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| Category: | Tripods, Monopods and Other Supports |
| Rating: |    |
| Price: | £90.00 |
Manfrotto 322RC2 ball head - John Hancox takes a look at the Manfrotto 322RC2 ball head
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This friction controlled tripod ball head grip is ideal for general use with a bridge camera or a SLR with lenses up to a medium zoom, say, 70-300mm (maximum load 5kg).
The head allows you to unlock, move, position and re-lock your camera position with one hand leaving the other hand free for focusing and/or releasing the shutter. The handle incorporates a ball lock lever which enables full and rapid control of the camera position.
A friction control wheel permits the power of the locking mechanism to be adjusted to suit the weight of the camera/lens combination – with my combination of a Pentax K10D and max. 70-300mm zoom, I have left it in the minimum position.
The unit incorporates a standard Manfrotto quick release plate (200PL-14) with 1/4 inch screw and a secondary locking pin to prevent accidental release of the camera.
A built-in bubble spirit level is included. The head will mount on most tripods but those with a 1/4 inch thread will require a 1/4 inch to 3/8th inch adapter. This high quality unit is manufactured from magnesium and weights a mere 0.66Kg.
As supplied it is set to right hand use but I prefer to use it with my left hand, leaving my right hand free for releasing the shutter, etc. Switching it over from right to left hand operation is a simply matter using the supplied Allen key.
In use, the movement of the camera is easily controlled and locks positively and firmly when the ball lock lever is released. The rapid control of the camera position facilitated by the head is particularly handy when working with flowers and insects in macro mode, while the spirit level ensures level horizons in landscape mode.
FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL
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Comments
The friction adjustment wheel increases the force needed to move the head as well as the clamping force.
I have one of these and I wouldn't swap it for anything. It is extremely versatile and quick to position. The only slight drawback is that it can be a bit fiddly until you learn the technique required to operate it.
Wot? You ask... well switching from landscape to portrait orientation needs you to align the slot in the socket with the rod that holds the ball and then twist to rotate the camera. It can be awkward at first and to complete the transition you might need to swing the tripod around 180 degrees.
It's not really capable of stitching panoramas unless you are quite precise with your framing and overlapping, and even then it's harder than with a geared head like the Manfrotto 410.
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