Manfrotto XPRO Magnesium Ball Head with Top Lock plate

Deciding to update my long-time ball-head, I looked at various alternatives. However, I kept coming back to Manfrotto.I wanted to switch up my system with an L-bracket for my camera, and needed an Arca-Swiss style head to be able to accommodate this change. This new Manfrotto head is lovely.. Lighter than my previous one, and very secure when tightened, it feels great to use when I'm out landscaping. The adjustment now possible for the friction on the head while it is unlocked is very useful, meaning you can set the friction level to suit your hands and movements then easily tighten everything back up with one twist of the main lever. I'm delighted with it - it's another quality head from Manfrotto, and at a very competitive price point for an Arca Swiss compatible clamp.

A well made and compact piece of equipment. All movements are fluid and the locking levers are substantial and work well. The bubble levels are well placed and make life so much easier. I am using it with a Canon 5D4 and it carries that well. I haven't used it with my Rolleiflex 2.8C yet so can't comment on its medium format performance. Has replaced a Kennet 3-way pan and tilt head dating from the mid 80's and the 200PL is a god send compared to the struggle with fixing a camera to the Kennet and its fustrating screws and lock nut design. Recommended.

The main body is built like a tank and the friction and release controls are great - little chance of your camera dropping sideways unless you really loosen everything. When mine arrived, I had to tighten the camera mount to the ball using a hex key, which was no big deal but something to check when yours arrives. Note that the dials are plastic. That's probably not at huge risk of failure but the plastic parts of the locking mechanism don't feel quite as sturdy as the rest of the head. That said, it works well and I think should take some fairly heavy use. It's rated up to 10kg so most users won't test it to its limits. However, one or two extra parts in metal wouldn't go amiss for the price. I also note that extra 200PL release plates are around £15 at the time of writing and third party versions are available, so that doesn't break the bank if you want to switch bodies or leave plates on the mounting collars of big lenses.

I bought this Manfrotto Ball Head to replace my Manfrotto Pistol Grip 322RC2 which I hated.The Manfrotto XPro is a huge improvement. With a 10kg Payload has double the capacity of my old head and is such a better design.It easily carry's my DSLR with battery pack and a 70-200L f2.8 lens which only weights half of the total capacity of this head.The adjustments are smooth and very controllable due to the friction device and having the ability to independently pan the head is a big bonus, and one missing from some much more expensive heads.I prefer the 200PL locking plate rather than the Arca Swiss type, as it's faster to fit the camera, but it's also £50 cheaper to by the head with the 200PL plate.The only thing I don't like about this ball head are the plastics used for the locking levers, but considering the price this really is a minor point.Comes complete with 2 spirit levels pan angle gauge and a 10 year warranty if you register the product with Manfrotto.Worth every penny.

A few months ago I bought a Neewer Carbon fibre tripod for travel nice and light but the head was an afterthought and it needed to be replaced, there were two versions of the Manfrotto XPro Ball head one with the standard PL plate and one with the Arker swiss design, the latter had mixed reviews so I went with the PL plate, and it was the best move as its lightweight and a joy to move into that position, Its a first class product so it cost more than my tripod but when I upgrade my tripod I do not need to worry about the ball head.

Since it's made of magnesium it's a very lightweight head unit indeed & is perfect then for pairing with a modern day portable carbon tripod.It's built like a tank too so I don't doubt it's longevity but just in case I registered at Manfrotto's website which extends it's warranty to 10 yrs.The dials feel solidly built & result in your camera staying pretty much where you set it at not tending to droop forward with gravity on some lesser well made heads. All in all I'm very glad I opted for this model versus the cheaper medium sized Manfrotto ball head unit & I think it was well worth the extra cost. So all in all I have only praise for this particular head unit & can thoroughly recommend it especially pairing it with a good carbon tripod :)

It lasted just over a year before the locking knob which tightens the ball head fell off in some long grass. I found the main part but sadly not the bit which connects it to the bolt on the side of the ball head permanently or the cosmetic cover which goes over the hole in the locking knob on the side of the ballhead. This happened a few days after the years warranty ran out.I did contact Manfrotto at the time about getting it fixed but answer came there none. There is a spares website, which sells the locking knob (which I still have) plus the two small missing bits for £30. Not particularly good value all in all. Between that and the often sticky clamp for holding the camera on, which occasionally didn't properly grip the camera and dumped one camera onto the ground once at the cost of the lens that was attached to it at the time. You turned the knob on the top plate and it would seem to tighten but not always enough to engage the camera on the Arca Swiss plate.Not worth buying all in all.

Very fast and very sturdy in a very small packageI have tried this head for more than 6 months, its been very good tool to make better framing for pictures.To put camera in an out is super easy and super fastadjustments are made with no hassleIt is quite small in physical size but its quality and rigidity is superi can see it will last me for long time which makes it a good investment