Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

Great tripod with a great fluid head. The one thing I wasn't so impressed with was a few build quality issues such as the plastic leg clamps, they seem cheap and easy to break. One of the feet also came in broken, but that was resolved by bh's great customer service.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

A super stable tripod that is easy to get set up and break down. I use this product for all kinds of live events as well as for personal hobby reasons which include filming fast moving object. The head is smooth and excellent in providing steady movments.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

It was past time to replace our 40+ year old Universal wooden sticks and vintage Miller fluid head - and this combo package fills the bill nicely.

Others reviewers have commented on the spreader - but who really needs it? Take it off and store it away somewhere. For most uses. you just extend the tripod legs to the desired length, spread them out a bit and plop it down where you want to use it and then level the camera with the ball head. 20 seconds tops! The only down side is the bubble level on the head is somewhat hard to see with a large camera mounted.

The included rubber feet should be left on the rig unless you're setting up outdoors - otherwise you'll be scratching floors wherever you shoot - probably not the best PR for you..

After we got this tripod I wanted to add a dolly (the feet on this one didn't fit our existing dolly very well) so I started looking around. We ended up with the Manfrotto 114MV (excellent dolly but a big footprint - it doesn't go through standard doorways easily)) but in the process realized that you can buy the rubber feet for this tripod as replacement parts (Manfrotto #565) and I got a set of these replacement feet and bolted them to a cheap-o dolly off eBay and voila' - a custom dolly for this tripod that fits through a doorway. Not nearly as stable as the 114 but another arrow in the quiver!

This is not a lightweight tripod - it's solidly made and going to last a good while even if it's abused a bit. The tradeoff is obvious - your kit gets heavier so don't whine about it. You can get something as sturdy and stable with less weight in carbon fiber composites for a lot more money. Face it - if you're shooting off a tripod you're probably already carrying a lot of kit. Weight really isn't that big an issue.

The 'Fluid Head' is like most others in the price range - you may have to 'exercise' it a little before shooting to get smooth pans and tilts - It has good range of drag adjustment for both pan and tilt - the counterbalance springs seem about right for our Sony NX5 camcorder and there's plenty of range in the Quick Release mount to allow quick and accurate front to back balancing.

Am I happy with this kit? Yes indeed! Would I buy another? Also a big YES.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

Tripod is a solid build. Love that with these sticks that the max height is higher than a lot of the other tripods with a center column that extends. Another reason I'd recommend this tripod is the ball head makes it so much quicker for set up than messing with some of those other tripods that are priced just a little less than this one. Love the features for the price point.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I am an independent film guy who occasionally shoots a wedding or two and I needed something sturdy, not too pricey, and easy to set up. Now, I didn't realize just how much of a beefcake this tripod is before I bought it, but that came as a happy surprise. Sets up quick, levels quick. The spreader removal is easy. The thing just looks darn impressive with the shiny red parts and huge removable feet. My old, model-numberless Manfrotto tripod and head lasted FOREVER and I can only suspect this one will too. Recommended!

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I use the tripod with a few Canon DSLR's. it has a great fluid head and sturdy build. It withstands heavy winds and functions fantastically.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

This is a great head but the tripod is WAY too cumbersome for my purposes. I have to pick up and move and also change heights during shoots frequently and this is very difficult for me to handle. If my shooting required me to stay in one spot I would give this 5 stars...nice and stable and sturdy but for me it's way too cumbersome.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

This is a solid combo from Manfrotto. The 75mm ball head means less hassle with adjusting tripod legs. The counter balance head gives your arms and shoulders a rest without the fear of your camera doing a face plant in the dirt. With a tripod capable of handling 20 pound loads combined with a 12 pound capacity head (almost 9 lbs for the counter balance) makes for a very solid feel. Presently using a Sony NEX-EA50UH with the kit lens 18-200mm on this setup. Very smooth pans and tilts are enabled by the adjustable drag and actual fluid cartridges of the head. The mid-level spreader telescopes so you can still have a solid setup with the legs not completely deployed. Throw in the carrying bag and this specially priced outfit is well worth the money. The combo is heavy. The only issues that I have had are that the pan handle is slightly loose in the clamp unless you really tighten down on it, this concerns me some. And the tilt creaked for a day and a half....I almost sent it back but so glad that it seemed to remedy itself! I like this combo so much that I just purchased a second one!

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

This tripod works really well for prosumer camcorders. It's solid, stable, and has features that you want and need. We them indoors for live streaming. Well thought out in every detail. From the rubber removable feet/paddles, to adjustable and silky smooth pan and tilt mechanisms. Still, my favorite feature is more basic - a safety lock on the camera shoe so the camera won't slide off accidentally once the shoe is loosened. It's a fantastic tripod.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

This is a great set of sticks and with the combo head, its awesome. The price is reasonable for a mid-level tripod. Very easy to get familiar with it as well.

The one thing is the lock being on the right side, for me, I'm right handed its a little silly to have the tilt lock on the same side as the handle. But ya can't win 'em all!

Overall - great buy.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I wanted something more heavy duty with a quality fluid head that can carry both DSLR and ENG cameras. This was a perfect match. I do freelance work on the side and this tripod set was perfect for the type of things I cover like sports, shorts films, weddings, and training videos. Although I am a fan of Manfrotto's bottom spreaders, the mid spreaders do a better job when trying to mount the legs on elevated surfaces like stairs. The only downside to this set is that it comes with a cheap, unpadded carrying case and a small pan handle. If you want the better case you would have to pay more $ . If you want the longer adjustable pan handle its another [$] Other than that, I still give it a full 5 stars.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I use this tripod system for short films and commercial work and, I gotta tell you, there's probably not a better fluid head out there than this (one that's in my price range anyway). It's built sturdily, boasts incredible smoothness, and the entire system packs away nicely. My only issue is with the legs. Although they have a sturdy and (relatively lightweight) aluminum build, the locking mechanisms are a bit more fragile than I'd like them to be. One of them had snapped in half before I took it out of the box! (Talk about disappointment).

Overall, I'm happy with the system. It's an amazing fluid head and feels comfortable to operate. If I didn't fear snapping off the locking mechanisms every time I adjusted camera height then I may have considered this the best budget tripod on the market.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I am a freelance video cameraman and needed a second tripod with a decent fluid head, and this seemed to fit the bill - and it did. I've been using this successfully with a Canon XF. The tripod is not perfect: the clamps seem a little weak (I haven't used it enough to be sure yet) and I would have liked the carrying bag to have been padded, however all in all it represents very good value for money and I would definitely recommend it.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

This looks like a great tripod, but its fluid head got stuck while I was testing it before I even had a chance to take it to the studio. I don't know whether it is a design flaw or just an issue with the particular tripod I received.

I find the pieces that connect the legs to each other to be quite tricky and fall in the wrong direction, making it tough to fold the tripod correctly. As I tried to get the legs unstuck, the plastic piece that binds two legs to each other snapped broken. So, essentially, inconvenient aspects of the design caused my tripod to break twice before I even used it for the first time.

It's also not quite as solid and heavy as it first appears. If you can afford it, go for a more expensive, more durable fluid head tripod.

That said, the problem with the fluid head may just be a problem on mine alone. It's overall not a bad tripod for the price, but I wouldn't recommend it from my experience.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I bought this tripod kit to replace our Manfrotto 503HDV tripod kit. I actually purchased a Manfrotto 504HD head, and I bought this tripod set to pair that head with the legs on this set, and then have the 502HD as a backup head.Regarding the 502HD head: I think it's a definite improvement over the 501HDV, which I've used before. It's got a nice beefy, smooth, and adjustable feeling. The only drawback is that the counterbalance cannot be turned off or adjusted, like it can be on the 504HD. But that's probably expected at this price range. I think this head would work for any videographer or filmmaker who's looking for an investment to cover most of the bases.Regarding the legs: I love these things. For starters they are beefy and solid; they just look and feel cool taking them out of the bag. They're also very tall when fully extended, even more so than the legs that came with our 503HDV. I'm 6'2" tall, and once a camera is mounted on the head, the height at the center of the lens is taller than me by a smidge. Might come in handy for those of you who do videography for a podium from the back of a ballroom, as you can see above everyone's head without needing a stage or spider pod. The legs also go pretty low, though not as low as some smaller tripods. Of course if you need to go that low, get a high-hat. I think Manfrotto has really upped the ante on the overall build quality of their tripods since the last product line. One thing: these new tripod heads (502 and 504) are going to be too much for a bare DSLR/Lens setup. I actually plan on getting the Sachtler Ace for those situations, and using the Manfrottos for when I actually have my rigs built up with rails, follow focus, and mattebox. Keep this in mind if you often shoot with just a DSLR and lens.Some people complain about the spreader, but I rarely use mine and usually leave it in the closet at home. I would suggest if you're used to setting up and tearing down the tripod rapidly for run and gun, just take off the spreader.Other than that, it's all good. For those wondering, yes it does come with a Manfrotto bag, but it's not a padded version of their bag. No biggy for me, I can buy a nice padded bag.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I use this tripod on my P2 Camera and it is solid and a "light weight" to carry to and from shoots. The 502A Head is sturdy and smooth. Perfect for interviews and sets up quickly when you need shot stability. A deal for the price at B & H!

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

the spreader takes some finesse to use. I am just getting into shooting events and such. I don't have that much experience the head works very well im on the fence about the sticks. they are not very easy to pick up and run around with and it takes a few minutes to get them set up correctly I was used to running around with a very cheap tripod that did not offer much in terms of being able to pan smoothly after being put in position but i was able to get it into position quickly and easily. these legs are cumbersome and the spreader makes them i dont really know what im trying to say hopefull i win 1000 dollars!

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

I use this for shooting mainly with my dslr for video shoots. I like the slow pan and the weight of this. Great for outdoor use when windy and also I put a ball head on and can ange my camera for stills. It is solid enough I can upgrade to a heavier video camera if ever needed and again it helps with slow even pans when using my dslr.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

Awesome combination of Head and Tripod.
Really great deal for those need a steady and durable tripod.

The price is a little expensive comparing to other tripods but the quality it is absolutely worth it!!

I love this tripod.

Comments about Manfrotto Mvh502A Head, 546B Tripod and Carrying Bag:

The tripod is very practical and very useful anywhere... A little weak for it`s brand, for the Manfrotto Brand it`s very reliable and good quality brand... But the tripod is very nice. For the price and the goals I had it is very good...