I've seen a bit of griping about this head being 'clunky', not smooth. I've used it for taking video of birds and natural surroundings and it not only was smooth as silk, but noiseless as well. However, I think I understand the complaints on its clunkiness; it comes (or mine came) pretty well tightened down (perhaps to keep it from flexing too much during shipping...?), and you need to loosen the bindings that cinch the ball bearing mounts which I believe are only on the pan mechanism, and use the fluid mount adjustments to fine-tune the fluidity of movement instead. Once I did this, that little choppy, clunky chatter (which you skateboarders, or anyone familiar with ball bearing joints, will recognize as problematic if tightened too tightly) will go away. The result is a nice, smooth, quiet movement.
I had it too loose at first, and was having trouble keeping the movement fluid, but after adjusting a few times I found it to be awesome! I got really nice movement on the pan, the rise and lowering, and both in unison, as it should be. At this point, you're on your own to develop the feel it takes to make those smooth movements.
As a fledgling filmmaker, I'm working on my control of all things involved in my filmmaking, but this help immensely in making what would otherwise look like a handheld, YouTube vlog video look very professional. One suggestion would be to always allow a second or so to begin and end your movement so that the jerky beginning or ends of your clip, if any, can be edited out in post. Other than that, I find this to be the perfect tool for what I need to make my videos look really nice! Like anything else, it's not something that will do all the work for you, and since you'll most likely use it to smooth out DSLR/Mirrorless footage, you aren't going to have the added weight of a big, heavy camera to help slow erratic movements. It is capable of holding one of those cameras; there are two mounting screws included, a 1/4" and a 3/8", so attaching any DSLR-type camera is a breeze, and either screw can be removed so it's not in the way or rattling around on the slider plate. The slider plate allows for easy balancing of your camera on the head so whatever lens you're using, it'll balance nicely. I've used it on a Peak Designs Travel Tripod with a Canon EOS R and a Canon 70-200 zoom with spectacular results, even without using the lens' mount for additional balancing!
For the price, I'm really pleased with this purchase!
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From the manufacturer
- 15.4 lbs. weight capacity
- Counterbalance supports 8.8 lbs
- Spring-loaded counter balance
- Continuously adjustable pan/tilt drag
- Pan bar and sliding plate included
PRO Tripod Video Head 100 with Fluid Drag
The Manfrotto 502 Pro Video Head with Flat Base (3/8"-16 Connection) is a full-featured professional head that represents an advance over the popular 501HDV, with sturdier construction and featuring Manfrotto's bridging technology (inherited from the 509HD and 504HD heads). This head is designed for executing cinematic moves with compact camcorders and DSLR video cameras. The 502HD comes in two versions: the 'AH' flat-base version and the 'A' ball-base version, which is separately available.
Specification
- Weight: 1691 g
- Material : Aluminium
- Safety Payload Weight: 7 kg
- Counterbalanced Weight: 4 kg
- Tilt Drag: continuously adjustable from 0 to max level
- Pan Drag: continuously adjustable from 0 to max level
- Plate Type: 504PLONG
- Head Type: Video/Fluid Head
- Pan Bar Included: Yes
- Panoramic Rotation: 360
From the brand
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Empower filmmakers and photographers to COMPOSE THEIR VISION into stunning visual content, providing an ecosystem of high performance and innovative products.
Based in Northern Italy, Manfrotto designs, manufactures an extensive range of camera tripods and heads, lighting stands, photograpchi bags and accessories.
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Compare with similar items
This Item  Manfrotto 502 Pro Video Head with 504PLONG Long Quick Release Mounting Plate and Flat Base |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $229.00 | $159.00 | $78.99 | $59.94 | $89.99 | $499.00 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Quality of material | ||||||
| Stability | ||||||
| Sold By | Savage Paper Specialties | SmallRig | Leifrotto | Lixinshunyi | Lixinshunyi | SmallRig |
| compatible devices | Camera | Camera | Camcorder, DSLR Camera,Quick Release Plate Monopod & Tripod | Camera, Camcorder | Camera, Camcorder, Monitor | Camera |
| max. recommended weight | 4 kilograms | 10 kilograms | 33.07 pounds | 6 kilograms | 10 kilograms | 8 kilograms |
| weight | 5.15 pounds | 1200 grams | 2.76 pounds | 30.97 ounces | 49.6 ounces | 2022 grams |
Videos
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Videos for this product
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Manfrotto 502= Super Smooth Pans and Tilts!
CACTICALMAIN
Videos for this product
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How Much Weight Will The MVH502AH Really Hold?
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Videos for this product
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Honest Review Manfrotto pro video tripod head
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Videos for this product
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Advice Before You Buy (Honest Review)
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Reviews with images
Not designed for wide body camera, but it's an issue you can resolve yourself
I have a Nikon Coolpix p1000. On the tripod, my camera overhangs on the right side where you grip most DSLRs. This overhang is directly over the tightening screw used to fasten the plate in place so your camera doesn't move. But because the camera is in the way, you can't actually tighten it down because of the way that screw is designed, see picture. So instead I bought a 6M X 1 set screw and now I'm using an Allen key to tighten it down. This way, it doesn't matter what camera I use, that tightening screw will always be out of the way now.Yes the knob has a spring in it so you can disengage the knob, rotate it, and tighten it again, but it's in a cramped spot, it hard to do that. The instructions don't tell you this, they just say to tighten it.I also had to buy a rubber washer to place between the head of the mounting screw and the mounting plate because even if when I fully tightened the screw, my camera would still swing back and forth.Reminder: It does not come with a carrying case and the packaging was poor. The whole tripod was just tossed into a box with no cushioning, so when it arrived, part of the box was damaged from where the tripod bounced around in the box during transit. For something this expensive, I would have expected proper care on the manufacturers part. But for how beefy this tripod is, there isn't any damage to the product itself.Besides these design flaws and cheap packaging, it's very sturdy and smooth to operate. I'm pretty happy with it.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
Style: MVH502AHPattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2016
Style: MVH502AHPattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2014
Top reviews from other countries
Richard
Trepied solide de bonne qualité mais dispendieux
Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2023Style: MVK502055XPRO3Pattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
Gustavo Lima Braga
Excelente!
Reviewed in Brazil on October 26, 2022Style: MVH502AHPattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
Ixcoatl
Muy bueno
Reviewed in Mexico on August 21, 2022Style: MVH502A,546GB-1Pattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
Ixcoatl
Reviewed in Mexico on August 21, 2022
Images in this review
Laszlo Illes
One of the very best video head…
Reviewed in Sweden on April 16, 2023Style: MVH502AHPattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
pascal GUILLAUME
un produit bluffant
Reviewed in France on April 4, 2023Style: MVH502AHPattern Name: Video SystemVerified Purchase
pascal GUILLAUME
Reviewed in France on April 4, 2023
Disons le de suite delà quand on déballe on est impressionné par la qualité de l objet ces dimensions et son esthétique très réussi le plus marquant à première vue est la taille de la plaque ainsi que la poignée exceptionnelle Manfrotto se detache nettement des autres fabricants à tous les niveaux mécanique de shaut vol tout y est précision des pièces qualité robustesse soins de l esthétique un article magnifique on voit que l on est sur du
matériel italien le souci du savoir faire donc !
un plaisir à installer et à utiliser en conclusion que du bon bravo à l équipe Manfrotto qui reste la référence du genre le tarif est justifié cet article mériterais 6 étoiles 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 du coup je vais prendre le trépied prévu avec le new55 qui est forcément excellent
Un achat sans hésitation donc !
Cordialement !
Images in this review
