November 22 2011 - Photo Jottings

November 22 2011

11/22/11

Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod and 410 geared head review.

I bought a new tripod and head a few months ago to replace my carbon fibre tripod with three way pan/tilt head.  Carbon fibre tripods are nice if you carry ’em around all day, but sometimes they can be too light.  My model wouldn’t hold its position well on smooth flooring, and the long handles on the head interfered with some tight shots, such as when you have to be really close to a wall or door.

The Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod is well built, has rubber feet that hold very well on slick surfaces, along with a neat feature of being able to move the center column to the horizontal position without removing the camera or head.  This feature really helps out when you need to back up just a little more for those small rooms, or getting the camera close to the ground for macro stuff.  The tripod is very solid with a load capacity of 15lbs (7kg).  For those of you with deep pockets wanting a horizontal center column with more adjustments, check out this tripod.

The Manfrotto 410 geared head uses short knobs for adjustment, with the inner slim knobs for quick set-up.  I also like the small footprint in the carrying bag, as there are no handles to get tangled up with light-stands etc.

The two items also come as a B&H photo kit, meaning the tripod and head together, although the price is about the same if purchased separately.  There’s a rebate available now through Jan 15th if you’re interested.

Continue to review………

endof2011/055off3.jpg
Click for review
Scroll to Top