Manfrotto Junior Geared Head (410)

I am a professional photographer and have been using a Nikon 200-500 zoom lens recently and needed to upgrade my tripod head to something with greater precision when positioning at full zoom without any detectable camera shake that would be evident in video sequences. This Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head partnered with the 120-30 column spacer is just what I needed! Very easy to install (thin flat screw driver necessary for the spacer) a dream to operate with no detectable wabble, shake or vibration through the head when adjusting or positioning. Designed for semi-static subject matter, not for fast selection of moving subjects. I plan to use this for subjects in fixed locations such as woodpeckers making homes, nesting birds and of course, wasps and hornets making their nests. Standard heads were just too inconsistent as I had to constantly make compensations and would lose positioning when tightening or loosening the tilt adjustments. This geared head takes the guess work right out of it and I can make micro adjustments with ease. I also do macro/micro video and photography so the ability to be within a few inches of the subject and have incremental pan control just makes my life so easy and I wonder how I ever got along without it. Adjustments are firm and workable, silent, and nothing that would give me away if the wildlife is nervous. The build is excellent, heavy, nicely finished with knobs that feel nice and give excellent finger traction. The wave shaped adjustment flanges are accessible and well placed for rapid adjustments. YOU NEED THE COLUMN SPACER - adding the 120-38 Manfrotto spacer took away all pinch-points between the lower controls and the tripod. This will allow me to use the horizontal mast setup which the Manfrotto 055 has as a feature. Great price, excellent quality, I definitely recommend the 410 Junior Geared Head without hesitation. final note - it's also going to work wonderfully for an upcoming Super Moon photo session.

I just started getting more serious with macro photography. Things started to get heavy once I added a focus rail and found that all of the attachments and weight on my Manfrotto 488 ball head and 190PRO legs was difficult to frame the shot. I had a lot of slop from the gear and setting the ball head was not easy. On to getting this head...it rocks. First of all, it feels like a rock or brick because it's not lightweight. I don't care about that. I got an Amazon Warehouse Deal that was a minimally damaged box and new product. I couldn't be happier to have saved 50% on this thing. I was concerned and would watch out for a returned item that had any slop or signs that it was dropped. I know Manfrotto quality is slipping over time, but I'm still really happy with this tripod head for the price point and my needs. If you buy one, pay attention to the quick release lever allen screw under the plate. Apparently in the past that has come loose and if you loose a part you'll be stuck. Also, if you buy from the warehouse, just check that all is good before your return window closes.

I have mixed feelings about this gear head. While it's well made and has a nice gear system, I'm not happy with the Manfrotto quick release plates. I have Arca Swiss plates on all my lenses and L brackets on all my cameras so I only want one system. Converting this to a compatible arca swiss plate is not possible unless you attach it to the Manfrotto quick release plate. Which is not as simple as it sounds. The Manfrotto plate is quite large and when you attach an arca swiss plate it gets sucked into the padding on the plate and the jaws of the arca swiss clamp are not able to move. If you position the arca swiss clamp way over to the edge of the Manfrotto plate, you can have the moving jaw overhang the edge. I'm not crazy about that arrangement. So I'm going to keep the head and continue to search for a better solution to attach my arca swiss quick release plate. If this is not an issue for you, this is a great gear head and will serve you well. If anyone has a solution that doesn't involve purchasing a $1,000 arca swiss gear head, I'd be happy to hear about it. Thanks!

This is an excellent tripod head! Keep in mind that this has a totally different function than a ballhead and not as speedy to use, but if you wanted a ball head, you would get a ballhead. I use this regularly for 360 degree panoramas and can very easily fine tine the horizontal rotation so I don't miss any spots. I also use this regularly with my iOptron Skytracker for astrophotography. While I could use a ballhead with it, I find I can much more easily fine tine the polar alignment to do long exposures without having to set up my entire telescope kit. It is a regular in my camera bag for both landscape photography trips and star parties. Weight-wise, this thing is sturdy (read: heavy - its right above 3 lbs), and as such will hold quite a bit of weight without risking sagging. The most I have tried is around 8.5 lbs (with telescope gear), and it handled that easily. It is rated for 5kg (11.1lbs), so should handle just about anything you want to throw on it. All in all, this is a fantastic addition to any photographer's tripod and I highly recommend it. I have had mine since 2009 and it is still working just as perfectly as it did on day one and still my go-to head for my Manfrotto tripod.

I’ve always loved everything about these men Frodo 410 junior geared heads, especially the older ones that have stood the test of time I’ll get right to the point of why I only gave this tripod head two stars. This one is clearly an updated version of one of the originals, and something somewhere along the way has fallen off of the tracks. I’ve had this particular tripod head for almost 2 years and this version, the newer updated version, seems to suffer from some minor flaws. While it is still stable, and easy to use the mounting plate release button just randomly fell off. The good news is it’s still usable and that’s why I gave it two stars, however, if buttons are just going to keep randomly falling off of these tripod heads, I can no longer recommend them, especially at the price that they are charging. I’ve had far better luck by ordering older versions that have stood the test of time on eBay than I have with this one being brand new and out of the box just under two years ago. I’m not sure if I got a knock off or if Man Frodo is just falling off of the face of the Earth in terms of quality however, I am very disappointed to see this one fall apart so fast, especially when comparing to my other two manfrotto tripod, heads. Well, the button missing does not completely render the tripod head useless. It certainly has created more difficulty in releasing the mounting plate. I suppose I could get online study the schematics, then maybe order a new button, then maybe be able to replace the old button… But I think I just rather go back to the old days when things were made without planned obsolescence being a factor. The only thing that stops me from giving this tripod head one star instead of two is despite its flaws it is still a very stable, tripod head, however, I don’t think I’ll be buying any more of these particular tripod heads anytime soon for our company, we have more important things to do than sit around and try to repair tripod heads.

Like most Manfrotto devices, the price is a bit hard to swallow but once you get past that you have an extremely nice piece of equipment. I use it on my Geekoto tripods (which I would also recommend) and it fits perfectly but it will fit on any tripod with a 3/8 screw. The level of precision you can get with this head is insane. I suppose that is a good thing, right?! The build quality is excellent, it's hefty in the hand but feels solid as a tank. The quick-release knobs make large adjustments easy so you can get close to your target then you can dial it in with super-fine precision with the outer knobs. This head is excellent for long-exposure shots, night/sky photography so you can make those tiny adjustments when you are zoomed in at 300mm and not have to spend an hour finding your target again :-)

The finest Head I could afford, is also the very best Head I've ever had. Geared, for precise adjustments, absolutely rock solid, built like a tank, should last forever. Manfrotto 410 Junior - no more sloppy ball head! Update: the bottom axis has a lot of play in it, feels stripped, as if it isn't locked to the gear, and it also moves a bit, in this range. I've included a video, and contacted Amazon, they offered a refund, not a replacement.

I had put off buy a geared head for way to long and my first time using this was kicking myself for not buying it earlier. having the fine controls saves a ton of time while shooting and again editing. A ball head is fast and gets you close but is never perfect, minute adjustments just aren't possible or completely accurate and this eliminates that fuss. The three axis let you rotate around the center column,tilt vertically for placing your subject and horizon and tilt horizontally to ensure a level horizon. If you do a lot of vertical still life i would recommend an "L" bracket may save you even more work but is completely optional if you've never used a geared head before.