Manfrotto 502 Pro Video Head with 504PLONG Long Quick Release Mounting Plate and Flat Base

After using (and liking) the Manfrotto 501 (the older version, not the HDV), going to the 502AH is like night and day. This 502AH pans better and moves more fluidly than the 501 ever did. The price is a bargain as this is considered a pro-video head. I purchased this after a recommendation from my brother who is a professional producer and video editor. It fit on both our Manfrotto tripods; one a smaller tripod and the other a huge and heavy one with a lever to raise and lower a telescoping head.I just used this to film an anime convention last week in Baltimore and I had no trouble at all with it. Now, it is a tad bit heavy when you need to carry it around all day, ESPECIALLY if your carrying it whilst mounted to an even heavier tripod but you get what you pay for and when you pay for this, what you get is professional quality with simple ease of use and great results. To mimic previous reviewers, the panning unlock know is definitely in an awkward place but you get used to it after using it once or twice.I'd certainly purchase this again and again for my video needs because it holds both my Nikon D7000 DSLR nicely, enabling beautiful video and it also holds my Panasonic AG-HMC40 pro-HD camcorder nicely. I was able to film panels, a concert, a masquerade, a dance, and Q & A sessions and its stability and fluid drag head made everything look like a professional video shoot.This was a good purchase and I don't regret it for even a second.

READ THIS:Be cautious about who you order this head from. I ordered it from Ornem first and the 502 I received was obviously used and scratched up by the previous owner or maybe it was a demo/showroom model. I feel like Ornem was hoping some schmuck wouldn't have cared about the condition and I ended up receiving it. When you order something that is described as BRAND NEW, that is what you should expect and what you should receive, no questions ask. I returned it that same day and ordered it again through CaMan and the new one I received was, you guessed it, brand new.Before I sent them my negative seller feedback, I noticed that they had a couple negative reviews in the past 30 days. So I went ahead and put together my review and it was live in about 10 minutes. NOT EVEN 15 MINUTES LATER, my review as well as the other reviews left by unhappy customers had been deleted! How is this possible? Amazon should be the only one that is capable of deleting reviews because now, Ornem has a 100% unblemished record and customers will never know about situations like mine.THE ACTUAL REVIEW:This head is a beast. It's a solid build and the fluid drag system will give you buttery smooth panning and tilt footage. The only concern I had going into buying this head was the fact that it's made in China. Not to say that stuff made in China is bad, I've purchased plenty of great products made in China, it's just that Manfrotto chose to have it manufactured in China vs. Italy like the majority of their products that got me thinkin.I also ordered the 190 go tripod which is made in Italy so I was able to get a good idea of the build quality between the two. The 190 is flawless 5/5 no problem. The 502 is a 4/5, it's constructed very well but it appears they took some shortcuts on the finish. The one thing I noticed about the 502 is that as you're adjusting the fluid dials, there is this odd popping sound. My guess is it's the fluid within the head as you adjust it accordingly. Not a huge deal breaker as the head pans and tilts consistently in all directions but I am hoping that it will eventually go away. There is some play in the dials too but I was aware of that when I was doing my research on this head.VERDICT:In the end, I'm super stoked to have added the 502 and 190 to my setup and I highly suggest ordering either of these products if you are in the market for some sweet gear. Once again, BE AWARE OF WHO YOU ORDER THIS THROUGH.

Extremely pleased with this purchase. This video head is well worth the $.Being able to fine tune the resistance levels for both panning and tilting is an awesome feauture, especially when you are using telephoto lenses and the smallest amount of shake translates onto the footage.The build quality of this head is exactly what I've come to expect from Manfrotto. There are some that say their build quality has gone down recently but I do not agree. This video head feels like it will last forever and take any amount of abuse that I give it.I really like the fact that even when my camera (5dIII) is mounted onto this head, I can access the battery compartment. The head is just narrow enough so that I can swap out batteries without needing to take the camera off of the head.My only legitimate gripe about this head's design is the location of the quick release lock. The locking knob is positioned towards the middle of the head and it sticks out enough so that you cannot lock the quick release plate if your camera is positioned in the middle of the head. In other words, your camera has to be slid forward on the head in order to lock it into position. It's not really a big deal because this head is robust enough to easily support a heavy camera that is positioned forward and not perfectly centered, however I'd think that it might be an issue for larger cinema camera owners possibly.All in all, I highly recommend this video head. It's silky smooth, built like a tank and well worth every penny.