Buy Manfrotto 468MGRC5 Hydrostatic Ball Head with RC5 Rapid Connect System (3433PL)Manfrotto 468MGRC5 Hydrostatic Ball Head with RC5 Rapid Connect System (3433PL) Product Description:
- Ball-locking system with RC5 Rapid Connect Plate; short sliding "video" camera plate to allow some front-back or side-to-side adjustment
- Hydraulics create super-tight lock from a minimal turn of the locking knob
- Lightweight, but supports heavy camera loads up to 26.5 pounds
- Independent pan and tilt locks with a 360-degree pan and +90 to -90 degree tilt
- Oversized ball-locking knob for easy control even when using gloves
Product Description
The 468MGRC5 incorporates the same "world first" hydraulic ball-locking system as the 468MG, and uses a short sliding "video" camera plate to allow some front-back or side-to-side adjustment of the camera's position above the head, which ensures that the load of the camera and lens is balanced above the tripod's center of gravity for more secure usage (For even bigger lenses or off-center loads, the 468MGRC3 model has a longer sliding plate for more freedomof positioning). Using hydraulics instead of a mechanical system produces a super-tight lock froma minimal turn of the locking knob, without sacrificing the smoothness of the ball's movement when unblocked. The 468MGRC5 is designed to meet the demands of professional photographers who require a light weight head but at the same time being able to support heavy camera loads up to 26.5lbs! The 468MGRC5 borrows the popular features found on Manfrotto's standard range of ball heads - such as independent pan and tilt locks with a 360° pan movement and +90° / -90° tilt movement. To keep weight low, the head is made of magnesium; and to provide smooth movements, the 2" aluminum ball is PTFE coated. The oversized ball locking knob allows for easy control even when using gloves.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Great head for still camera as well
By Luving it
This one is designed for video cameras but I use it for my 40D plus 180mm macro and 175-500mm lenses. I upgraded from the mini 486RC2 and its a big step up in more than one way: bigger, more expensive, heavier, and most importantly, dead firm clamp! Now my tripod 3011BN is the weak link...This head is a bit of an over kill for my usage, and that is why I love it. Some said the ball is not that smooth. It isn't. I have no experience with other fancy brands so I have no comparison. But the tension adjustment is very nice, the 486RC2 tended to lose all grip once the clamp is released with a small movement on the handle, a medium lens will drop downward immediately, usually ends with a bang on the tripod. This happened to be a few times and were quite scary. With the fine tuner on this one, it's not going to happen like this any more.One thing I learned is that no matter how firm the ball head holds the camera, if the lens+camera setup is off balance, there will be vibration, even though nothing is slipping. So balance is just as important as the gripping force of the ball head itself.I love this ball head!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Great ballhead
By Keith
The first thing you will notice about this ball head when you get it out of the packaging is it's large, and tough. I personally purchased this ball head so I would have the same rapid connect plate on all of my support systems. I have a Manfrotto 501 HDV that uses the same plate, and I bought the Manfrotto 557 rapid connect plate for my monopod. This way I can leave the adapters on all of my bodies and larger lenses and never have to worry about taking them off.Overall I think this is a great ball head although I also considered some of the Induro ball heads that were slightly more affordable. One thing I really like on this Manfrotto is the friction knob it has on the side that allows you to alter the friction when moving the ball around. It's nice so you can stop it from falling over when you're trying to adjust it with heavy gear on top.Although it's a little pricy Manfrotto gear is always worth the money.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Solid, high quality ball head
By A. Block
The Bogen-Manfrotto tripod head range is so broad that it's hard to find the right product for one's needs. This ball head is very well made with a smooth action and very strong clamping action. The independent pan lock (with degree scale) addresses one of my main concerns about ball heads; that they go all "floppy" upon release, requiring re-leveling of the camera even when only a simple pan is desired. Speaking of leveling, I was disappointed to find that this head does NOT include bubble levels -- only the 468MGRC4 (note final digit) has this feature. This version does, however, have a sliding dovetail plate with ~1/2" of play that allows you to balance the camera when using a telephoto lens with its own tripod mount. However, I believe the 468MGRC4' bubble level is a more useful feature.
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