Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

Great product. I am using it on a composite tripod for both still photos and video. So far so good.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

I would have loved this product if it had a true ball head. The "ball" part in this product simply provides a third axis of rotation. If it were a true omnidirectional ball then this head would be MUCH more versatile. For example, this plate is fixed for-aft orientation. I would like to be able to rotate the ball/post 90 degrees so the plate can be oriented left-right. This would allow use with camera L-brackets. As-is, this product is not a revolutionary dual-use product, but simply evolutionary of existing fluid video heads.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

I do mostly video work but am branching out into photo as well and this ended up being a great purchase. It is extremely solid in it's construction. I was worried that getting a hybrid head would compromise on the quality of the flat and ball head settings, but I was wrong; it is great. Highly recommended.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

For the dslr video/photog this is a must. Very smooth pan/tilt. Built solid.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

Took it with me to Alsaka to try and cover the needs of video and stills but fails in result. First it is really heavy to add to any kit especaily if traveling. Second the neck is really thin that attaches to the camera plate. Seems to flex a lot between the motion of the arm and head traveling to the plate and rig, which ends up adding virbration to any video pan or tilt. Put a long lens on without any even any other microphone gack and becomes even more unstable. Lastly has a quick release plate that does not match common used in stills swiss arca format. So you have to add another plate to it so that you can match to quick realse of the swiss arca. Would not recomend this to anyone wanting to do either stills or video. Nice idea but need to have two seperate heads for stills or video for now.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

This head is great. Smooth and easy movment and great locking features. Works awesome for shooting still and video at the same time...very good buy and well designed.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

This is the most versatile tripod head in its class. Nothing else compares that I have seen for super smooth moves in video use, while providing the flexibility of a ball-head. Manfrotto's online videos on using this head are great!

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

Attached to a Dutch Hill P900 tripod, makes for an extremely solid plaform for long exposure photographs.
Easy and adjustable pan/tilt controls

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

The product came yesterday and after testing it out, I'm sending it back. I come from a video production background and I have recently, within this past year, started to do more photography. I thought this was a great concept being able to utilize both since I do shoot both at times.

Unfortunately, the product excels from a photo standpoint, but the video side is very poor when compared to other heads such as the 501 or 504. The pan bar is very flimsy and seems to get in the way of the head when tilting. You have to use a flat head screwdriver or quarter to change the position of the pan handle. This is very inconvenient as they easily could have incorporated an adjustable lever.

Once you get into your motion of panning or tilting, the overall smoothness is great, but starting your move it's not smooth and the friction levels do not change much.

If this is a start of newer products to come from this, I'll be looking forward to seeing what they come out with next.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

Not only a very well built and compact head, but you become one with it very fast. Exiting? When did you hear that from a Tripod Head? Well, this one puts the future in your hands.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

brilliant ergonomics, both photo and video functions are really working, good value.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

As others have said the handle tube is very thin and flexes considerably in it mount giving a very "cheap" feel to an otherwise robust head. The mounting plate has no keepers for the 1/4" screw so if you remove the 3/8" screw the 1/4" screw will get lost. For me the 3/8" just gets in the way. With my Nikon DSLR mounted, I am unable to turn the knob that secured the sliding mounting plate unless I slide the camera further back than I would like to, this is going to be even worse when I try to mount my D4 when it arrives. I am using a Gitzo Series 3 Rapid column and the handle conflicts with the base so that the camera can't be tilted up very far. This could be solved if the handle was 1/2" further out from the head. Not having the option for dual handles is a real bummer. The Panning seems to work pretty smoothly. The stabilization feature to keep the camera from falling forward with a large lens is very clever and it works well. If you have to combine photo and video in one head this might be the head to get, I'm just not thrilled with the end result.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

This product is quite amazing. I am a cinematographer/ photographer and with this pod I get to capture really nice Dutch angles and can lock the head (along with my monopod) makes a great makeshift steady cam. The price is perfect for the product a must have.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

Although it is not compact, it functions extremely well as a combo unit, eliminating the need to carry two heads if you are into both photo and video.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

It looks great on paper as someone who uses my DSLR for stills and video. However it seems like it could use some more refining. The pan/tilt bar is super cheap and the friction controls and locks are all over the place. It still does what i want it to and is of Manfrotto quality. Over all a descent head.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

Replaces my ball head and gives me a video head as well.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

This is an amazing tripod head and I love it for my Canon 7D shooting. That said, it was pretty pricey. It also can be a pain to clean. I was shooting in the middle east and it is impossible to get stray sand out of it. But it is still incredible.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

I'm a professional filmmaker and use this head and its mag legs for both field and studio work. I agree with what has been said by others in terms of its sturdiness, lightness and ease of use. This is a great piece of equipment. However, the comments about the pan handle being mounted on the left side ... try just flipping it over as per the instructions. I'm right-handed and that works just fine for me. My only negative comment is that the attachement for the pan handle does look flimsy. I haven't had trouble yet, but I can see that it could be a weak point. However, the overall quality of the unit is such that I'd be happy to get a tradesman to fit a work-around for me. One head for both stills and movies; this is the one you want.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

I do real estate video tours and have been using the 501 HDV video head. I also do still photos for some of my clients and so when I saw this multi function head I bought it right away in May when it came out. Having used it for a couple of months now, I have a few comments.

First of all, I think it is much more useful for still photographers who want to have a head which also can be used for video rather than vice versa. Though it's nice to have the ability to swing the head sideways for vertical shots I don't know if that made buying this head worth it. The good things about it: lightweight, versatile, very nice fluid flow for pans and I love having the two separate horiz/vert spirit levels.

Now the nitpicky criticisms of design features they could have done better: 1) who the heck decided to put the pan arm on the LEFT when most of us are right handed? I miss the option on other heads of having the pan arm on either side. 2)as someone else commented, I hate the tightening screw for the pan arm. not only is it more inconvenient than a knob, but I have yet to be able to tighten the arm in position absolutely 100% 3) why is there an inner and larger outer ring on the right to use to adjust the vertical tilt? I don't like having to loosen and tighten two knobs to adjust the vertical tilt.

Overall, this is a very nice tripod head probably more useful for still photographers who want to add video than for videographers who also do photos. With some improvements in the design details this would be a really great mulitpurpose head.

Comments about Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Photo-Movie Tripod Head:

I've been using this Manfrotto video/photo head for about 3 weeks for large group portraits, individual portraits, wildlife and sports video on a Canon Mark IV. After a short learning curve it performs extremely well in most situations mentioned. The biggest problem I have with it is poor design of the mounting plate. Once connected it is tight and secure BUT keep your eye on the mounting screws. They fall out once the camera is unmounted and without them the tripod is useless. There are two mounting screws; R116,138 for the ¼-20 screw which sell as a set of 2 for [$] [...] and R116,137 which is the 3/8 camera mounting screw. Both are in the slot at the same time. If you remove the 3/8 screw the 1/4 can easily disappear and that's the one I use for my camera. Good luck getting a replacement. Most screws have a gasket to prevent them from slipping out but not this mount. A huge oversight by Manfrotto. It was good while it lasted but I've been without the head for quite awhile now.