Manfrotto 468MGRC5 Hydrostatic Ball Head with RC5 Rapid Connect System (3433PL)
From Manfrotto
The Hydrostat is the most advanced ball head, designed to meet the demands of professional photographers for a lightweight, but at the same time heavy duty load capacity head. The 468MGRC5 has similar features to the standard range of ball and socket heads, with independent pan and tilt locks, 360? pan and +90? / -90? tilt movement - but employs a revolutionary friction and locking mechanism. An inner oil chamber is compressed by turning the locking knob, exerting even pressure on the whole of the underside of the ball, which ensures sturdier locking and higher capacity... for camera and lens loads of up to 10kg. This head has a magnesium die cast body, a 2" Teflon coated aluminum ball which combined with specially designed tension surfaces provides movement as smooth as silk. A calibrated adjustable tension control allows you to preset the ball tension to suit your camera weight and give you fingertip control. The oversized lock knob is easier and quicker to find and turn. The second benefit of the liquid-based locking mechanism is that it all but eliminates unwanted movement during the locking phase.
- Brand: Manfrotto
- Model: 468MGRC5
- Released on: 2006-04-14
- Dimensions: 4.00" h x 4.00" w x 7.00" l, 2.00 pounds
Manufacturer Description
The Bogen-Manfrotto 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 freedom of positioning).
Using hydraulics instead of a mechanical system produces a super-tight lock from a 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 26.5 pounds! 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-degree pan movement and +90 to -90 degree tilt movement.
To keep weight low, the head is made of magnesium; and to provide smooth movements, the 1 1/4-inch aluminum ball is Teflon coated. The oversized ball locking knob allows for easy control even when using gloves.
Features include:
- Sturdy all-metal construction.
- Materials, design and construction techniques have been carefully selected to help save weight without sacrificing stability or strength.
- The double 90 degree groove (one on each side of the head) means switching from landscape to portrait is convenient however you're set up.
- This head features a secondary security lock so you can't accidentally release the plate (and camera) without meaning to. The lock stops the quick release lever from opening fully.
- A repositionable ratchet means that the locking lever's action will never be blocked either open or closed by interference with the camera body, tripod shoulder, etc... simply pull the lever outwards and it's free to be positioned more comfortably without affecting the locking mechanism. Then you can continue tightening or loosening the knob.
- A separate lock on the panoramic axis allows for rotation adjustment or panning to be carried out without losing framing.
- Separate control for pre-setting the friction of the ball when unblocked.
- The Hydrostat ball locking system is based on a chamber containing fluid, which, when pressurized by the tightening of the lock knob, exerts an even locking force on the ball. The evenness of the force applied by this system compared to the traditional mechanical blocking technique is what gives this head its remarkable load capacity. The Hydrostat system also reduces framing deviation during blocking for greater accuracy.
- Accurate degree markings on rotation axes allow for precise positioning of the camera.
- By keeping the head and camera mounting plate as low as possible, the camera is kept safely closer to the tripod's center of gravity for more stable support.
What's in the Box:
Ball head, quick release plate.
Great head for still camera as well
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!
Solid, high quality ball head
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.
