NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
Does anybody else have any experience of the Manfrotto 701HDV head? I have been using one for a few months but I don't see them mentioned much, unlike the Manfrotto 128.
I use mine with the Manfrotto 190CX3 legs to support my Nikon EDIII scope, which is notoriously back-heavy. The head has a sliding plate with 58mm of travel and I have found that, by pushing this all the way forward and extending the sunshade, the scope is perfectly balanced vertically and will not droop when I let go of the handle. It has a built in counterbalance spring for 1.5kg weight.
I suppose one of the main criticisms of it is that the pan and tilt drag rates are not adjustable. In practice, I do not find this to be a problem as they seem fine for my use. If required it is possible to very lightly tighten the separate pan and tilt locking knobs to increase resistance.
The handle is rather long but it incorporates a bend and I have it pointing down quite a lot, which I find comfortable to use for extended periods. The weight is 830g and it will support 4kg, so it is no lightweight but is not a monster either.
Nice touches are storage underneath for either the 1/4" or 3/8" attachment screw which is not being used and an ingenious series of shallow ramps underneath the bottom flange which engage with the three grub screws on the Manfrotto tripod to prevent it working loose.
It seems solidly constructed from alloy with a few plastic components. The plate safety locking device, however, is made of plastic and appears to lack a little precision. It seems to work all right in practice though. I do wonder how some of the small components such as springs would cope with prolonged exposure to the elements and salt water.
There are some excellent photographs of it in the Equipment Reviews section of Birdforum.
Overall, I am very pleased with it and would be interested to hear of other people's experiences of it.
Ron
I use mine with the Manfrotto 190CX3 legs to support my Nikon EDIII scope, which is notoriously back-heavy. The head has a sliding plate with 58mm of travel and I have found that, by pushing this all the way forward and extending the sunshade, the scope is perfectly balanced vertically and will not droop when I let go of the handle. It has a built in counterbalance spring for 1.5kg weight.
I suppose one of the main criticisms of it is that the pan and tilt drag rates are not adjustable. In practice, I do not find this to be a problem as they seem fine for my use. If required it is possible to very lightly tighten the separate pan and tilt locking knobs to increase resistance.
The handle is rather long but it incorporates a bend and I have it pointing down quite a lot, which I find comfortable to use for extended periods. The weight is 830g and it will support 4kg, so it is no lightweight but is not a monster either.
Nice touches are storage underneath for either the 1/4" or 3/8" attachment screw which is not being used and an ingenious series of shallow ramps underneath the bottom flange which engage with the three grub screws on the Manfrotto tripod to prevent it working loose.
It seems solidly constructed from alloy with a few plastic components. The plate safety locking device, however, is made of plastic and appears to lack a little precision. It seems to work all right in practice though. I do wonder how some of the small components such as springs would cope with prolonged exposure to the elements and salt water.
There are some excellent photographs of it in the Equipment Reviews section of Birdforum.
Overall, I am very pleased with it and would be interested to hear of other people's experiences of it.
Ron
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