Manfrotto 303Plus Precision QTVR Panoramic Head with Quick Release Bracket.

2012-02-05T19:00:00

This item was perfect for panoramic shooting. There are a few other heads that Manfrotto offers for panoramic shooting. This I find is the middle ground. It looks like 2 macro scale plates but they are actaully different. I thoght about building one slowly over time but when I saw this used I jumped on it and I'm glad I did because the head looks alot different than I imagined. There just isn't enough detail in the stock photo. The hex-release plate works great and the large knob on the L bracket lets you tilt the camera up and down so you can get wider view panoramas as well. There is a grove that lets the large knob sit in the panoramic head both in landscape and portrait orientation. This head was very well thought out. The macro scale plates not Manfrotto 454 but very similar has markings on it that let you find the nodal point of you lens and mark it down for each body and lens combination so you don't have to relocate it each time you shoot. I used this both with my Canon 60D and G12 and the panoramas came out great with no parallax errors that i could find. the rotating panoramic section at the bottom is wonderful for equally spacing apart your shots. There are basically groves so depending on which setting you screw that peg into it was click after so many degrees. It's hard to explain that in text. Look for youtube videos. The only thing that this head is missing is a ball head or half ball head. It was very difficult using this on my 190xprob tripod when the ground was not level. Manfrotto sells a couple different ball head or half ball head options. I purchased the manfrotto 438 ball head. It works perfect now. The biggest negative is that the entire head is REALLY heavy especially for my 190xprob tripod. it is certainly top head as well and is hard to balance when carry around or hiking. I have just purchased the manfrotto MBAG100PNHD which I hope is wide enough to fit the wide head of this tripod. It has not yet arrived so I can not tell you if it will fit. I know it does not fit the MBAG90PN and the other lager bags are more longer than wider. There might be a 3rd party generic solution but I have grown accustom tot he build quality of the Manfrotto MBAGS. Also be aware if you wanted to build your own similar panoramic head it is possible although would probably not be as sturdy. There is also a new series of L brackets manfrotto has advertised but at the time of this review is not yet on the shelves. I believe doing the math it was cheaper to get this panoramic head than buying all the pieces over time. I do find the L bracket a little annoying because of the weird shape of the bracket. It bulges out int he middle unlike the new not yet released manfrotto L bracket. This is a problem because I wanted to add a 323rc2 on the L bracket but it is just a few milimeters to wide and therefore the quick release plate won't sit level. last thing you need is a nice pair of lens a shutter release remote and a bubble level hotshoe adapter like the Manfrotto 337 and your ready for some awesome panos.

DAVID L.

2007-05-08T21:00:00

I would recommend this item to a pro for panorama's and virtual tours. Works well only complaint would be bulk..

Jay