Product Description

This versatile head is fitted with a 3157N quick-release camera plate with a secondary safety catch. This head is perfect for 35mm SLR cameras with medium lenses, and light medium format cameras. A direct replacement of the 3262QR Midi Ball Head, the 484RC2 features a strong die-cast construction, precision machined aluminum housing, and an extremely hard phenolic resin ball which provides smoother movements across all tilt positions. It has a single indexed ratchet locking knob for a 360 degrees pan and a double groove for a 90 degrees tilt movements. Camera plate has a 1/4-20 inch male thread, and head to tripod attachment is 3/8 inch female.

Product Details

• Brand: Bogen
• Model: 484RC2
• Released on: 2006-04-14
• Dimensions: 4.00" h x 4.00" w x 7.00" l, 3.00 pounds

Features

• Versatile head fitted with a 3157N quick-release camera plate and a secondary safety catch
• Perfect for 35mm SLR cameras with medium lenses, and light medium format cameras
• Strong die-cast construction, precision machined aluminum housing
• Extremely hard phenolic resin ball which provides smoother movements across all tilt positions
• Single indexed ratchet locking knob for 360-degree pan and a double groove for +90 to -90-degree tilt movements

From the Manufacturer
The Bogen-Manfrotto 484RC2 is a versatile head fitted with a 3157N quick-release camera plate and a secondary safety catch. This head is perfect for 35mm SLR cameras with medium lenses, and light medium format cameras. A direct replacement of the 3262QR Midi Ball Head, the 484RC2 features a strong die-cast construction, precision machined aluminum housing, and an extremely hard phenolic resin ball which provides smoother movements across all tilt positions. It has a single indexed ratchet locking knob for 360-degree pan and a double groove for +90 to -90-degree tilt movements. Camera plate has a 1/4-20-inch male thread, and head to tripod attachment is 3/8-inch female. Optional Plates: 200PL-38, 200PLARCH-14, 200PLARCH-38.

Features include:

• Sturdy all-metal construction.
• The double 90-degree groove (one on each side of the head) means switching from landscape to portrait is convenient however you're set up.
• The compact, rectangular 200PL quick release plate system fits neatly under small-bodied still cameras up to SLR (even with tele lenses) or small medium format, or under small video cameras or spotting scopes. Its rubber pad gives a good grip without damaging the camera, and its angled sides ensure that it also fits perfectly and tightly into a wide range of Manfrotto heads
• This head features a secondary security lock so you can't accidentally release the plate (and camera) without meaning to. The lock stops the quick release lever from opening fully.
• A repositionable ratchet means that the locking lever's action will never be blocked either open or closed by interference with the camera body, tripod shoulder, etc... simply pull the lever outwards and it's free to be positioned more comfortably without affecting the locking mechanism. Then you can continue tightening or loosening the knob.
• A convenient single locking mechanism blocks or frees movement on all axes for greater speed of use.

Customer Reviews

Good, lightweight ball head
I got this ball head to mount on a Gitzo G1298 Basalt tripod. I do a lot of backpacking and wanted a tripod system that was very lightweight but rugged enough for a digital SLR and occasional 4x5 field camera work. I also wanted a ball head with the quick-release capability. The combination works very well, weighing in at a total of 4 lbs 1 oz (of which the ball head contributes 11 oz). The ball head moves fluidly and allows me to easily position the camera however I want. It is definitely sturdy enough to hold either my digital SLR or my Tachihara wooden view camera and lens.

There are a couple of things to be aware of. First, a single lever controls both pan and tilt, which means it is pretty difficult to do only a pan without also ending up with tilt. This makes it a little more difficult to stitch together a series of horizontal shots into a single panorama. More expensive (and heavier) ball heads give you a separate lever to control pan without affecting tilt. In my case, I didn't want the extra weight and I'm willing to live with the compromise.

The second issue was a bit of a surprise. I have used Manfrotto tripods for awhile now, and have a collection of camera mounting plates the same size as the one that comes with the ball head, so I had expected them to work with it. The problem is that, even though they are physically the same outline, the plate for the ball head has had some machining done to it to allow it to fit into a slightly different receptacle. So while the new plate fits on my old tripod, the old plates don't fit on the new ball head. Half an hour on a milling machine fixed the problem (you have to mill off a little from each side of the old plate), but I was quite surprised that Manfrotto did this. I guess they want to sell plenty of new mounting plates.

These two minor inconveniences aside, if you're looking for a solidly-built ball head that's a good tradeoff between weight and features, you can't go wrong with this one. Note it comes with a 3/8-in thread, so if your tripod only has 1/4-20 threads, you'll need an adapter. And by the way, although Amazon doesn't yet sell the G1298 Basalt tripod (they sell smaller versions), it is a real keeper, 5 stars for sure. (Update 4/17/06: Amazon now sells the G1298 Basalt tripod. I've entered a detailed review there.)

Works Very Well, But May Not Be Compatible With All Tripods
Besides what is covered in the Product Description above, the Manfrotto site says about this item: "Product Code: 484RC2 - Bogen code (USA only): 3262QR ... This versatile head is fitted with a 200PL-14 [Manfrotto code] quick-release camera plate with a secondary safety catch. ... [It is a] direct replacement of the 352QR Midi Ball Head.... It has a... double groove for +90°-90° tilt movements. Camera plate has a 1/4-20" male thread...."

The product works very well. It's relatively light. The ballhead moves fluidly but is relatively stable when locked. You can easily flip a 35mm SLR from horizontal to vertical either clockwise or counterclockwise into the two grooves and be confident that your camera will stay in place. If the locking lever is at an unwanted angle, you can pull the lever outwards and rotate it, and when you release it the lever will spring back to a new position. The rectangular quick release plate and mechanism are secure yet convenient. Furthermore, it's a good value; you'd have to pay a lot more for a little better performance.

The only problem is that the diameter of the base plate may be too small for the placement of some tripods' set screws. The head's base plate has a radius of about 1.7cm, but holes for the set screws in the top plate of one of my tripods are >2 cm from the center, so I can't use this head with that tripod without worrying that it'll twist unexpectedly. If your tripod is compatible, buy this head from Amazon.com!

Great for a travel tripod
I've been using this on my Slik Sprint Pro (excellent tripod) and I love it. It's very sturdy for its size and weight. I also have the next model up, the 486rc2 which is much much bigger and heavier. I use it on a larger bogen tripod and keep the 484rc2 for my travel tripod.

There is a comment that it's not compatible with all tripods, it's not a problem, you just need a bogen adapter that is called a "bushing". Don't worry, it's cheap. With it, the head will fit any standard tripod.