Manfrotto head and it wobbles!

<p>Hi, I have just got a Horseman 4x5 kit (my first adventure into 4X5!) and have put it on my Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod with an 804RC2 head and it wobbles. I have swapped the 3/8" quick release plate for a 1/4" one but it still moves, inside with no wind!<br>

This is the head http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/basic-pan-tilt-head-with-quick-lock and this is the tripod http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/professional-aluminium-tripod-black-without-head.<br>

I suspect that it is the head that is not up to the job. On the Manfrotto website it says maximum wt is 4kg.<br>

Would swapping if for this http://www.manfrotto.co.uk/standard-3-way-head which is rated at max wt 8kg work? I would be grateful for any advice and opinions Cheers David Brown</p>

<p>Yeah, I just got a Manfrotto tripod (MT294A3) along with that 804RC2 head, and that is not a rock-solid head. It wobbled plenty with a 7.5 pound 300mm f/2.8 lens plus camera. I think you can only get so much rigidity out of a lightweight plastic head.<br /> I'd presume that an Aluminum (808RC4) or Magnesium (460MG) head would be stronger. But other brands may have better products at the same price point.<br /> Weight of the camera isn't the only measure of the demands it places on a tripod head. What really matters is it's moment of inertia -- the further the weight is from the tripod mount, the more it matters.<br>

The quick-release is probably also a source of wobble. Some of their heads don't have that.</p>

<p>Get the sturdiest that you can afford (even if you have to fudge the checkbook balance).</p>

<p>There's no substitute for rigidity when it comes to LF.</p>

<p>I use a Majestic, rated for 35 pounds, for my 4x5 and 8x10 field cameras.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

 

<p>I use the same tripod for everything from my Canon 5DII to the robust Pentax 67II. I don't use a standard head; I got a ballhead from Bert Sirkin at photobert...works very well.</p>

<p>The first thing that makes a camera to wobble is the "anti-slippage" foam pad in the plate. Even the rubber feet cups could make the system to wobble.<br /> Pan tilt heads, other than the very good ones use not to be the most rigid ones; anyway, they should work for "normal" operation under "normal" situations. Don`t believe at all that weight recomendations; I have found that they are not so useful in real life. Have you seen the 410 geared head? Not so rigid, but extremely useful for light cameras.<br /> Don`t know what are your expectations and budget, but I`d encourage you to buy right from the first step; I`d get Arca-Swiss compatible plates and clamps, and if they fit your needs or likings, also heads.<br /> Look for RRS, Kirk, Markins, Acratech, or even Arca-Swiss original. They all made quality parts. Which camera do you have? I have mine with a plate attached with two screws, so slippage is not an issue.</p>

<p>They're hard to see in the images in the links you posted, but their should be three set screws (I think these are called grub screws in the UK, could be mistaken) that go through the platform at the top of the tripod's center post. Back them out, screw the center post into the head as well as possible and then tighten the screws as much as possible. I make this suggestion because I've had the wretched things vibrate out in transit, have learned to check them often.</p>

<p>I've over-loaded one Manfrotto head, an 029, badly. It responded by flexing visibly and its movements, especially pan, got very very stiff. The QR plate wasn't a problem, it didn't come loose from the much too heavy camera.</p>

<p>Even the tripod, let alone the head, is a bit light for LF work.</p>

<p>You could check the tripod's rigidity by removing the head, and screwing the camera directly to the 3/8" stud, if it has a 3/8" socket.</p>

<p>Thanks for your replies. John - I am pleased to hear that you have also had wobbles and it is not just me. The camera is much more rigid screwed directly onto the 3/8" stud on the tripod. Jose - I think it is a Horseman L450.<br>

I think I am just going to get a different head. I presume that I could fit a different head to a different set of legs if and when. I have a budget of up to £200 - what should I look at?<br>

Cheers</p>

<p>Good question, but I don`t have the answer. I have several heads, so I can tell you which ones work for me. Horseman L models are bench cameras... don`t know which head will work, and for that money. I use my Sinar 4x5" either directly to a tripod plate or to a very old and huge Gitzo head (Sinars can be laterally tilted, I think yours don`t... ). My field cameras (even the 8x10") are always used on ball heads (B1 and a modified P0).</p>

<p>The original Arca-Swiss B1 (new version, the Z1) is a well proven, widely used ball head. There are many "better" others, but at the end, this is the most used and versatile to my taste. Check it <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/469077-REG/Arca_Swiss_801103_Monoball_Z1_sp_with.html">here</a>.</p>

<p>RRS made another good one, the <a href="http://reallyrightstuff.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=BH-55-Pro&type=3&eq=&desc=BH-55-Pro%3a-Full-sized-ballhead-with-Pro&key=it">BH-55</a>. They also have a smaller version, but don`t know about it.</p>

<p>I have a couple of pan-tilt heads, but cannot recommend them. And I used to have a couple of basic Manfrotto models (I think the same you mention but in older versions), I got rid of them very soon. If you are decided in this models, I`d buy them secondhand. The top of the line model (Super Pro?) is very nice, but too heavy, and sadly, only accept Manfrotto plates.</p>

<p>I`m quite interested in the geared Manfrottos; I had the opportunity of playing with a 405, which I found a bit scarce in quality for the money, but very useful; it`s great to have geared controls. Don`t know about the 410 cheaper model, that I assume a bit more flimsy. The 400 is huge and expensive. Don`t know if they are really worth it.</p>

<p>Maybe for this reasons people use to buy ball heads; they are much better for the money. If you got tired of them, you can keep it for smaller formats.</p>

<p>With my first LF camera (Shen Hao 4x5) I used a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod along with the Manfrotto MG460 magnesium pan and tilt head. The whole setup was everything but rigid.</p>

<p>I removed the rubber pad from the changing plate, which helped a bit, next I tried to gain more rigidity by removing the center columne and installing a plate on which the head was screwed (http://www.stativfreak.de/GALERIES/3BEIN/MF/434CarbonOneUmbau/mf434co_umbau_01_matthiasblank.htm), which helped a lot more, but the magnesium head itself was the main problem - much to "soft", even little winds caused vibrations.</p>

<p>I switched to a Manfrotto ball head, which took quite a time to get used to, but now I had the rigidity I wanted.</p>

<p>Years later I replaced the Manfrotto tripod and ballhead by a big Feisol 3472 tripod (the max height of the Manfrotto was too low) and a Photo Clam PC48NS ball head (plays in the Markins league qualitywise, but cheaper) and couldn't be happier.</p>

<p>As others have already said, a good solid tripod and ballhead combination is the most important accessory in LF photography.</p>