Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsI'm so glad to be back to using pan and tilt!
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2021
Years ago I got sucked into the "you have to shoot with a ball head" thing. Maybe it's because I grew up with pan & tilt that I never bonded. But, I'm not doing this to make a living, I'm a hobbyist photographer (60 years), so I don't need to work fast. I like working methodically. I like working out a composition like a puzzle. I take my time, scout my subjects, think about what I want to convey about the shoot and then create my images. I like tight comps too so that I'm not throwing pixels away with a cropping tool. The only advantage I can see with ball heads other than size and weight is that they are faster to set up. But, when trying to level a camera for an interior shoot, or trying to nudge the camera ever so slightly, they're a pain. My last ball head was a Manfrotto 469MG Hydrostatic Head, so I'm not talking about cheap, flyweight heads. The pan and tilt is just easier to deal with because you can adjust one plane at a time.
A free floating ball head is all but impossible to move in only one plane. I find this pan and tilt head to be useful in doing interiors, landscapes, cityscapes, architectural, panorama and yes, even studio work.
So, I purchased the XPRO 3 Way head from Manfrotto as I wanted to go back to what had worked for me in the past. It is sturdy and it is stable. It is designed to hold over 17 pounds and when I mount my camera onto it and tighten things up, nothing moves. No ballhead sag to deal with. While heavier than a ball head, it is still pretty compact and the sliding handles allow it to fit into the same tripod bag that I've been using without having to remove the head. The friction pre-load works well too and aids with accuracy while making small changes.
When needed, leveling the camera on this head is a snap. The spirit levels and my internal, electronic leveling system in my camera are in perfect agreement. This isn't as convenient as a geared head for positioning, but it doesn't sag like a ball head and offers more carrying capacity for those of us with heavy lens and camera combos than the geared heads in this price range. There is a lot less to go wrong too.
So, this meets my needs and I'm very pleased with the construction and finish. If you're a run and gun shooter, it may not be something that you're going to love. But for me, this is the ticket and if you don't need the quick setup of a ball head, I recommend this highly.
