Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Duty Gimbal Type Telephoto Lens Support (Quick Release)

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

Do not disturb your self with searching between hundreds of similer product and ball heads.
I'm using it with Canon 500mm f4.5 L wich is 3kg and Canon 40d w/BG all in Gitzo 1325 I also use it with my Nikon D200w/bg and Nikon 200-400 f4 vr and are both works flawlesly.

This thing is big and and heavy and will swolow yur lens like a piece of cake.

Very smooth and sturdy& I will buy it again and again.

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

Using this for bird photography and it makes zeroing in on the subject quite easy. Just swivel left or right and up and down and the subject is almost instantly in the center of focus.

At about 4 pounds, it's a bit heavy. You can adjust the tension for vertical almost to the point of lockdown, but this is not true for the swivel. It is preset (at the factory---or can be adjusted by the user) but otherwise cannot be further tightened in the field. Not too much an issue for images, but makes lugging around awkward.

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

I use this mount with the Sigma 50-500mm telephoto lens. It makes nature photography a breeze by eliminating the "shake" of hand-held use of a heavt long lens.

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

If you've got something even close to a decent sized lens or if you've EVER fussed with your existing tripod head even at all, you should get this.

It allows complete freedon and is extrememly easy to use. It is flexible and adaptable so it can accommodate most all lenses as well as the teleconverters with or without a flash mounted on the camera.
You can change it all around since you can change the center point on the lens plate.

The entire assembly is a breeze to move around and follow your subject.

I love it!!!

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

I was looking at the Mongoose m3.5 $$$ when I noticed a review for the Bogen 3421. Because this is much less expensive I thought I would give it a try. I have to say that it works better than I expected. It is very sturdy and gives you very easy control of the camera at nearly any angle. I have been using it with a Canon 40D with the Canon 400 5.6L lens. I plan on purchasing the Canon 500 lens this year and from what I have read this head will work well with it also. Last Sunday I used this setup to take pictures of yellow-rumped warblers and was surprised how easy it was to lock on to these small flighty birds. Now I realize just how bad the ballhead setup is for this type of photography. For some examples check out this site: cobirdphotography.blogspot.com. All photos on this site were taken using the Bogen 3421.

Of course nothing is perfect. I do think this is heavier than it needs to be and i'm not sure at this point what the options are for mounting a flash bracket. The design of this head also makes manual focusing seem kind of awkward.

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

I am using this head on a Gitzo GT3540L tripod, with a Canon 40D and 500mm f4 IS lens. It works beautifully with that setup. I also use it in the conventional position, with the inside support underneath, because it blocks the view in the upper position, makes it harder to mount the camera (IMHO), and I haven't discovered any advantages.

The geometry of the unit does allow pointing the camera almost straight up, a concern I had before buying it. The center line of my lens ends up about 9" above the tripod mounting plate; a consideration if you are buying a tripod and need to be sure you have adequate height to shoot up into the canopy. At 6'0" in height, my tripod must have a height of at least 63" (without head) to allow shooting up while still standing upright. If you can squat for long periods of time while shooting steeply upwards, this might not be important, but my back and neck won't stand for it.

I used this head daily for a month in Ecuador, and discovered one other issue worth reporting: since it encloses the camera/lens on both sides, it has the disadvantage of making access to lens settings more difficult than single-sided supports, e.g., Wimberley. On my Canon 500 f4, it turns out to be right in the way of the focus ring. When trying to manually focus on a moving target, this is a frustration.

It is adjustable in friction, a very nice feature. However, there is no lock for rotation around the vertical axis (unless you get the tools out and adjust the friction to the max, not an option on a shot-by-shot basis). Therefore, if you get sighted in on a relatively fixed target, you'll need to be careful to avoid bumping it out of alignment. I adjusted it as tight as possible without losing smoothness; stability is almost maximized in this case.

The rubber cover on the large attachment knob will come loose if you carry the tripod on your shoulder for any length of time. Mine *almost* came completely off about 10 times, before it *completely* came off and was lost. The only important function it has is to keep your lens from banging into metal if your setup becomes unbalanced (e.g., when you take the camera body off the lens); I have neoprene covers on my lens, alleviating this worry.

There are at least 3 Bogen products compatible with the plate used on this head (they call it the RC3 plate system):
(1) a Monopod that comes with the same mounting plate (Bogen/Manfrotto 557B)
(2) The mounting plate itself if you wish to attach it to an existing Monopod or Tripod (B/M 3272)
(3) Ball Head (B/M 468MGRC3).

This entire RC3 system, which was designed primarily for larger video cameras, works very well for really big telephotos on still cameras, but is overkill for anything less; the plates are so large that mounting them to a camera body for use with a standard lens is a little ridiculous; it works, but the plate sticks way out in front and back. If this is an issue for you, or you already have a sizable investment in other types of heads and plates, you'll have to spend a lot to convert to the RC3 system, so the Wimberley system might not seem so expensive in comparison.

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

This is an excellent "meat and potatoes" gimbal mount that will accommodate long and heavy lenses. I can adjust mine so that the lens does not move unless pressure is applied but, then moves smoothly with finger pressure.

I use mine differently than the illustration and have both "U" shaped supports with the open ends up and connected to each other on the top. The camera then sits right-side-up on the inside support. IMO the rig balances better this way.

Using the 3421,I can follow fast moving subjects smoothly and precisely. I recently captured images of hydroplane racing boats crossing my camera position at 150+ mph. The boats were relatively close to my position and I had no trouble following them with a 400mm lens.

The price is good, especially considering the sturdy build and the fact that this rig is supplied with a universal lens plate for which you have to pay big bucks if you choose another rig.

I wish that there was a factory accommodation for flash but, I have jury rigged a perfectly serviceable bracket to hold a flash unit for wildlife shots.

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

I have had this mount for about 3 years now and have had noproblems at all. The friction is fully adjustable forhorizontal and vertical movement. Just wish it was lighter,but then again it might not be as solid if it was lighter.

Expertise: Advanced Amateur

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

If you are looking a a very easy to use Heavy Duty Gimbal Head that won't break the bank then get this great Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 head. Why send $400-$600 on the other Gimbal's out then when you have this nice one for under $200. All the Photo sites I visit all the set up's the have is this one and I can see why.

Problems Encountered: None

Comments about Bogen / Manfrotto 3421 Heavy Tele Lens Support with Quick Release:

This is a great gimbl mount for the price. While the design is not as elegant as the Wimberly, it inspires confidence in its beefiness. I highly recommend it for large super telephoto lenses.

Problems Encountered: The panning drag adjustment is buried under the rubber center cap. I didn't know it was there, and the documentation didn't mention anything about it.

Items I Recommend: Berlebach Wood Tripod