Manfrotto grip ball heads

[Trev Sawyer]

A few seemingly complicated questions for those who use Manfrotto trigger-style grip ball tripod heads. I hope I will be able to explain what I mean

I know that quite a few of you use the 322RC2 heads - which I believe are now no longer being made(?)...
As sold these were set up in the right handed orientation, but they could easily be changed around with the aid of an allen key so as to be used in the opposite orientation - thus allowing the camera shutter to be fired with the right index finger without letting go of the head (now operated with the left hand). When it has been changed around to left-handed operation, does the trigger part of the grip head stay at the finger side of the head, or does it then become closer to the heel of your hand? If so, does this feel a bit odd to use?

Secondly, I have seen both newer Manfrotto models 324RC2 and 327RC2 and believe these two heads would indeed finish up with the trigger part on the heel side of your left hand if swapped around a la the paragraph above? Has anyone tried them once swapped around?

Both of the newer heads mentioned above are called "light duty" heads on the Manfrotto website. That surely must be a typo/mistake in the case of the 327RC head as it supposedly takes a maximum suggested weight of 5.5kg (the 322RC2 "heavy duty" head takes 5kg and the 324RC2 takes 3.5kg). Presumably, with a macro lens for butterfly photography (such as the Sigma 150mm) weight should not be a problem even with the 3.5Kg-rated model (or probably even with the Canon 100-400mm lens)?

If you can work out what the hell I'm on about , I would be interested to hear what you think.

Trev

[Trev Sawyer]

Gruditch?

[Gruditch]

Hi Trev, there is a single sunken Alan key bolt, that points toward the ball part of the head, loosen this, and you can rotate it to the position I think you want, ( right side of camera, but with the trigger still operated by your fingers). You will have to move the camera mount plate.


As with my lightweight tripod setup, the 100-400 is a be heavy, so unless I'm doing a long exposures, ( never have the 100-400 though ) I just leave the IS on, it works a treat.

Regards Gruditch

[Trev Sawyer]

I take your point Gary, but I'm not sure you quite understand what I mean...
The following youtube clip shows what I am talking about (with the 324RC2 or 327RC2)... The guy twists the handle around from right to left side and you can briefly see that the trigger on the ball head is not at the finger side of the handle at around 2mins 6 seconds into the clip. Again, just before the end (at 2 mins 43 seconds), you see the same problem... The trigger is "this side" of the handle instead of "the far side" (where your fingers would wrap around it in use)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biY3pjAclG0
I actually went into a couple of camera shops today and had a play with both of the above heads - they don't sell the 322RC2 anymore so I assume it may have been discontinued, but I think it would be the same.... To be able to use the trigger and move the handle on the head with your left hand and hold the camera itself in your right ready to fire off a shot with your index finger, the actual trigger on the ball head has to be pressed with the base of your left thumb. As the trigger is reasonably hard to operate, this is not at all comfortable and much harder to do than with 4 fingers, which are now on the far side of the handle (furthest away from the trigger). The trigger presses quite hard into the muscle at the base of your left hand - which would be particularly annoying if you had to operate it for any period of time. They cleverly don't mention the fact that the trigger is on the "wrong" side of the handle in the video, but you can see what I mean during the clip.
As most (all?) cameras have the shutter button on the right hand side, it would surely have been better to produce a head which is designed to be operated in the left hand, leaving the right hand free to fire off a shot quickly without letting go of the handle on the head to find the shutter release. I don't personally know of anyone who presses the shutter button with fingers on their left hand and I don't think there can be very many cameras with the button on the left.

PS: I did find out that Manfrotto make a little square gizmo which acts as a remote shutter for the camera and fits to the head itself so you can take a shot without letting go, but that obviously costs extra and is something else to go wrong. It doesn't help if you need to use any other buttons on the camera body eg to change aperture/time exposure settings. The gizmo wouldn't be needed if the head was made the other way round.

PPS: If Manfrotto use the above idea , I will promise to only claim 50% of the royalties

Trev

[Gruditch]

Forget that screw anyway, that just adjusts friction.

Take off the plate, flip the grip around as it shows in the video, then using the twist motion that you see at 2.51 in the video, twist the until the grip has the pull mechanism in the desired place, then refit the plate.

Regards Gruditch

[Trev Sawyer]

The video itself finishes at around 2min 48 secs and by 2 min 51 there is just the Manfrotto logo on my screen Gary
I assume you may mean 1.51(?)...
Anyway, I still can't quite picture how it works in my head - I don't think you can twist the handle through 180 degrees around the ball to make the trigger move from back to front when set up left-handed... so I think I am just going to have to buy one and see if I can do it - if not, I will use it in the right hand orientation. Either way, for those who may still be in the dark (dim) like me, I will post what I find out.

Trev

[Gruditch]

The video itself finishes at around 2min 48 secs and by 2 min 51 there is just the Manfrotto logo

It will work, I've tried it on Lisa's.

Regards Gruditch

[Zonda]

I have the 322RC2, that never sees the light of day. My biggest beef with these is that they can't be angled upwards into a tree. I do see what you mean about them being set up in the left-handed position, and the painful ball of thumb problem. Anyone needing to buy a second-hand, and never used 322RC2 (complete with Allen key) let me know.

[Trev Sawyer]

Thanks Gary and Zonda...
Mmmm... Seems there is still some confusion about whether or not it can be done (Gary says yes, Zonda says no). I'm sure if Gary understands what I mean and says he can do it, it can be done (although it may well be that I haven't explained what I want to do and Gary has misinterpreted my question)) - and maybe Zonda and I just don't know how to do it. I have only seen the newer models in the shops and it was always possible that with the original 322RC2 it may have worked, but from Zonda's reply I'm still not convinced. If Gary or anyone else can post a photo of the head showing it in the left handed orientation with the trigger available to the fingers rather than the ball of the thumb, I could finally be convinced. In the meantime, I will try to get hold of a 324RC2 which seems to have slightly better ergonomics and hope that I can do the same with that.
PS: No cheating by flipping a photo from right to left in Photoshop

Trev

[Gruditch]

Position two is useless, naturally you would operate the trigger with your left hand and shoot the camera with your right.

Regards Gruditch

[Trev Sawyer]

Well done that man! Thanks Gary,
Sorry to cause you the hassle of swapping the head around and taking the photos. Now I've seen it with my own eyes, I believe it!!!
One potential small problem is that I have literally just got back from buying one of the new versions (the 324RC2) from Jessops - don't laugh, they were doing them at a very good price. I just hope that this model can be adapted like yours, but I'll have to wait until tonight to have a play and find out. If it doesn't work I will decide whether to keep it or swap for a 322RC2.

Thanks again for your help,

Trev

[Zonda]

Mmmm... Seems there is still some confusion about whether or not it can be done (Gary says yes, Zonda says no).

I wasn't saying that it cannot be reversed left or right using the Allen key. I was saying it can't be elevated upwards from your position. Smack it on your tripod,,,, it's ok for changing from landscape to portrait, but try and angle it upwards. Mine's for sale.

[Gruditch]

Regards Gruditch

[Zonda]

Well hush my mouth, and now i need to do that on mine..... How,,,, i have no idea.
Gary,,,, teach me.
Mine is a 322RC2, and i can''t get it to do that, which is what i bought it for.

What i'll do is put it on a tripod and try to replicate your last pic of the whole, and post the out-come.

[Gruditch]

Pull the trigger and twist, that up and down movement is not done on the ball.

Regards Gruditch

[Zonda]

I have it in my hands, but i still can't get it to do what you say, or look like your picture. It's a murderous piece of kit,,, still for sale.

[Gruditch]

How much

Regards Gruditch

[Zonda]

£60,,,, ok £50 to you.

[Gruditch]

Done

Regards Gruditch

[Zonda]

Tis a deal.