New Benro geared head

HoppyUK

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Just stumbled across this new Benro GD3WH geared tripod head. Can't find much more than in this link, but it appears to be a smaller, lighter and cheaper version of the popular Manfrotto 410.
Price looks attractive if $140 turns out to be close (Manfrotto 410 is £170), it's quite small at 109mm high (Manfrotto 130mm), much lighter at 0.87kg (Manfrotto 1.22kg) and takes Arca-Swiss plates.

It's made of magnesium alloy like the 410, and unlike the cheaper Manfrotto XPro which is a wobbly plastic thing. The proof of the pudding will be how it actually performs - the stability, the feel and precision of adjustments. Geared tripod heads are quite thin on the ground and there's certainly a gap in the market for something smaller and more affordable than say the alternatives from Arca-Swiss.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/ben...-material-Camera-tripod-head/32838676607.html
 
Look interesting.

Found a link to an Australian site, which has the text in English

http://www.vanbar.com.au/catalogue/product.php?id=120219

:thumbs: Price looks more realistic there - 345AUD, which is £192.

Looks like the Manfrotto patent office will be busy.

That's what I thought, but I'm not sure - if you want to add gearing to a regular 3-way head, that's pretty much what you end up with. It's no more similar than every tripod or ball-head, though the QR gear-release mech might be an issue. In practise, I don't suppose Benro will be too bothered, but Western dealers may be reluctant to stock it as they can also be held liable.
 
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