Customer Reviews

Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head with Quick Release - Supports 11.1 lbs (#3275)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A couple of weeks ago I was trying to compose a shot using a run of the mill tripod with friction locked adjustments for side to side and vertical positioning. I was using a Canon 70-200 f2.8 with a 2x multiplier and a Rebel XTi. The object was small and rectangular and I wanted the sides and top of the photo to exactly align with the sides, top and bottom. Every attempt to rotate the lense in it's collar, or use the tripod's elevation clamp to set the top and bottom of the object resulted in overshoots or undershoots. Finally I gave up in frustration.

I envisioned some WWII artilleryman madly cranking his gun into position using hand wheels for traverse and elevation. That's what I need! Without knowing what to call it, I began looking for a photographic equivalent. Eventually, I found the Bogen-Manfrotto Geared Head and ordered one. It arrived just hours ago and I couldn't be happier! I took that 400mm shot without any trouble composing it. No more pushing, loosening, tightening, cussing. It's pure pleasure, especially if you've gotten as frustrated as I have with friction adjusted tripods. I don't know why anybody would buy a ball head for a tripod when they can buy this instead.

So, how does it work? The Bogen-Manfrotto 3275/410 mounts to the tripod plate using a standard 3/8 threaded hole. Once screwed down on the tripod mounting plate, the gear release knobs just behind the fine adjustment knobs allow large adjustments of side to side, up and down, and tilt. The fine adjustment knobs are sensitive enough to easily position the image in the frame without frustrating twisting and pushing of the tripod, lens or camera. Once in position, everything is so tight and solid that you can click the shutter button without a remote release and the picture still comes out great!

The quick release mounting plate is a little tricky. It has a lever with a button. To release the plate, pull the lever to the side, then push the button to let the lever go to the end of its full travel. The lever will lock into position and the plate will lift right off. When you go to remount the plate, just push down. It trips the lock on the release lever and it snaps into the the clamped position.

The mounting plate comes with both 1/4 and 3/8 studs to use either for the lens/camera or more equipment. A plastic/rubber insert prevents the studs from falling out, but allows the user to remove the stud they don't want to use. The studs have a slot large enough for a large coin or deadbolt house key, but are also knurled. I found finger tight was good enough for my initial trials.

So, there you have it. I'm grinning from ear to ear. AND, it was dirt cheap compared to some ball heads I've seen. You could buy this gear head, wear it out, and buy another for the price of some ball heads, and never have to deal with friction clamps ever again.

Why not 5 stars instead of 4? The gear release knobs have strong springs, and on my tripod head, one of them managed to catch my finger between it and the tripod head. This means I have a clearance problem between the lower gear knobs and my tripod head which limits the rotation to 350 degrees or so without tilting the head forward a little. If the base of the Bogen-Manfrotto 3275/410 were a 1/2 inch taller, I wouldn't have the clearance issue. The finish on the underside of the mounting plate looks a little crude, and gears need grease, I guess, and it gets on your hands. I would have given it four and a half stars, but Amazon's select list only allows 4 or 5, not something in between.

But it works like a champ! Buy it! Just keep a rag handy for wiping your hands.

Large and sturdy, but consequently heavy. May make your tripod too long for its case. Great for exact framing of stationary subjects. Is quickly adjustable once you learn which knob to turn. Use this and your long telephoto will never flop over and whack into a tripod leg again.

I bought the Manfrotto Compact Geared Head to help in leveling my camera for shooting 360 stitched panorama shots. It works well. These shots require a perfectly level setup, which is aided by the bubble level that is part of the head. Adjustments are a pleasure as you can "dial in" the exact setting, without having to worry about locking mechanisms. I use the quick release because I often shoot the same setup once with a digital camera and again with a film camera. I gave it 4 stars because of the quick release, which is not intuitive. More than once I have come away with a bloody knuckle. Still, there is no satisfaction like knowing you have the best tool for the job, and the Manfrotto Compact Geared Head is it.

I got this tripod head to help me get more precise camera position adjustment, especially with macro photography (by no means the only application for this head), and it quickly became my favorite tripod head. The head gives you two different kinds of control in three different planes of adjustment - you can adjust the camera to tilt back or forward, side to side, or flip over from horizontal to vertical. You can turn the knob for incremental changes, or turn an interior dial on each knob for a larger movement (usually to get you to a general position you want to be in, in preparation for using the finer adjustment). A built-in bubble level also greatly aids in making adjustments.

The quick release plate system that works with it (you get one of the plates with the purchase of the head) is very sturdy with a wide base, larger than another of Bogen's quick release systems that I use. Using it, I have no concern at all that the camera might work loose and fall off the tripod.

One downside for me is that I've still not clearly memorized which knob allows me which plane of movement and sometimes my adjustments are trial and error before I get to the knob I really wanted; that may be more my fault than Bogen's, but you might find that it's a good idea to mark each knob somehow to indicate which plane of movement it controls - I can't seem to make sense of Bogen's labeling. But I'll stress this is a relatively minor problem, easily overcome with memorization or the label workaround I mentioned.

Compared to my other tripod heads, the standout feature of this one is the precise control capability. Some disadvantages of this tripod head is that it is bulky and very heavy - that makes it sturdy, an advantage to be sure, but it also makes it less likely you would carry it on your tripod for an outing. The one time so far I took it on a trip, I actually kept it separated from my tripod in my bag, so I could carry my tripod around with a simpler, lighter head on it, but have access to the other head if I needed it, which worked out ok, but can quickly become inconvenient, if how much time you spend getting the tripod ready is a major factor for whether you get the shot you want or not.

Despite some (for me) minor limitations, this has become the tripod head I rely on most. If you want speed of adjustment, get a ball head, but for precise adjustments along more planes than other heads usually allow, this one can't be beat.

I have used this head for over 10 years on 4 continents in every condition imaginable and I would never use a ballhead. Yes, it is heavy and yes, the quick release plate will stick sometimes but the ability to precisely control and fine tune each axis indepently is a huge timesaver and compositional aid. I often have this head loaded up with a 4x5 monorail camera and lens including a large and heavy Sinar rollfilm back, compendium lens hood and a binocular reflex finder ( in the middle of "nowhere")and it has never complained.But don't take my word it, Edward Burtynsky uses one too.

I knew what I wanted, so I went looking through all tripod heads I could find. The Bogen - Manfrotto 3275 / 410 Compact Geared Head fit my needs perfectly. The quick release made attaching and detaching a snap. The adjustment knobs worked very intuitively. Gross movements with a quick twist of one of three release levers. Very fine tuned adjustments with one of three knobs positioned next to the levers. And a bubble level. And black. And very sturdy. And machined well. And there's a matching black Bogen - Manfrotto tripod available for under $200 to go with it. Perfect, and I don't often say that.

This IS the head you need for astronomical viewing on the fly with a camera or (very) small scope. I bought this for solar/lunar eclipse photography coupled with a sturdy tripod. The quick release functionality allows one to find and center the object of study: though not smoothly, as this is not a smooth pan head. Then, using the slow motion controls, one can steadily follow a slow-moving object, Sun Moon Stars, easily and sturdily. I have a Nikon D200 with 200mm telephoto and extra battery pack on my Bogen head, and there has been no problem at all. Highly recommended for astro imagers needing a portable manually tracked solution.

Recommended for bird watchers or action scenes: nope. The head doesn't allow for fast & smooth action coupled together.

I purchased this tripod head to use with my PST solar telescope. I found this a big improvement over the Manfroto pan head that I previously purchased for this application. It makes aiming at the sun for visual or photographic purposes quick and precise. This would be a great choice for any target that is stationary or moves slowly and predictably.

This head is for precision alignment, not speed. It is the "must have" head if you are shooting architectural photos or anything where the lines have to be just right in alignment.

The head is a very well made, quality product. All construction details are top notch. I shot for years with other heads and cannot believe it took me so long to find this one.

Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head - Replaces 3275

Simply fantastic. It's heavy, though, because it is sturdy. This head is my replacement for a much lighter 3-way head. Using this head, and a two-way hotshoe level ($12), you can make panoramas very easily. I love how sturdy it is, and the quick release levers are easy to use. Mounting the camera is easy once you know how - just look at it - and quick, too. This is exactly the head that I needed for architecture shots, for long exposures and panoramas, for control. If I didn't need the tripod, I would just go handheld! This head is everything that I wanted.