The first thing to catch my eye is obviously its weight. But let’s check its main feature together: Also, it gives an immediate feeling of firmness.
Once you hold it in your hands, then, you can see really nice aesthetic finishes with a rounded profile. And the XPRO head is not different in that, and you can notice the care for the product even from the box.
It’s maybe because Manfrotto is an Italian company, but we must acknowledge one thing, without any test: the products are beautiful. So, is there any reason why I should try the Manfrotto XPRO on the field? In some heads models I’ve tried, the friction adjustment was approximate and unstable (on every photography outing I had to calibrate it again), while with other models its bad position made it exposed to accidental damages, like impacts.
MANFROTTO XPRO FLUID HEAD PROFESSIONAL
Over time, and on the more professional models, the so-called friction has been introduced: basically, there’s an adjustable mechanism to leave some resistance left to the sphere, so that when we loosen it, it can be moved without falling down with the camera attached.Įven if this mechanism is as brilliant as banal, unfortunately, its application has often been unsuccessful.
On one side, this doesn’t allow to make accurate adjustment in terms of composition (fundamental for a landscape photographer), and on the other side (even worse) if you don’t hold the camera firmly when you release it, it will tend to fall down, with disastrous consequences if you’re using photo filters on the lens. Basically, their black mark has always been that once the locking mechanism gets loosened, the camera can move without any constraint. So I bought it, and my adventure with the Manfrotto XPRO ball head begins.Īs I said already, the main reason I’ve soon hated ball heads is that the ones I could try always revealed themselves as a disaster. “Just try this, then we discuss about it” they told me.
MANFROTTO XPRO FLUID HEAD SERIES
Thanks to a cooperation with different companies of the industry, I had the opportunity to try several products and prototypes, but unfortunately, I didn’t get to find what I was looking for.īut you know, life loves to amaze us, and so, due to an incredible series of coincidences, I found in my hands my old hatred: a ball head. So, I started my research again, hoping during those years there had been some kind of technology evolution. Unfortunately, about one year ago I realized there was a paradox: the tripod head weighted more than the tripod itself. So, over time, I’ve tried several alternative solutions, finally choosing to use geared heads, since they’re very accurate in composition phase. I’m definitely against this philosophy, and that’s why, during last years, I’ve tried many heads of several brands and types, searching for the holy grail: the perfect head.Īs a landscape photographer, since I was younger I’ve hated ball heads, defining them not accurate and not safe.
Maybe due to the multitude of models on the market, maybe for the prices sometimes unnecessarily high, you pretty often find yourself choosing heads-included tripods, convincing yourself that if the two products (head and tripod) have been put together, so that’s the best pair for us too. Not a long time ago, they asked me what I thought it was the most underrated photography accessory.