Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

Just what I needed.
Only one without quick release (hate those things, though they have the same one with the release too.)
Smooth action and good size of ball in head.
variable friction and smooth there too.
Can pan separately.

Cons.
Heavy (though sometimes this is a pro)
No levels.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

Very good price for a great product. A little sticky even while unlocked and no tension.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

I bought this 498 Midi Ball Head by Manfrotto for my slider. It works really good, when I use my slider in vertical position. Works preaty good for me.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

This ball head has a fairly basic design, but well engineered and solid construction. A huge improvement over trying to use the tripod to level the camera by adjusting the legs. Camera adjustments are quick and easy, even with heavy lenses.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

Used this recently to take some night shots at a carnival, and I couldn't have been happier with the results. Great ball head for the price.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

I needed a replacement for my Manfrotto 488 Maxi ball head. Found that the it had been replaced by the Manfrotto 498. So it must be improved or better right? Wrong. More on that in a moment.

The 498 I ordered did not have an adapter quick release adapter plate, as I have my own.

The only difference I could see from the online image of the 498 was that the release lock had changed from the rubberized round shape on the 488 to a tear drop shape on the 498 which is made of hard industrial plastic. When fingers perspire, I can see griping being a problem.

Size wise, online the 498 looked the same 488. Not so. It is about 20% smaller than the 488. When I opened the box and saw the size, I thought; "This is supposed to hold 17lbs?". I know, size doesn't matter. It does a good job holding my D700 w/motor and 80-200 Nikon lens fine. But the size still looks amateurish to me.

The ball head plate on the 498 is about 1/4" thick which makes it hard to grip when attaching a camera. The 488 had a similar head to that of Manfrotto's higher end ball heads and made it a breeze when attaching a camera to the head. In my view, Manfrotto went with a cheaper plate for the 498.

Finally, when I attached my D700 directly onto the head, I ran into issues. The bottom of the D700 is rubberized. The head plate is also rubberized. Once the camera was attached to the head, it was extremely difficult to remove because the rubber from the camera and ball head would fight against each other. What results was the rubber on the base of the D700 motor separated slightly from the body. In turn, the rubber piece on the top of the ball head separated from the head mount. I really had to struggle to get the camera off of the ball head.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

After a few years on a shorter and smaller tripod, I found myself desiring addistional features. A second tension knob besides the main release of the ballhead is much appreciated. I also like the separate release for rotation on panoramic shots. These two features were not in my previous model. The larger size is also nice with heavier lenses such as the Pentax DA 60-250 F4 or longer.

The weight is a pro for stability and a con when hiking around.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

This is a great accessory and a fantastic alternative when you really don't need your nice fluid head. I use it 95% on a slider with a Canon DSLR shooting HD video. Also great for mounting in odd places for Time Lapse. Feels well made, solid and it easy to use. Can perform simple pans with it but mainly for times when you won't do any critical moves. Marks on Pan ring make it possible to easily repeat or step move.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

Perhaps a bit of overkill if using a DSLR and a light lens. But the stability is worth it. Also it handles a heavier lens like a 100-400 IS or a 400 2.8. Works just as I had hoped. Solid build and locks down tight.

Comments about Manfrotto 498 Midi Ball Head:

I have been using Bogen/Manfrotto gear for many years. I have the 486 ball head mounted to the GorillaPod Focus which is a great little head. When it came time to pickup a mid size ball head for a storm chasing rig, the 488 seemed like the obvious choice. Sadly, the 488 has been discontinued so I ordered the new 498, which is supposed to be it's replacement.The first thing I noticed when I took the head out of the box was that even with the lock knob all the way loose, and the friction knob backed all the way off, there is still a considerable amount of friction on the head. The second thing I noticed was that the range of motion with this head is greatly reduced from the amount of movement that the 48x series has.Even with these limitations, I mounted it up to my legs to give it a try. The real deal breaker for me came when I attached my camera and discovered that even with it fully locked down, there was rotational play in the head. I found that the shaft that the mounting plate attaches to is press fitted together, and the fit on mine was not all that great. There is little use for a ball head that even when locked down allows the camera to move.I [...]found one of the "old" 488s to replace it with.