Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head Short

ADVANTAGES
Speed, Sharing, Safety, & SnappingPictures
Speed: When you need to move the scope, you do not waste time turning any handles to unlock. Squeeze & go. When you find the target, you do not waste time turning any handles to lock. Unsqueeze & there you are.
Some users of the typical long-handle screw-tighten heads (like the Bogen 3130) work around this issue by screwing down the controls until they are "almost tightened" & then overriding the resistance to pan & tilt. This workaround fails for Sharing, Safety, & SnappingPictures.

     by Sarah
Sharing: when you find the target & step back to share your scope, there is no danger that your daughter will accidentally bump the scope & lose the target. He might bump the scope, but he won't lose the target. The 322RC2 has locked tightly in position & won't budge.

Safety: you don't must worry that a powerful breeze or thoughtless passerby will tip the scope, causing it to swing abruptly & painfully to a vertical position & bash in to the tripod which then falls over. The 322RC2 has locked tightly in position & won't budge.

SnappingPictures: You don t must worry that your digicam will cause the scope to wobble off target. The 322RC2 has locked tightly in position & won't budge.


DISADVANTAGES
Strength, Smoothness.

Strength: You need to have a strong grip to squeeze & hold that trigger while panning / tilting.

OTHER
Note that the 322RC2 can mount vertically (not useful with telescopes) or horizontally either left- or right-handed. If the marketing picture only shows a vertical position - - ignore it.

Smoothness: the motion is not as smooth & refined as the long-handle type heads. Nevertheless I can find & track targets with no difficulty. Fine tuning (nudge field of vision a teeny bit to make the ideal composition) is a bit clumsy but I can change satisfactorily anyway.

Manfrotto 496RC2 Ball Head with Quick Release Replaces Manfrotto 486R…

     by Deny S W
This head is definitely lighter than my 488rc2, but with the QR plate folded over, it is only about .25" shorter. So, from a packing point of view, it is nothing to write home about.

The new friction knob is OK. I suspect that if I was keeping this head, I'd come to like it.

There is a "bearing" between the body & the bottom plate of the head, but it was VERY stiff. So stiff that I ended up moving the ball in the socket in lieu of rotating the whole head.

The show stopper for me is the panning, which is non-existent. Yes, I do know there is no panning knob, but from the reviews & Amazon's description ("the 360° pan movements") I was hoping to be able to carefully pan. But that wasn't happening with the Amazon shipped me.

In the event you don't care to make panoramas, this is a respectable head. I'd be inclined, however, to look at the 494rc2 in lieu. It is a bit smaller, & significantly smaller than my 488rc2.

       by  Anton W
For under $300 this is a tremendous tripod in carbon fiber.
Tight, smooth, & stable.

The middle column also switches to 90' horizontal quickly, but cannot lock at different angles (vertical or horizontal only). It does not come with a over bag or leg protectors, which for carbon fiber is more important, so you may need to factor that in to the cost when comparing it is value. I am 6'1" tall, & this is JUST adequately high, but the height of the Manfrotto 055 series is probably better for people 6' to 6'6". The comparable 055 CF tripod was $150 more though, which for me wasn't worth 60% more cost for 6" more height. I put the Manfrotto 322RC2 head on it, which is versatile, & can actually be mounted vertically like a joystick for the additional height, so I am happy with the tripod overall.

I like the feel & weight of the carbon fiber & it supposedly dampens vibration better, but if cost is key, you would probably do as well with aluminum. I read that the three section tripods can have a narrow bottom section, which is more fragile, less stable, & more pricey. I don't be concerned much about its minumum folded up size, so I stayed away from the three section, & went for the stability & cost of the three section.

A middle column that could lock at more angles, leg protectors, over bag, 6" more height are all things that could bring this up from three stars, but would also increase the cost. I did finish up purchasing the leg protectors separately for carrying it around.

I'd only ever used cheapo aluminum tripods before, so this is a immense step up in quality & stability.
I am tremendous happy with this tripod & would highly recommend it. In the event you are over 6' though, I would compare it against a Manfrotto 055XPROB before deciding.

Hope this helps.