The 322RC2 Ball Head and rapid connect plate, used in combination with a decent set of tripod legs (for example, Bogen Manfrotto 190XPROB) are a profound step up from the all-in-one tripods you may be used to. Even more importantly, they are a step up from most other ball heads by virtue of the immense improvement in both speed and ease of aiming your camera once actually mounted to the ball head. I can't emphasize this enough: This product actually changes how you use your camera, because repositioning the camera on all axis at once is a one hand, fraction of a second operation.
I know that's hard to visualize, so let me describe the process. The head has a handle sticking out the side, quite substantial and comfortable, that fits in your hand (right or left, your choice.) On this handle is a very large "trigger" that fits beneath all of your fingers as they wrap around the handle. When you pull this trigger, the ball head releases your camera and you can move it, using the handle as a precise and ergonomic lever, to any new position you like in no more time than it takes to adjust your wrist and arm - essentially immediately. Then you simply let go of the trigger and the ball head locks the camera right where you have it pointed.
The process I just described applies equally to large pans and tilts as it does to tiny pointing adjustments. If you find that difficult to believe, I'm with you - so did I - but having used the head extensively, trust me, it really works as advertised.
There is almost no post-lock sag; that's the effect where you point the camera, tighten the locks, and then when you look, the camera has drooped below the actual point of aim you intended. There is a tiny bit; I don't think it will affect most users. For example, I often shoot images of the moon using a 500mm or 600mm lens. My camera, an EOS 40D, has a "live view" mode that allows me to magnify the center of the view until the LCD screen has a 1:1 group of pixels from the center of the 10 megapixel sensor, effectively magnifying the view many times. With this on, I can see only a fraction of the day/night terminator on the moon, and can watch the moon move steadily and visibly across my point of aim. With this ball head, when I point the camera in this state, letting go of the trigger results in "droop" that amounts to about 10% of the view height, which is perhaps a 2% droop of the total image height. I know that when I fire the shot, I'm going to find my original aiming point pretty much dead center in the photo, which of course is what we're all looking for. Without the live view magnification on, there is no visible droop at all.
The quick release plate functions very well. There is a safety catch that must be released in order to remove your camera; with it set correctly, the camera can be removed with one easy flip of a lever. With it in the safety position, you can't remove the camera. Once the camera has been removed, the camera locking lever is in the unlocked position; a really nice feature is that when you put the camera back on the head, there is a brass pressure-trigger that automatically snaps the locking lever (but not the safety) into place as you put the quick-release plate into the mounted position. The camera goes from off-head to on-head in a one-handed motion that involves no more than accurately reaching for the head and turning your wrist, then "click", and the camera is secure. Now turn the safety catch, and no worries about accidentally popping the camera off the head. Another nice feature on the quick release plate is the mounting system to the camera provides for a drop-down handle to tighten and release the screw that goes into the camera body. There will be no searching for coins or tearing up your fingernails with this design.
That 11 pound capacity means that for almost any reasonable lens combination, this head has considerably more capacity than it requires to hold your SLR or DSLR with great authority. This extra capacity translates into great stability for lighter loads; my 40D and a Canon 85mm f/1.2L lens together weigh just a few pounds, and the head and tripod have what feels like a "death-grip" on them, the stability is so evident. No trembling in the wind (and I live on the plains in eastern Montana... I shoot in 10 to 30 mph winds as often as not), no tweaking of the aim as I fiddle with the many controls on the camera, no drooping when I reach out and manually focus the camera. Just a wonderfully stable and usable design.
The head has its own ball level you can use, and it is very easy to see while aiming using the trigger, but of course if you're looking at the level, you're not looking at what the camera sees; I never had a great deal of use for such things. If your camera can provide horizontal and/or vertical guides in-picture, that's a better choice for framing things by a long shot. Still, the level is there if you need it. The tripod legs I mention above also have their own level, and I *do* tend to use that when I set the legs up. The reason for that is if the tripod is vertical and you have the legs all the way out, you've made certain that the weight of the head and the ball are centered above the tripod's feet, and so the odds of overbalancing the system are much lower. So just a word to the wise, always level your tripod, and don't fret too much about the head.
The head has a tension control that you can set to a lighter grip on the ball if your gear isn't as heavy as the weight limit for the head. However, I suggest this is left in the maximum tension position; the reason for that is that the firmer the lock to the ball, the less droop you get in aiming, and the less vibration you'll get when adjusting things like your lenses focus ring or other camera controls.
There is a threaded mount-point for an accessory that holds your camera's remote shutter release; the idea of this is to move the camera shutter control right down by the same hand that is adjusting the camera. That's one way to do it; another is to set the head up for left-handed use and keep your right hand on the camera. Given the choice, I go for the latter because there is a lot more to do than just control the shutter these days; we have exposure lock, focus lock, and various knobs and wheels affecting other settings as well. But you do have the choice, and this shows that the manufacturer was thinking about how we might actually use the head, not just about how to hold a camera tightly.
The head will adjust upwards until the handle is pointed directly up and away from your tripod; this makes the tripod easier to pack, but adds about eight inches to the tripod's collapsed length. Keep that in mind if you're thinking about a companion bag for the system. Unmounting the head is a simple matter of twisting it about and it will unscrew from the tripod in a reasonable number of turns - not a problem at all. Detached, the head fits in large camera bags without too much difficulty; I use a Tamrac 5612 Pro 12 bag, and the head slips into one of the full-height compartments just fine. Don't expect to fit the head into a purse-sized bag, that's just not going to happen.
Bogen Manfrotto provide a good warranty, but I don't expect you'll ever get to use it. You'll see why when you get this thing in your hand. It is built tough. Really, really tough.
Photo pros are fond of making very sweeping statements about tripods and heads in general; one you hear constantly is that a good tripod system is worth more than a new lens in many situations. Let me echo that sentiment here, and let me say that because of the amazing convenience and speed that the triggered ball release provides, taken together with the great stability and lack of droop the high-load magnesium ball lock brings to your tripod system, I give the 322RC2 my absolute highest recommendation. I can't see how it could be improved. It is built like a battleship and I can't see how you could damage it barring running over it with a bulldozer. It has *significantly* increased my enjoyment of my camera and if it were to be stolen or lost, I would replace it instantly without even bothering to research what other heads might be available. It is really that good.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no way to go wrong recommending the purchase of this head, and that goes for those who already have considerably more expensive heads, too. It isn't often that something comes along that significantly and broadly improves the actual way we take pictures. Try this gem; I just know you're going to like it.
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Non-Techie Review: SmallRig Selection Tripod Fluid Head
Emily & Sarah
Quick, stainless steel and magnesion durable. Fast adjustments.
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2011
Wow! I had seen the grip heads and was debating whether to get one or instead, a ball head. So I ran down to the camera store and checked out all the heads I could,including Giottos and others.This is a superb head for quick setups, fast positioning changes and ease of use. It is much smaller than my 808RC4 3-way monster head and has back-pressure springs to help keep things positioned. The handle can be reversed for lefties, but that matters not to me.The 808RC4 serves my needs for an accurately adjustable pan head. And the 327RC2 head compliments this by providing flexible and quick positioning for those times when holding the camera and lighting secure is desired, but that the camera should still be allowed quick angular adjustments to follow subjects. This head allows 90 degree angles up and down, forward and to the left side. Change the camera mount to reverse those angles. Further, the 0x55PROB tripod I own will allow this head to achieve greater angular positioning still.It's a good head and I'm happy I have it.
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2011
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Mark Chisholm
Good - But Nowhere Near as Good as Others
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 29, 2018Style: Compact Light Duty Joystick Grip Ball HeadVerified Purchase
Good - But Nowhere Near as Good as Others
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 29, 2018
If I was doing this review in isolation I think I'd probably give this four stars because it does make adjusting your camera easy. However, when I bought this I also bought the Vanguard pistol grip ball head for my wife - we both use the same cameras - and its clear that this is nowhere near as good quality or useability than the Vanguard one.Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 29, 2018
The good is that this is fairly compact for a grip type ball head. Its also a bit lighter than the others which does help when humping it around the place.
The major bad point is that the position your hand has to be in, i.e. rotated 90 degrees, in order to depress the spring loaded grip makes it unnatural in use. I found that over the last month of using this out and about with my wife who has the Vanguard pistol grip, the poor ergonomics are quite obvious.
The other thing to bear in mind is that the spring grip is heavy. I mean really heavy. On the lowest tension setting its a genuinely good workout for your hand grip. My wife simply could not use it easily at all and even I - a regular gym user on the weights - can tell this is not easy to use. So, if you are a lightly build lady or man, bear this in mind, because if you want to use this all day on and off, you'll know about it.
The other negative with this is that whilst there is are a few degress of incline, allowing you to point upwards, its not very much - like all grips of this sort. The Vanguard one however has an additional swivel that allows the camera to be tilted 360 degrees around the vertical axis. This does not so, you have to shorten the legs on your tripod if you want to aim upwards - as I did a few nights ago here in Baku where I work when trying to photograph the Blood Moon eclipse.
Now, another issue. When I bought the two ball head grips, the Vanguard was £79.99 and the Manfrotto £69.99. I now see that this is £94.00 and frankly given that this is nowhere near as good as my other grip, completely unjustified.
Overall the best thing about this, is that its smaller and thus easier to transport. Otherwise, buy the Vanguard.
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The Angry Druid
Well engineered and easy to use
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 27, 2018Style: Heavy Duty Joystick Grip Ball HeadVerified Purchase
Well engineered and easy to use
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 27, 2018
This is a well developed piece of engineering, that you only start to appreciate as you use it. I was worried about how much movement I was going to be able to get out of the ball head, but only realised after I had fitted it to my monopod, that the rotation comes from a cylinder, rather than the ball itself, so more available than you can use.Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 27, 2018
As one of the other reviewers noted, if you are using it in the most often illustrated way, then swap it around to be left handed, so that you can hold your camera and shutter release with your right hand, and the control for the ball with your left hand. It took me a few minutes to realise that I can use it on end as well. not like the amazon illustration, but the mount plate detaches, and can be fitted to the opposite end of the handle, so that you can use it as a vertical pistol grip - my preference.
I have a new big heavy lens for photographing aeroplanes, and I am either going to have to spend a lot of time in the gym getting my shoulders back in shape, or use one of these. This is looking like a winner. New, this is very firm when locked.even with a heavy dollop of camera and glass on it. I think this will be a permanent fixture on my monopod.
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Caz
Great item. Perfect for most DSLR cameras. BUT Amazon dropped the ball somewhere with my order.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 12, 2016Style: Compact Light Duty Joystick Grip Ball HeadVerified Purchase
Jeff Smith
Quick and easy!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 9, 2010Style: Heavy Duty Joystick Grip Ball HeadVerified Purchase
D.Fitz
Heavy duty indeed!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 25, 2010Style: Heavy Duty Joystick Grip Ball HeadVerified Purchase
