Manfrotto MN168 head - Anyone used one?

cardiff_gareth

cardiff_gareth

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So I'm looking for a cheapish but good tripod head that's heavy duty and I've sourced online a cheap MN168 ball head that looks good and in budget.

One thing is though, does the head have a separate pan to the main ball joint so once the angle etc is locked in then the head can still be panned for pano shots?

Also, anyone used one? Are they good?

Lots of questions I know!

Thanks in advance :)
 
I am looking at a #168 as I have one from a long time ago which I have kind of restored back to life. I have not bothered mounting it on a 55 tripod as the base of the head is wider than the top end of the manfrotto column (I could find a tripod tomorrow and have a look though). It is designed for bigger kit, and mine came from a cast iron kit from a studio. The base of the head is 3" across. Depends on what you would mount it.

The positives, it has a separate panning mechanism, it is substantial but also tall, but I much prefer its hexagonal plate than my previous RC2 mechanism (and that is only for a Nikon D7200+ lens(es)). My particular example does not have any scale to help you with taking panoramic photos.
 
AFAIK the top plate on top of the column of the 55 and 190 is the same size. Last time I really used tripods was with a Mamiya 330f (a long time ago) and I knew of no vibration. With the DSLR and heavy at the front with some zoom lens or another, + a tall heavy head the manfrotto column becomes the issue as you only lock it in place with one screw (we are talking with the column right down). The Gitzo systematic style of mounting a head would be better but ... the price puts me off. I will get a 55 down from the loft and see how well the head fits on it. The head is grooved underneath for the grub screws ... and the grooves may decrease the surface area that makes contact with the tripod. I will post for you a couple of photos later today and see what you make of them.
 
20161113_172025 - Copy (800x450).jpg

That is the bottom of the head.
Diameters are:
A <--> A = 3" exactly or 76mm.
B <--> B = 55mm
C <--> C = 36mm

The top plate of a 055pro which I happen to have without a head has diameter 59mm but as the edges of the plate are curved take off 1-2mm around 57-58 usable top plate.

20161113_171522 (800x450).jpg
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20161113_171625 (800x450).jpg

My problem is that the outer solid circle of the head overlaps the tripod top plate by about 1mm right round, so really it is the three grab screws that will do the steadying of the head on the column as opposed to the two plates meeting well. The head really needs a bigger tripod plate (I have no idea if it matches the 058 legs). For £20-30 if you find one (with the top hex plate with the right screw size 1/4") you can add something to the collection. I personally like the hex plates and already have other heads that use them. Only if I actually used them :-(
 
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