Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I had read good things about this little product and when I decided to try some tripod landscape work with my 1D MK4 I needed a ball head type system. I have not been disappointed with this easy to use, light and what appears to be a very strong device. Smooth ball socket operation as well. Not using the plate that comes with it but a Wimberly plate. Works well after disengaging the stop pin. Used with a 1D MK4 body, Canon 50mm 1.8 lens currently Have used the 70-300L IS lens without too much trouble. Happy I got it.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

For its weight, it's a very competent head. Easily holds its rated weight and the pan fluidity isn't bad for a head so small, although if you want better you'd want a larger version. I've used Giottos and other heads, for years now, and I like the Giottos best. Lots of nice extra touches, such as the little red pop-ups that prevent the camera from spinning on the plate.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Nice little ballhead, well crafted. Not suitable for telephoto work.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

What a great ball head to use with my new 055CXPRO4 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs (Black) by Manfrotto. It fit perfectly and was easy to operate. I like the panning function and the easy to turn knobs for friction control as well as the locking control.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I bought this for an inexpensive tripod setup I was assembling. Overall I've been pleased in general with the feel and usability of the head, but honestly they must be smoking crack if they think it'll hold 13 pounds. I've used my Nikon D7000 w/18-200 and had it creep and wiggle and slump over. Admittedly, I can really crank down on the knobs and lock it up tight, but I was expecting better.

Moreover about the knobs: Friction and Lock, the two horizontal knobs, seem to do the exact same thing. I'm not expecting the thing to be butter smooth like a fluid head on a video tripod, but still.

The clamp is nice, it should be said. Very sturdy feeling. In fact everything seems very sturdy with some functionality shortcomings. Oh well. Get what you pay for. My advice? Just buy a "heavy duty" or "large" ballhead and keep this one around for things like strobes.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

This ball head replased and outperforms a 6lb ball head. It supports a 22lb camera and its drag setting is smooth allowing easy and precice adjustments.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

This is the first Quick Release I have owned so I can not compare it to any others. I do own a couple of Giottos ballheads and I have found them to be just like this one. Solid,lightweight and it does not creep when I have my camera in position. I have a few tripods so I am thinking I would like another Giottos Quick Release so I can just change from one to the other with no fuss.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Only tested in my D3000, but can support more, a little bit complicate the setting for portrait (fixed with a correct camera position), great idea the bubble level in the release lever. Tension knob are stable. Good choice for money

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I have used this head for about a year. Initially it had what I now believe was an assembly defect. When panning the head would loosen. I unscrewed the base of the head and found a small (1.5 mm if I remember correctly) set screw, that locks against the ball, was loose. I tightened it and it has worked fine ever since.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Couple of months ago I bought a ballhead for my tripod. It was the HorrusBennu LX-2T. I've used it in the studio and outdoors and never really had a problem with it, except for the usual slippage when I'm using a heavy lens. All in all I got my moneys worth for it. Till I bought a heavier Manfrotto tripod a couple of weeks ago and installed it, I accidentally tightened the ballhead a bit more than what its supposed to be with the panning lock in the lock position...basically stripping off an internal part in my ballhead. I guess it was a sign that I basically needed a ballhead that has more stability in it and better built. So I went online to look for the best ballhead I can find for my money.I came across, Manfrottos, Benros, Sliks, and the cheaper Vanguards, and Smith Victors. I was looking for a while till I found the Giottos ballheads which caught my attention. It came down to choosing between the Benro and the Giottos. The Benros are cheaper overseas...in between 80-150 dollar price range, but I have to wait at least 2 weeks till I get it. So the Giottos was basically the best choice. Giottos ballheads are created to be hollow inside to cut down on weight, which makes me interested in actually getting one and trying it out myself. So I decided to get it from BH photo online [...]The ballhead came [...] With a bag and an Arca Swiss compatible mounting plate. The ballhead had a very impressive feel to it. The ballhead has 3 controls...the ball lock, and the friction knob on the other side of the lock, and a panning knob at the bottom.So I decided to try it out. Mounted the plate into my camera and off I went.My positive impressions were:The ballhead felt very well constructed. Very professional feel to it. Pretty light.The knobs are really responsive. the locking knob bites really good to prevent slippage.The panning is really smooth.Includes bubble levels on the locking knob on the locking plate, and on top of the locking plate itself.The friction knob does what it's supposed to do. So you can make minor adjustments without loosening the locking knob all the way.Holds a big 70-200 2.8 lens in place. No slippage.The lock on the locking plate and mounting plate prevents the camera from slipping out of the mount when it is not tightened all the way.The only thing I didn't like about it was the last thing that I mentioned. It's good if you have Giottos made plates for this ballhead. If not...the locking mechanism becomes an obstruction as it will not lock if you are using a generic mounting plate. I have 3 generic plates and one Giottos made, so the choice for me was easy...I removed the locking mechanism with an allen wrench.Compared to cheap Chinese made ballheads, this is way better for like double the price. The panning lock seems to be tougher than those in cheaper models. I'd easily spend more money to get a higher quality ballhead. Plus you'd save yourself the headache when photographing macro, when the slightest slippage will cost you a shot.Basically, if you can't spend money on some high end Manfrottos or Gitzos ballheads, the Giottos is a cheaper alternative that will save you a lot of money and frustration.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I use it with my tripod, Giottos and Feisol. Very good relationship between his weight and capacity support.[...]

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

The construction is solid. So far the ballhead has worked just fine, it certainly seems stable enough for my Rebel T1i and canon 10-22mm. This is my first ballhead and so I cannot compare it to other products. The plate that is included is good quality as well

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Love it, works great...even up to my Canon 70-200mm with a 2x teleconverter, camera, and flash... Quite impressive.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Have used a bigger ball head model from them on a studio tripod. I was very satisfied with stability and build so I bought this smaller model to put on a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

This is the head I use for my wide angle lens. It's so small and light weight that I can carry it in my pocket and take the gimbel head off the tripod and slip it on and use the wide angle whenever I want to switch from telephoto. It's easy to remove the small stop screw with an allen wrench and then it will work with any standard Arca Swiss Lens Plate (I have a RRS)

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I paired this with Giotti classic aluminum tripod legs and I think it is a perfect combination for light weight and durability. Very easy to set up and take down.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I've had this tripod head attached to my Tripod for over a year now and have found it to be increadibly stable. When I lock it into place it does not move, and yet it is still easy to loosen up the knobs again to move the camera if I want to. If your tripod also has a bubble level built in, the bubble levels on this head make it handy to make sure your camera is perfectly level so you can shoot a series of images to stitch together to make a panorama.

By far the best tripod head I've ever owned.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

It is working so good as all the knots are there and not lacking of anything. It supports my night/macro shoot perfectly. I love to use it with my tilt/shift lens + long exposure. Only thing is the screw for the patent lock mechanism need to be removed to support other arca-type L plate.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Light weight, but steady. Tension control works well. The two bubble levels are handy.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Great little head for a number of uses.

But, BEWARE the quick release knob - mine sheared off while on a far away trip, reducing me to a headless tripod...

I've since put a RRS quick release plate on and all is well.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I had read good things about this little product and when I decided to try some tripod landscape work with my 1D MK4 I needed a ball head type system. I have not been disappointed with this easy to use, light and what appears to be a very strong device. Smooth ball socket operation as well. Not using the plate that comes with it but a Wimberly plate. Works well after disengaging the stop pin. Used with a 1D MK4 body, Canon 50mm 1.8 lens currently Have used the 70-300L IS lens without too much trouble. Happy I got it.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

For its weight, it's a very competent head. Easily holds its rated weight and the pan fluidity isn't bad for a head so small, although if you want better you'd want a larger version. I've used Giottos and other heads, for years now, and I like the Giottos best. Lots of nice extra touches, such as the little red pop-ups that prevent the camera from spinning on the plate.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Nice little ballhead, well crafted. Not suitable for telephoto work.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

What a great ball head to use with my new 055CXPRO4 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs (Black) by Manfrotto. It fit perfectly and was easy to operate. I like the panning function and the easy to turn knobs for friction control as well as the locking control.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I bought this for an inexpensive tripod setup I was assembling. Overall I've been pleased in general with the feel and usability of the head, but honestly they must be smoking crack if they think it'll hold 13 pounds. I've used my Nikon D7000 w/18-200 and had it creep and wiggle and slump over. Admittedly, I can really crank down on the knobs and lock it up tight, but I was expecting better.

Moreover about the knobs: Friction and Lock, the two horizontal knobs, seem to do the exact same thing. I'm not expecting the thing to be butter smooth like a fluid head on a video tripod, but still.

The clamp is nice, it should be said. Very sturdy feeling. In fact everything seems very sturdy with some functionality shortcomings. Oh well. Get what you pay for. My advice? Just buy a "heavy duty" or "large" ballhead and keep this one around for things like strobes.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

This ball head replased and outperforms a 6lb ball head. It supports a 22lb camera and its drag setting is smooth allowing easy and precice adjustments.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

This is the first Quick Release I have owned so I can not compare it to any others. I do own a couple of Giottos ballheads and I have found them to be just like this one. Solid,lightweight and it does not creep when I have my camera in position. I have a few tripods so I am thinking I would like another Giottos Quick Release so I can just change from one to the other with no fuss.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Only tested in my D3000, but can support more, a little bit complicate the setting for portrait (fixed with a correct camera position), great idea the bubble level in the release lever. Tension knob are stable. Good choice for money

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I have used this head for about a year. Initially it had what I now believe was an assembly defect. When panning the head would loosen. I unscrewed the base of the head and found a small (1.5 mm if I remember correctly) set screw, that locks against the ball, was loose. I tightened it and it has worked fine ever since.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Couple of months ago I bought a ballhead for my tripod. It was the HorrusBennu LX-2T. I've used it in the studio and outdoors and never really had a problem with it, except for the usual slippage when I'm using a heavy lens. All in all I got my moneys worth for it. Till I bought a heavier Manfrotto tripod a couple of weeks ago and installed it, I accidentally tightened the ballhead a bit more than what its supposed to be with the panning lock in the lock position...basically stripping off an internal part in my ballhead. I guess it was a sign that I basically needed a ballhead that has more stability in it and better built. So I went online to look for the best ballhead I can find for my money.I came across, Manfrottos, Benros, Sliks, and the cheaper Vanguards, and Smith Victors. I was looking for a while till I found the Giottos ballheads which caught my attention. It came down to choosing between the Benro and the Giottos. The Benros are cheaper overseas...in between 80-150 dollar price range, but I have to wait at least 2 weeks till I get it. So the Giottos was basically the best choice. Giottos ballheads are created to be hollow inside to cut down on weight, which makes me interested in actually getting one and trying it out myself. So I decided to get it from BH photo online [...]The ballhead came [...] With a bag and an Arca Swiss compatible mounting plate. The ballhead had a very impressive feel to it. The ballhead has 3 controls...the ball lock, and the friction knob on the other side of the lock, and a panning knob at the bottom.So I decided to try it out. Mounted the plate into my camera and off I went.My positive impressions were:The ballhead felt very well constructed. Very professional feel to it. Pretty light.The knobs are really responsive. the locking knob bites really good to prevent slippage.The panning is really smooth.Includes bubble levels on the locking knob on the locking plate, and on top of the locking plate itself.The friction knob does what it's supposed to do. So you can make minor adjustments without loosening the locking knob all the way.Holds a big 70-200 2.8 lens in place. No slippage.The lock on the locking plate and mounting plate prevents the camera from slipping out of the mount when it is not tightened all the way.The only thing I didn't like about it was the last thing that I mentioned. It's good if you have Giottos made plates for this ballhead. If not...the locking mechanism becomes an obstruction as it will not lock if you are using a generic mounting plate. I have 3 generic plates and one Giottos made, so the choice for me was easy...I removed the locking mechanism with an allen wrench.Compared to cheap Chinese made ballheads, this is way better for like double the price. The panning lock seems to be tougher than those in cheaper models. I'd easily spend more money to get a higher quality ballhead. Plus you'd save yourself the headache when photographing macro, when the slightest slippage will cost you a shot.Basically, if you can't spend money on some high end Manfrottos or Gitzos ballheads, the Giottos is a cheaper alternative that will save you a lot of money and frustration.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I use it with my tripod, Giottos and Feisol. Very good relationship between his weight and capacity support.[...]

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

The construction is solid. So far the ballhead has worked just fine, it certainly seems stable enough for my Rebel T1i and canon 10-22mm. This is my first ballhead and so I cannot compare it to other products. The plate that is included is good quality as well

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Love it, works great...even up to my Canon 70-200mm with a 2x teleconverter, camera, and flash... Quite impressive.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Have used a bigger ball head model from them on a studio tripod. I was very satisfied with stability and build so I bought this smaller model to put on a Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

This is the head I use for my wide angle lens. It's so small and light weight that I can carry it in my pocket and take the gimbel head off the tripod and slip it on and use the wide angle whenever I want to switch from telephoto. It's easy to remove the small stop screw with an allen wrench and then it will work with any standard Arca Swiss Lens Plate (I have a RRS)

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I paired this with Giotti classic aluminum tripod legs and I think it is a perfect combination for light weight and durability. Very easy to set up and take down.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

I've had this tripod head attached to my Tripod for over a year now and have found it to be increadibly stable. When I lock it into place it does not move, and yet it is still easy to loosen up the knobs again to move the camera if I want to. If your tripod also has a bubble level built in, the bubble levels on this head make it handy to make sure your camera is perfectly level so you can shoot a series of images to stitch together to make a panorama.

By far the best tripod head I've ever owned.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

It is working so good as all the knots are there and not lacking of anything. It supports my night/macro shoot perfectly. I love to use it with my tilt/shift lens + long exposure. Only thing is the screw for the patent lock mechanism need to be removed to support other arca-type L plate.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Light weight, but steady. Tension control works well. The two bubble levels are handy.

Comments about Giottos MH-1302 Pro Series II Medium Ballhead with MH-655 Quick Release:

Great little head for a number of uses.

But, BEWARE the quick release knob - mine sheared off while on a far away trip, reducing me to a headless tripod...

I've since put a RRS quick release plate on and all is well.