Hello, everyone! I'm now shopping for a good, solid, all around, general usage, stable tripod, in the $450.00 to $550.00 range, on B&H Photo.

I'm choosing from the Manfrotto's, and I'm uncertain as to what type and specific model, of tripod head, I should purchase.

Which design type, and then specific model, would be, the BEST ONE FOR ME, and also, the MOST ENJOYABLE, TO USE?

They list 12 models of Tripod Heads; on there Website, IN THE FOLLOWING CONFIGURATIONS: Pan/Tilt Head, Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head, Light Duty Grip Ball Head, Geared Head, 3D Magnesium Head, Midi Ball Head, and 3-Way Pan & Tilt, possibly, the same as Pan & Tilt. And then, some of them, are refereed to as, "Junior," before their model names. (Whatever that means?)

The actual, listed Model's Numbers, for them, Are: #'s: 056 3D Junior Pan/Tilt Head, 324RC2 Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head, 324RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Head, 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Head, 391RC2 Junior 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head, 410 Junior Geared Head, 460MG 3D Magnesium Head, 496RC2 Midi Ball Head, 498RC2 Midi Ball Head, 498RC4 Midi Ball Head, 804RC2 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head, 808RC4 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head, and the 054 Q2 Magnesium Ball Head Deluxe Kit!

All of these heads, are Manfrotto heads, being sold, with the Manfrotto Tripod Legs, # MT055XPRO4, for between, $420. and $560.

I'm asking, what are the differences, between these various Tripod Heads? How would a knowledgeable Photographer, make a selection, from among all of these, various types, and models, of Tripod Heads? They must each, have their own strengths, and weaknesses, in their individual usages.

Is there any one out there, who understands, what the differences between these various Manfrotto Tripod Head model's are? Can you provide me, with advice, in selecting the best one, for my own, individual purposes, and to get the maximum enjoyment, from it?

I only know about Tripods; that I need, great stability, load carrying ability, and light weight, and that there is both pan/tilt, and ball head.

I would really greatly appreciate, any relevant information, even if of a broad and general nature, regarding these types of Tripod Heads and there best uses; that anyone, can contribute, toward these questions; to aid me, in making a wise decision!

Thank you, very much, for your assistance and your best advice!!!

I presently, only know the difference, between the ball, and the pan and tilt, but not even which each is best suited for!

Merry Christmas to ALL!!!

Rob. :)

Hello, everyone! I'm now shopping for a good, solid, all around, general usage, stable tripod, in the $450.00 to $550.00 range, on B&H Photo.

I'm choosing from the Manfrotto's, and I'm uncertain as to what type and specific model, of tripod head, I should purchase.

Which design type, and then specific model, would be, the BEST ONE FOR ME, and also, the MOST ENJOYABLE, TO USE?

They list 12 models of Tripod Heads; on there Website, IN THE FOLLOWING CONFIGURATIONS: Pan/Tilt Head, Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head, Light Duty Grip Ball Head, Geared Head, 3D Magnesium Head, Midi Ball Head, and 3-Way Pan & Tilt, possibly, the same as Pan & Tilt. And then, some of them, are refereed to as, "Junior," before their model names. (Whatever that means?)

The actual, listed Model's Numbers, for them, Are: #'s: 056 3D Junior Pan/Tilt Head, 324RC2 Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head, 324RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Head, 327RC2 Light Duty Grip Ball Head, 391RC2 Junior 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head, 410 Junior Geared Head, 460MG 3D Magnesium Head, 496RC2 Midi Ball Head, 498RC2 Midi Ball Head, 498RC4 Midi Ball Head, 804RC2 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head, 808RC4 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head, and the 054 Q2 Magnesium Ball Head Deluxe Kit!

All of these heads, are Manfrotto heads, being sold, with the Manfrotto Tripod Legs, # MT055XPRO4, for between, $420. and $560.

I'm asking, what are the differences, between these various Tripod Heads? How would a knowledgeable Photographer, make a selection, from among all of these, various types, and models, of Tripod Heads? They must each, have their own strengths, and weaknesses, in their individual usages.

Is there any one out there, who understands, what the differences between these various Manfrotto Tripod Head model's are? Can you provide me, with advice, in selecting the best one, for my own, individual purposes, and to get the maximum enjoyment, from it?

I only know about Tripods; that I need, great stability, load carrying ability, and light weight, and that there is both pan/tilt, and ball head.

I would really greatly appreciate, any relevant information, even if of a broad and general nature, regarding these types of Tripod Heads and there best uses; that anyone, can contribute, toward these questions; to aid me, in making a wise decision!

Thank you, very much, for your assistance and your best advice!!!

I presently, only know the difference, between the ball, and the pan and tilt, but not even which each is best suited for!

Merry Christmas to ALL!!!

Rob. :)

Since you are not doing sports or BIF, solid and stable is what you are looking for. You do not need a set up designed for rapid changes or your set up. I think a solid pan/tilt is going to be fine for you. However, I currently use a Manfrotto Joystick (which is really a ball head) that I like quite a bit. Just squeezing and adjusting without having to deal with the two handles on the pan/tilt works for me

Keep an eye on B&H daily deals and holiday specials. A good tripod deal comes up frequently.

Thank you! That's an excellent review, and very telling, regarding the advantage of carbon fiber. There is such a great world of information, available to us, in the "World of Photography," and equipment, today, with the Internet, isn't it wonderful? How we can so thoroughly, research, each, and every product, in such minute detail, to get just what we truly desire, and best meets our personal needs. That is, an excellent tripod for it's cost!

In general, stiff composite materials (like carbon fiber tubes) damp high frequency vibrations better than uniform materials (like metal tubes) because composites are made up of at least two different substances, the 'matrix'; which is usually some kind of resin, and one or more kinds of fibrous materials (commonly silica-- glass-- fibers and or carbon-- graphitic tubule-- fibers); each of which has a different 'speed of sound'. This nonuniformity smears out sound and other vibration waves and eventually attenuates them.

Carbon Fiber is enough less elastic than pretty much any metal that would be used for structural purposes that it, and enough stiffer relative to its weight that a given CF tube will tend to try to vibrate at higher frequencies than an equivalent-sized metal tube-- which get damped by the effect described in my first paragraph.

There's a reason that you see wind chimes made of lengths of metal tube all the time, but you won't see any made of CF any time soon.

BTW, the strongest materials used structurally by plants and animals-- wood, bone, tooth enamel, and the various materials used for shells, scales, and the like, and the tensile structures used by kelp are all composites.