Manfrotto XPRO Ball Head with 200PL Quick Release Plate, High Precision, Compatible with Photography Equipment, for Camera Tripod, for Content Creation

The tilting mount that came with my Manfrotto 560B-1 monopod would have been fine for 99.9% of shutterbugs, but every since I started using a ball mount for sports shooting with my tripod, I just couldn't do without that multiple-axis freedom of motion once I took ownership of a nice monopod.THIS was the solution. It's big, stout, and confidence-inspiring for sure. Yes, it looks almost too large when fitted to the end of a monopod, but it firmly holds any gear I latch onto it without fear of inadvertent movement when locked down. Also, when I rotate the knob to loosen it, this finely crafted item quickly allows the multiple-axis positioning I desire.One bonus item I did not discern from the item description is the extra, small knob with detents that adds a small amount of user-selected drag to the mount. It acts almost like an all-axis fluid mount, and maintains this drag (or friction) adjustment between securing the ball or releasing it.I am getting another one of these to replace the smaller stock ball mount on my Manfrotto Befree travel tripod. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ball mount that originally came with it. In fact, that ball mount on the Befree is what got me into really liking how Manfrotto manufactures its ball mounts. It's just that the MHXPRO-BHQ2 XPRO (man, that's a long name) ball mount is that good for my purposes. One of these days I may purchase a newer, lighter weight combination in terms of lenses and camera body, but for now this Manfrotto mount is allowing me to continue using my heavier, older gear while being able to freely point and at the same time gain the stability (anti-shake) benefits that a monopod can provide.By the way, the Manfrotto 200PL plate that comes with this is the genuine Manfrotto article, and locks in securely. There are a lot of red chinese copies polluting the marketplace that look like a real Manfrotto 200PL plate, but I can tell you from personal experience that the red chinese copies generally have dimensional variances and do not lock in as securely as the genuine Manfrotto article. Your gear is too costly to risk by using a reverse-engineered red chinese pot metal item. If you need extra plates, spend the extra $10 per unit and buy only genuine Manfrotto 200PL mounting plates (Amazon offers them at a good price --- product LINK over here...) -->> Manfrotto 200PL-14 RC2 Rapid Connect Mounting Plate with 1/4-Inch 20 Screw - Gray )

I use this as a ball head on my Fornax Lightrack II for astrophotography on a Slik Pro 700 DX tripod. I most often use a 400mm f/5.6L, and less frequently a 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, on a 5D Mark IV. Astrophotography is an an application that will make every last optical and mechanical deficiency in your equipment painfully evident to you. For a time, I used the Slik version, since I figured they make a good tripod, so the ball head should be good as well. What I found was that several of my exposures were affected by slippage - in most other forms of photography this would be hard to notice since it happens slowly and is slight, so quite possibly you will miss it between exposures. But when you want your stars to be round and sharp over minutes of tracking, you'll notice this rather easily. The move to this has been a significant upgrade and has gotten rid of all the slippage issues.I was initially worried before I purchased this that the knobs would interfere with the body of the tracker, but this has not been the case. Everything about this screams solidity. The quick release plate once tightened on to the lens is a very solid connection. Knob rotation and panning of the head is smooth. Most importantly, everything is secure - once you tighten the knobs, nothing moves, no matter the position or orientation. The fact that the plate is rectangular versus circular gives less opportunity for slip. That's exactly what I wanted, and exactly what I got. Objects at zenith are a bit hard to aim at, but that's something that comes with the application and not a fault of this ball head. The only "negative", and I use quotes advisedly, is that the quick release plate goes in only one way and can initially be a bit hard to mount especially in the dark. But once you get used to it, you'll find it works just fine.If your application is more casual photography, and can afford a few flaws in your shots from time to time, you'll probably save quite a bit by going to something cheaper. If you need something that is absolutely reliable, purchasing this or something like this sooner rather than later will save you a lot of frustration.

The design and material quality is awesome. It's pricey, but this ball head is worth the investment. The locks and knobs are very smooth when turning. The tension knob allows me to make tiny adjustments easily without shaking the camera too much. I have rarely needed to make additional adjustments whenever locking it in place.

I wanted a ball head for my camera.. This worked well and does what it is supposed to do.. I have some issues with adjusting it at times.. Probably user ignorance or error, not sure. I would recommend this though to anyone who wants this for their photography.

Only had this a very short time, my initial impressions - Solid build, a bit heavier than I expected, but feels likes it will hold up to some punishment. Really like how easily and securely the camera snaps into place, I think I'll be able to get the camera on in the dark. Panning works beautifully, the levers seem to be ergonomically designed and you can really feel when it locks down. I don't get the friction knob I can't seem to find a setting where it would be useful, but that could just be me not understanding.If you're reading this and its before 9/30/2015 I also purchased Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 4 Section Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs with Q90 Column (Black) and found there is a rebate of $50/$25 off when you buy this ball head and also one of the 055/190 series tripod legs. If you go to manfrotto.rebateaccess the offer number is 63032 you can see the details.Going on a photo trip next month where I'll give this and the new legs a really good workout, I'll come back and update at that point with more real life experience.