbersome with 35mm and digital cameras. but as far as medium and large format go, you just cant do any better than this! setting up a photograph is so much quicker than with any other thing seeing as how you have to level out a field camera and you are taking your time to get the optimum photograph. BUY THIS HEAD!
from New York on 7/14/2008
I love shooting macro. Many times with my old ball head, I would set up my shot and then it would move ever so slightly. Very frustrating! The geared head solved my most annoying problem, now what I see or set up is what I get.
from Mexico on 3/21/2008
This head is heavy but is not intended to go around with it. It is dedicated to studio photos or well planned ones. For spontaneous photography I suggest a more versatile (ball) head. But if you wish/need perfect control and stability, this is your option. I have used it with a Nikon D300, a 105 micro lens, and a SB800 flash, on a Manfrotto 055 Pro tripod, and stability is amazing.
great precision adjustment, though somewhat difficult to turn knobs over wide spans. Big problem is control mechanism broke and warranty repair took 2 months. And, it just broke again. hmmmm, back to waranty center. Maybe that pro model is more reliable?
from Sydney, Australia on 3/27/2007
I bought this head to mount a small refractor telescope on an old Manfrotto (Bogen) tripod. The original photographic head wasn't really practical as a telescope mount at anything more than moderate magnification - it's simply too awkward to make precise adjustments with the loosen-adjust-tighten routine.
The 410 head is a vast improvement. It uses worm gears for pointing adjustments around three axes, as well as a gear-disengagement mechanism to move the head quickly to approximately the wanted orientation (one axis at a time). The telescope has to be mounted "backwards" to get a -30 to +90 degree range for astronomical use, but the controls are still reasonably accessible. Backlash isn't a problem, but the controls are on the small side and are very stiff to turn, and this is my only real complaint. The gear-disengagement (rapid-adjust) wheels also act against strong springs. Count on increasing your digital strength with this head! If you can live with this, (and it might not be important in photographic applications) this head would be a good solution for precise pointing. Oh, and the quick-release mounting plate system works beautifully after you've got the knack.
I use the Manfrotto 410 geared head for Macrophotograpy. Fine adjustments are needed when using Camera lenses such as the Canon MP-E65, and this combo is a dream. Matched up with a focusing rail and a tripod, the complete unit is heavy and so is best used in a studio environment. Highly recommended.
from Everett, WA on 2/5/2007
i really wanted something like it with only two (2) axis of movement, essentially an alt-az head. it's big strong, and has a very nice build quality. i use it to attached a DSLR camera on top of my telescope, and it sometimes get confusing which knob i need to turn to line up the optical axis. very nice piece of gear.