Fault reported below resolved with replacement order. This item proved to be of exceptional build quality and thus great value for money at this price. As smooth as silk on both the vertical and horizontal planes under finely controlled continuous adjustment to produce languid cinematic effects while panning and tilting. Solid independent locking in both planes along with acutely angular positioning for those Dr Caligari's Cabinet weirding shots. Paired with a Manfrotto half bowl leveller, this rig was quick and easy to set up for any shooting scenario with confidence that it would all stay in place, all day, even under a hefty load. A 3/8" threaded hole at each side of the camera platform allow accessories such as field monitors and microphones to be rigidly stabilised off the camera body creating a more stable platform for sharper filming with less camera shake and cleaner audio.If there are better fluid heads available at even twice the price then you should buy one right away for a fabulous bargain. This is merely a very highly regarded piece of professionally engineered equipment at a very reasonable price. But it's a whole new level above its junior partner and streets ahead of the rest and many if its much more expensive competitors.Altogether, a bit of a photograhic and cinematic revelation.Original review: Red continuous fluid drag adjustment ring for panning function was seized on arrival and would not budge despite best efforts without putting it in a vice. Locking mechanism engaged and disengaged without issue and panning function itself worked very freely, probably set near minimum drag. This fault has previously been reported among earlier comments by another unfortunate buyer who was spot on. I'm giving Manfrotto another chance since this is my first brand purchase.Looks and feels very sturdy though and all functions otherwise perfect. Spring-back counterbalance on this model well suited to heavier DSLRs (eg. D850) and bulky lenses such as Sigma Art series with the automatic 4kg setting.Hoping for a better outcome after a further wait.

Es un muy buen cabezal, fluido y resistente, como la mayoría de la marca manfrotto es una buena inversión, mejor si lo adquieres en oferta

Muy buena fluidez y ajustes sencillos. El problema es encontrar un estuche una vez montado en el trípode

Como cada articulo de esta marca la calidad se nota , incluso cuando este en particular este hecho en china en vez de Italia como todos los demás productos , es de excelente calidad

Es para eventos de Bodas si Grabas con DSLR o Mirroleses lo que buscaba muy cómodo, practico e ideal

Es una cabeza súper fluída tanto para hacer paneos como para tilts. Puedes ajustar la fluidez de acuerdo a tus necesidades.Cuenta con dos roscas laterales en las que puedes conectar accesorios como un brazo articulado para lámpara LED, un monitor, micrófono, etc. en lugar de poner todo en la cámara.Es la mejor cabeza que he tenido, y he tenido muchas.Solo una advertencia, es muy pesada. Yo la compré para un monopié de fibra de carbono y lo que gané cambiando de monopié lo perdí con esta cabeza (en cuanto al peso). Si lo que quieres es ligereza y portabilidad yo me iría por la 500. Si el peso no te es tan importante entonces no vas a encontrar una mejor que la 502

Entrega y embalaje perfectos!! Los movimientos que se pueden realizar con este cabezal son increíblemente fluidos y puedes regular la tensión del movimiento pudiendo hacer que los movimientos sean rápidos o lentos. Lo que no me gusta es que es muy grande y si la prioridad es viajar ligero este no es la mejor opción. Estoy satisfecho a pesar del tamaño pues se pueden hacer tomas cinematográficas con este cabezal

El mejor cabezal para video comparado con su precio. Es bastante fluido y todos los materias con los que esta hecho son bastante buenos.

Es un excelente opción como cabezal para video super fluido en los movimientos! lo recomiendo ampliamente! lo único que le veo es que esta poquito pesada pero nada que no puedas manejar! una pieza que vale mucho la pena tener !

I was looking to upgrade my tripod for video work and this baby comes highly recommended.After alot of research and Scratching my head going back and forth with the "Should I spend that much or shouldn't I" question I finally decided to go for it.I got this and the Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 tripod and the combination of the two is just smooth and like a dream.The fluid head is great for those paning fromLeft to right or up to down product shots especially.Extremely sturdy build and the quality packaging and delivery were amazing from amazon and the seller especially with prime shipping.Now in terms of practicality,this fluid head is one of the best out there.However if you are someone who travels alot and carries a ton of gear already,then this is definitely going to add some extra kg's.Its heavy.The money and the weight though is totally worth the investment.Anyone looking to get great video footage and photos wont regret this buy.Hope this helped..Peace

La testa non è made in Italy ma made in China, ma per avere un prezzo del genere ovviamente è comprensibile.I materiali sono ottimi, ben assemblata, senza giochi o tolleranze.Già provata sul campo, addirittura su monopiede MVM500 che a detta di altri utenti non ha molto senso su questo monopiede.In realtà devo dire che la testa nonostante sia un po' grandicella e pesante, per me si è rivelata un'ottima compagna per lavoro di riprese video professionali, anche su monopiede.Panning, tilt sono tutti fluidi e senza incertezze.La regolazione della frizione sia in pan che tilt è veramente fantastica, ed è una delle ragioni per la quale l'ho acquistata.Un difetto di progettazione secondo me è aver lasciato che la manopola per fissare la testa in pan si sviti tutta, senza avere un fermo corsa. Così facendo si svita completamente rischiando di perderla.La manopola per fissare la piastra dove attaccherete la fotocamera non è il massimo a livello di ergonomia. Anche se si può tirare verso l'esterno per girarla a vuoto per riposizionarla in caso di impedimento dovuto alla fotocamera, non si riesce a ruotare senza poche difficoltà, facendo perdere tempo, ad esempio per un cambio batteria. Vi toccherà svitarla tutta completamente, spostare la piastra verso la fine o inizio testa e cambiare la batteria. Il segreto è cercare di avvitarla quanto più possibile vicino a fine corsa, avendo la fotocamera con la piastra tirata tutta verso di voi, per poi serrare la manopola alla fine, così da non avere ostacoli per la rotazione, essendo già vicina a fine corsa.Dovrete fare qualche prova per rendervene conto.L'ho utilizzata ovviamente anche su treppiede (Cullman Magnesit 532Q) e ovviamente lì da il massimo.Un aspetto da segnalare infine, che non credo sia un difetto, è che quando passate dalla massima frizione sia in pan che tilt, svitando il regolatore di frizione, sentirete come un rumore di qualcosa di pastoso che si scolla: credo non dobbiate preoccuparvi, è il grasso lubrificante allinterno della testa dove sono posizionati i cuscinetti a sfera che si assesta dopo aver abbassato la frizione.

I used to use a Slik 504QF II Video Tripod head that I got 2 years back. It was great whilst it lasted until the handle broke! So, I decided to have a look at more premium fluid heads, mainly Manfrotto ones. I had a look at the line of fluid video heads Manfrotto has to offer: the 701HDV, the 501HDV and the 502AH. I didn't look at the Pro Video Head 75 because I don't want to spend that much just on a fluid head.I decided to go with the 502AH The 502 comes in 2 types: the 502AH which has a flat base, and the 502A with a bowl base (I think it's the 75mm size). I have a tripod with a 3/8" thread so I got the 502AH with the flat base. You can always upgrade to a bowl base with the Manfrotto 520BALL for 75mm bowl tripods or the Manfrotto 500BALL for 100mm bowl tripods.To me, the 502 head looks so much better and professional than both the 701 or the 501 head thanks to the bridging technology that they say is sturdier.When I pulled the head out the box, I could certainly tell that it was more than a step up from my old Slik head. The feel of it seems very robust and it is also quite heavy! The size wasn't very surprising to me because I knew the size of the head that I wanted. Definitely lives up to that aspect for me.The handle comes detached from the head as I think most tripod heads come like that. When attaching it, I noticed there's a bit of a design flaw with the handle. There is the handle itself, and the clamp on the end of the handle which is actually what attaches to the head. The clamp uses a screw to attach to the head, whilst at the same time attaches to the handle and stops it turning in the clamp. You have to tighten this with a lot of force until the handle stops turning in the clamp so easily! There should be a thin piece of rubber on the handle or something to stop it turning.The actual operation of the head is amazing! The Fluid Drag System (FDS) really helps you get smooth movements with the head. You can control the FDS separately on both the pan and tilt axis. You can have no drag at all which lets the pan axis 'float' due to the ball bearings and spins around continuously. I usually keep the tilt FDS tightened up all the way (I've got a 550D on a rig w/Matte Box, Follow Focus, Monitor etc) and when pointed down slightly, it doesn't move at all unlike my old head! I usually have the pan FDS almost done up, but not all the way.The pan and tilt locks aren't exactly placed very well, but I don't really use these anyway.The red rings on the handle turn for some reason but they don't come off, so it's not that much of a problem to me.The quick release plate is very long! I use both the 1/4" and 3/8" because my rig has 4 mounts (2 mounts for each), so I put the 1/4" at the front and the 3/8" at the back (this also helps it not to turn side to side). You need a coin or screwdriver to tighten these up, though. Apparently the QR plates from the 701HDV and 501HDV are shorter versions and will still work on the 502 head. I might adapt to these to make all my QR plates take this system apart from my monitor that I have a Neewer QR Plate/Manfrotto 323 (They're the same).The QR mechanism on the head is simple. You just slide the QR plate in, it goes past the safety lock, then you have to tighten the screw on the side. Quick! (As the name suggests!)Next upgrades will be a Lilliput 5d-II and then new tripod video legs! I'll be buying the 75mm bowl adapter probably!

This is the best option for both photo and video users. I am primarily a still photographer and use a gimbal. However, this fluid head has replaced my gimbal at a much lower price.The only problem is the manfrotto type plates. However, several manufacturers sell adapters that allow Arca swiss plates to be used.