Bogen/Manfrotto 3030 Head: Purchased this head to go with a set of used Manfrotto 190/Bogen 3001 legs. Have received the legs from KEH and once again the condition was listed as EXC...

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

Purchased this head to go with a set of used Manfrotto 190/Bogen 3001 legs. Have received the legs from KEH and once again the condition was listed as EXC and I was not disappointed. I'm still waiting on the head from an ebay seller but I have a question about the 3 handles on this head.

They are rather large and protrude quite a bit making for a fairly wide top. Does anyone have any experience with this head and if so is it possible to retrofit different handles?

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

I have both a 3030 & a 3047. 3030 handles aren’t that bad. Storage can be awkward but One can always just take them off for travel, etc though. The 3047’s are really big & make framing smoother. I’ve not seen different handles for either though. You may find the 3030 awkward if you do closeup/macro. I think in use you’ll end up liking the handles for the control they offer. Good luck.

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

pesfls wrote:

I have both a 3030 & a 3047. 3030 handles aren’t that bad. Storage can be awkward but One can always just take them off for travel, etc though. The 3047’s are really big & make framing smoother. I’ve not seen different handles for either though. You may find the 3030 awkward if you do closeup/macro. I think in use you’ll end up liking the handles for the control they offer. Good luck.

I think as pesfls said you might grow to like the large handles... I have the 3047 and the handles have grown on me; a really solid platform IMHO.

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

pesfls wrote:

I have both a 3030 & a 3047. 3030 handles aren’t that bad. Storage can be awkward but One can always just take them off for travel, etc though. The 3047’s are really big & make framing smoother. I’ve not seen different handles for either though. You may find the 3030 awkward if you do closeup/macro. I think in use you’ll end up liking the handles for the control they offer. Good luck.

I just ordered a carry bag and am worried about the head fitting in it. I did not consider removing them. When I receive the head I will definitely play around with that idea. Thanks for the tip. Happy New Year!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

ralphfr wrote:

Purchased this head to go with a set of used Manfrotto 190/Bogen 3001 legs. Have received the legs from KEH and once again the condition was listed as EXC and I was not disappointed. I'm still waiting on the head from an ebay seller but I have a question about the 3 handles on this head.

They are rather large and protrude quite a bit making for a fairly wide top. Does anyone have any experience with this head and if so is it possible to retrofit different handles?

The overall length of the horizontal tilt handle is about 98mm, the pan handle is about 76mm and the vertical tilt handle is about 120mm long. The grips are about 70mm by 35mm diameter. I’ve had no need to handicap myself by shortening them.

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

MrBob wrote:

I think as pesfls said you might grow to like the large handles... I have the 3047 and the handles have grown on me; a really solid platform IMHO.

I see that head was configured with two styles of handles. Plastic screwdriver style and the wider circular style like the 3030. If the thread sizes are the same it looks like I may have some options. I will definitely see how the stock handles perform before swapping them out but it looks like it's not that big a job either way. Thank you for the info. Happy New Year!

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

RWR wrote:

The overall length of the horizontal tilt handle is about 98mm, the pan handle is about 76mm and the vertical tilt handle is about 120mm long. The grips are about 70mm by 35mm diameter. I’ve had no need to handicap myself by shortening them.

I am really more concerned about their bulk. I would assume I can position them in a way that would the lessen the head's circumference for storage. Thank you for the details. Much appreciated. Happy New Year!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

ralphfr wrote:

I am really more concerned about their bulk. I would assume I can position them in a way that would the lessen the head's circumference for storage. Thank you for the details. Much appreciated. Happy New Year!

With both tilt handles down, it’s pretty compact. Happy New Year to you!

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

RWR wrote:

With both tilt handles down, it’s pretty compact. Happy New Year to you!

Great! Thank you very much for the information.

La Mesa! I'm jealous!!!! bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

ralphfr wrote:

Great! Thank you very much for the information.
La Mesa! I'm jealous!!!! bbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It was only 72° today - gets any worse I’ll have to break out the flannels!

Shutterbug57

The handles screw out for packing.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

ralphfr wrote:

Purchased this head to go with a set of used Manfrotto 190/Bogen 3001 legs. Have received the legs from KEH and once again the condition was listed as EXC and I was not disappointed. I'm still waiting on the head from an ebay seller but I have a question about the 3 handles on this head.

They are rather large and protrude quite a bit making for a fairly wide top. Does anyone have any experience with this head and if so is it possible to retrofit different handles?

I have the same legs and the same head. At some point I replaced the head with a 3way geared head.

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

Shutterbug57 wrote:

The handles screw out for packing.

Good to know. As soon as it gets here I'll play around with. Thanks for the info. Happy New Year!

ralphfr Loc: Long Island, NY

LoneRangeFinder wrote:

I have the same legs and the same head. At some point I replaced the head with a 3way geared head.

After requesting some advice on UHH on a decent tripod I got the point that heavier was better. This certainly is a chunky set-up. I paid $65 for the legs and &40 for the head after reading some reviews elsewhere that suggested this was a decent combination. Looks the legs are keepers. If I have to replace the head I can live with it. Thank you. Happy New Year!

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

ralphfr wrote:

I just ordered a carry bag and am worried about the head fitting in it. I did not consider removing them. When I receive the head I will definitely play around with that idea. Thanks for the tip. Happy New Year!

I have the 3030 and often carried it in my Bogen bag with no problem. BTW, the handles can be easily removed for travel if you wish. My travel bag actually has a pocket just for that purpose.