Manfrotto MVH500AH Flat Base Pro Fluid Head (Black)

I have started shooting more video with my 5D and wanted something other than my ball head for video. I already have a Manfrotto 055X carbon fiber tripod and wanted something that would go onto that quickly. What a breeze! Just unscrew the ballhead, screw this one on and away you go. Probably 30 seconds to make the change. What I wanted was something very lightweight and compact. This head fit the bill perfectly. The fluid movements are really wonderful. Perfectly dampened and with springs to help return it to level. Smooth as silk! The sliding baseplate is plenty long enough to balance the camera with a long lens attached. I have the Canon 70-200 and there are no issues balancing. It is not necessary to use the lens mounting option at all. Just slide the camera back with the plate on the camera and balance is quickly achieved. The finishes are very nice and everything seems to lock down properly. It would certainly support a heavier camera. Overall I am very very happy with the purchase. The pan/tilt handle can be locked in most any position and used on the left or right side. This is really a GREAT choice for smooth pans and tilts and you really cannot beat the price for this very high quality head. Buy it and you will not be disappointed!

This is a great tripod head! works amazing with my canon 7D and my Sony Ex-1. i believe this would work on any pro video camera, if you want to use it on a cinema camera with mattebox and accesories i would recommend a bigger Manfrotto. The plate system its a little weird if you are used to the old ones that are inserted on the front or back of the hole in the head and its removed the same way when pressing the release button on the side. this one works putting one side of the plate first at the top of the hole in the head. then pressing the button on the side (which is not a button anymore, but a screw with some kind of lever. Yes you have to unscrew it a little bit and then press down) and pushing down the plate, and the same procedure to get it out... call me an idiot but this is the first tripod head i use with this system and took me like an hour to figure this out... LOL.

I use this with a 60mm refractor telescope (about 3 lbs) or a 15x70 binoculars (5.5 lbs). Smooth and steady, but not variable resistance. Good for astronomy viewing, and pan easily and then lock the altitude to hold a view. I bought an extra QR plate, the 500PLONG is the right one. (although the 504PLONG fits also, I use it too, it's a little longer so can balance more.) If you like taking your small scope on trips, this 2 lb head pairs up nicely with a Manfrotto Befree tripod (3 lbs - take the ball head off this tripod and put on the MVH500AH). That's 5 lbs. Add the 3 lb scope (complete with one eyepiece), and you hve 8 lbs. Add a couple eyepieces, and you have a kit under 10 lbs, good for astronomy or birding. [but for home, you want a more substantial tripod)

The MVH500AH is a light duty fluid head aimed at the travel and amateur video markets. The flat bottom fits standard photographic tripods (3/8" thread) and has a wide platform for DSLRs, making it a good choice for photographers dabbling in video production. BUILD: The cast aluminum fittings, removable panning handle, giganormous quick release plate and excellent fit and finish make for an impressive package. Plus, installation was easy: a few spins and the MVH500AH mated to the 3/8" bolt on my Manfrotto 190. It held my Canon 80D with EF-s 18-135 3.5-5.6 IS USM perfectly and delivered silky smooth pans. Drag is fixed but resistance is ideal for pans from 10mm to 200mm on APS-C and smoother than my larger and more expensive Manfrotto MVH502AH video head. The pan handle is comfy and provides plenty of leverage, making it easy to grip and steer. One thing I appreciate is the panning handle is not only adjustable for angle, but can be mounted on the left or right side. I’m right-handed but prefer panning with my left-hand, using my right-hand to work camera controls. QUICK RELEASE: The 500 sports a Rapid Connect (Q5) quick release and includes a single 500PLONG plate. The 500PLONG is the long (5.5") version of the 501PL plate. It's ungainly on a DSLR and obviously designed for the long and narrow form factor of pro camcorders. However, it’s designed to slide in the clamp like a rail, allowing it to be positioned for optimal balance. Mounting the 500PLONG takes multiple steps: angle in plate from above, snap in, position for best balance and, finally, tighten the thumbscrew to lock. Tabs prevent the plate from sliding out of the clamp if you forget to lock it. To release, unscrew the lock lever and press the release tab while lifting the rig out. Not quick but secure and easy to rebalance after a lens or camera change. I use the Arca-Swiss (AS) quick release system on my other heads. So I installed an AS compatible clamp (Sunwayfoto) on the head by mounting it on the 3/8" stud of the 500PLONG, yielding an easy to use quick release. Best of all, I can leave an AS plate on my camera and mount it on any of my heads without swapping plates. And, yes, mounting/removing the camera is faster with the AS clamp but I can still slide the 500PLONG for optimal balance. GOTCHAS: Unlike most other Manfrotto video heads, plates for the 500 can't be slid in. Instead, they snap in from above at about a 20 degree angle. Snapping in the plate is more difficult and slower compared to sliding in, especially with larger lenses and accessories attached to the camera. However, since I use an AS compatible clamp the before mentioned is a moot point for me. The extremes of the vertical tilt befuddle me: if I release my grip on the panning arm at the lowest or highest point of the vertical pan, the head is deflected in the opposite direction as if spring loaded. Of course I can hold the panning arm or lock it down but other positions in the pan-path hold position. I’m not sure if this is a feature or defect but my Manfrotto 128LP fluid head simply sits there instead of recoiling and doesn't need to be locked or held. If this is a feature, maybe it’s supposed to keep a heavy rig from suddenly crashing to the extreme of the vertical pan? FINAL BLURB: The 500 is a lightweight travel worthy video head and deal for shooting video with a small to medium DSLR. It's almost perfect but, if I were to grade the 500, it would earn an A-. But it nails the important things: silky smooth pans, easy to balance, is stable and has great fit and finish.

This review is for the Manfrotto MVH500AH Lightweight fluid head. I have had this fluid head for about a month and have used it quite a bit. I use it strictly for photography and not video. Prior to having this fluid head I had a Manfrotto ball head. It worked fine except I never liked the quick release plate that came with it. I became intrigued with this fluid head when I saw it used and recommended by photographer, teacher and YouTuber Hudson Henry. After watching a few of his videos I decided to make a purchase. The panning and tilting motion are smooth and fluid. I actually shot my first panorama with this. There are only two knobs to use, one for panning and one for tilting. Very easy to use and handle. There is a leveling bubble when you tilt the head up so you can level the head. I use it for landscape photography, wildlife photography and astro photography. The fluid head acts as a gimbal head, very easy to use for bird photography. One of the photos I included shows a mirrorless camera and a 200-500 lens mounted on it. The fluid head carries them with ease. I doubt that I would ever go back to using a ball head. This does everything I need it to do. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it.

I put this really awesome video head on a crappy old tripod and now I don't feel like I have a crappy tripod! The action is super smooth. I take it off and use it on a monopod sometime and it is still wonderful. I am getting tons of cool tracking shots with this head. The base plate is awesome because it snaps on and I can swap the camera quickly to my Glidecam. Highly Recommended

I mostly shoot still photography, but I love this tripod head. I switched from using a ball head to this fluid head after watching a review of this head. I likely will never use a ball head again. This head allows you to balance your camera so that it stays put when you let go of your camera. You can level the head and it will stay level as you pan and tilt. In effect, it approximates a gimbal tripod head with much less weight and a lower cost. Of course, when shooting video, a fluid head is nearly indispensable, and now that I have this head, I've been taking far more video, but I the advantages of this head extend in to still photography as well. I doubt very seriously I'll ever use a ball head again.

For reference, I own a large Vinten Vision 10 ENG style tripod and fluid head and a Miller Solo 20. I also bought a Manfrotto 503HDV head to use on 190CXPRO sticks for a relatively lightweight system. That combination was a bit awkward with the 503HDV being so large and heavy, especially with the 438 leveling base that I also added. I liked the 701 variant that was on my monopod and thought that would be a better match to the 190 sticks, but Manfrotto replaced the 701 with this MVH500AH. Indeed, it's a better match for the 190 sticks. Together with the 438 leveling base, it works nicely. I also like the new quick release system, though the spring loaded lever you depress to release the plate does look a little vulnerable. One of the things I notice about the lower-end Manfrotto gear is the use of plastics where my Vinten uses metal. I try to treat my equipment well, but things get knocked around, and the plastic bits on my Manfrotto gear appears less robust. That release lever looks like it could get bent easily when sliding the tripod in and out of my grip case. The drag on this head is fixed. For panning, the drag amount is okay. For tilt, on the other hand, I wish for more drag or a pre-load adjustment. With a little camera like a GH4 and a native lens, you'll have no problem. But, when I attach my Nikon 70-200mm to the GH4, I need to be mindful of the balance and make sure I lock the tilt. I've had a couple of heart stopping moments as I was setting up my camera with the long lens - soon as I took my hands off the camera to fish something out of my bag or make an adjustment to the leveler, the camera tilted rapidly, coming to a hard stop at the end of the tilt range. Of course, now that I've used the head and tripod combination for a while, I know what to expect, and include locking the tilt in my mental checklist. Unfortunately, there's so much on my mental checklist when setting up for a shoot (turn off the overhead lights, close the door, turn off the A/C, turn on the recorder, check W/B, check focus, etc....), I'd be happier if a new piece of gear didn't add yet another piece of mental baggage to clutter my thought process. So, 3 stars? Yah. It works as advertised with some new-user surprises. I'm not thrilled by the MVH500AH, but it does provide me a lighter weight option to my bigger sticks.

A superb product. Beautifully finished and very smooth.

A big chunk of beautifully made steel, rubber and oil. Smoooooooooth!

Love it! I have a 23-yea-old Manfrotto tripod, the head wasn't holding the weight of my gear anymore. Now I have a new tripod with the addition of this head.

Esta rótula es una maravilla. El movimiento es fluido y preciso, lo que la hace ideal para vídeo y fotografía. Es robusta, bien construida y soporta perfectamente equipos pesados sin problemas. El sistema de bloqueo y ajuste es cómodo y seguro, y el diseño en negro y rojo le da un toque elegante. Manfrotto nunca falla en calidad, y esta rótula no es la excepción.

La qualité est clairement au rendez-vous avec cette rotule Manfrotto qui apporte une fluidité dans les mouvements de caméra et ne provoque pas de chocs parasites. Evidemment, elle a son poids et est assez impressionnante un foi montée sur un trépied. Je conseille à ce propos d'être très attentif aux indications de charge de votre trépied qui doit tolérer le poids de votre caméra, des accessoires éventuels (micros, lampes, etc)... et de la rotule. Dans le manuel, le constructeur parle d'un ressort de retour pour faciliter le repositionnement de l'appareil en position neutre. Très honnêtement, malgré l'équilibrage de ma Sony de 2,4kg, je ne perçois pas cette aide. Personnellement, cela ne manque pas du tout et au contraire, je suis plutôt heureux de ne pas avoir ma caméra qui "tente" de se repositionner à l'horizontal !! En conclusion, un achat de qualité qui répond parfaitement aux besoins d'un vidéaste amateur !