Manfrotto 410 geared head - opinions?

[welly]

Anyone use this head? I had thought about going for the 405 but here down under, they're a. like hen's teeth and b. cost the same as solid gold hen's teeth. I believe I can pick up it's smaller brother, the 410. Obviously I could import but I need a head sooner rather than later.

How would the 410 fare with a Sinar F2 or Mamiya RB67?

Cheers!

Welly

[Eugene van der Merwe]

I have used it with various 4 x 5 cameras, RBs etc., it is nice and simple to use and the self locking adjustments and quick adjustment thingies work very conveniently once you are used to them. It can be a bit wobbly when heavily loaded (like with and F2) because of slack in the gearing, and it tends to get more so with age.

[ChrisN]

I like mine - no problems yet with a 4x5 Ebony.

There has been quite a bit of discussion of this head. Try these searches in google:

site:www.largeformatphotography.info "manfrotto 410" and

site:forum.getdpi.com "manfrotto 410"

[Neil Smith]

I have found mine to be very good so far with my Chamonix 45N-1, still early days but I have no regrets so far.

Neil

[evan clarke]

The gooseneck is spring loaded and after a little age they get pretty wobbly and will produce soft negs even if it appears to be steady.. I have 3 of them in the basement under cobwebs...Evan Clarke

[welly]

Thanks chaps, will do a search for more feedback on this head. Which I should have done in the first place

[photographs42]

I must have lucked out. I have two of the 410‘s that I use with a 5x7 Linhof and they are very solid and even though one of them (the one still used the most) is 15 to 20 years old, it has no sign of loose gears. I did have to replace the locking lever a few months ago but that was because the Airline broke it.

I do a lot of Architectural photography and the geared function is great for that.
Jerome

[Brian Ellis]

If you're still reading, I've been using the 410 for about 8 years. If you want to get things aligned perfectly (e.g. windows, doors) it's the way to go. The only thing I don't care for is that the "gross adjustment" knobs (the ones that allow you to make big adjustments without having to go through the gears) can be stiff and a little hard to operate. I haven't noticed any slack in the gearing. I'm not sure what Evan means with the term "gooseneck."

[cjbroadbent]

Ok with 4x5 and short bellows. Otherwise the high profile picks up vibrations.
Gitzo series 5 in a couple of sizes is low profile. I preach 'no head, no column' and mount directly on a leveling video tripod with a pan plate. Why would you want to point a LF up or down anyway?

[Kirk Gittings]

Works fine with 4x5 field on lenses up to 450. Or DSLR with 500. Been my favorite for many years.