? on Bogens 3410 low profile head; Leveling base.

**Wayne Crider** · 16-Jan-2002, 19:51

Has anyone used this head or leveling base that could recommend them. I am unce rtain as to the weight of the head. Bogens manual has it at 1.1 lbs; B&H has it at 2.8lbs?

**John O'Connell** · 17-Jan-2002, 09:58

B&H's 2.8 pounds is closer to the mark -- it's definitely not less than 2 pounds. Bogen probably meant to say 1.1 kg. When I got it I expected it to be lighter.

When I bought it it was a good deal cheaper ($60), and since then they've changed the QR lockdown screw and the price ($80 now).

The good points about it are the QR plate is good for some view cameras and TLRs and the shorty handles don't seem to catch on very much. And it is fairly low-profile.

Bad points: mine shifts slightly as you tighten it down in all three axes. I've also bent those shorty handles slightly so that now they turn in little circles as I tighten them down (annoying but doesn't hurt functionality).

I'm planning to move up to another head because of the QR plates. I could make them work for me with a little home engineering, but they've got enough drawbacks that I'm not willing to put in the effort. Take a look at them before you buy the head, if possible, to make sure they're suitable for you: they're _about_ 2.5" square and 3/8" high, with a spot for a set screw but no anti-twist accomodation. This makes them cumbersome on 35mm equipment and the set screw location isn't very useful for most of my equipment.

**Nathaniel Paust** · 17-Jan-2002, 17:15

I use this head with both my 35mm and 4x5 gear (Canham DLC). I don't have any great critique to offer, it just works for me. One interesting thing is that the QR plates have a small hole forward of the mounting bolt. (I think it's intended to stop rotation on video equipment?) On my camera, this hole lines up with one of the mounting holes, so it's easy to make sure that the QR plate doesn't rotate. It might not work with your camera though.

All in all, I think it's a fine head. There isn't another that I would switch too. (Although I'm not a ballhead person.)

Nathaniel