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.

[RPNugent]

Have usd mine for 10 years and have had no problems. I love it compared to the previous Bogen head I used.

[cjbroadbent]

Works fine with 4x5 field on lenses up to 450. Or DSLR with 500. Been my favorite for many years. Ok, there are few trams in Australia, but 450? I would need two tripods.

[Kirk Gittings]

Sorry I use it all the time with a 450 M Nikkor on a Phillips. I don't know what to tell you. It works fine.

[AJ Edmondson]

I use one with Wista 810, Wista SP, Wisner 4x5 Tech Field and Hasselblad and have been completely satisfied with it!

[Roger Thoms]

I've been using a 410 for about 6 years, with various 4x5s including Sinar Alpina, Calumet CC-400, and Speed Graphic with lens up to 210mm. I am very pleased with the head, and have no problem with vibration or backlash. I am also happy that after dropping the tripod and breaking the QR lever I was able to order a replacement lever for 7.50 usd plus 7.00 usd shipping. Nice to deal with a company that supports it's product and is not gouging for replacement parts.

Roger

[D. Bryant]

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

I liked mine so much I used it once and sold it.

Don Bryant

[Eric Biggerstaff]

I h ave been using a 410 for several years and it has been great! No problems.

[Miguel Curbelo]

Another happy 410 user here, for over 4 years now, with MF, 4x5, 5x7 and light 8x10 cameras.

[Roger Thoms]

I liked mine so much I used it once and sold it.

Don Bryant


What are the qualities that lead you to sell the head after one use?

Roger

[pocketfulladoubles]

Why would you want to point a LF up or down anyway?

??? Do it all the time...

Anyway, had the 410 for only a year, but so far so solid. We'll see. You have me worried now.

[welly]

I got a (reasonable) deal (for this part of the southern hemisphere) on a Gitzo 1370 pan/tilt head, which I'm very pleased with. Great piece of equipment and stable as I could ever wish for. The geared head would have been nice but this Gitzo head is fab.

[Kirk Gittings]

Re: Manfrotto 410 geared head - opinions?

Why would you want to point a LF up or down anyway?
??? Do it all the time...

Me too-especialy since I use mine for both VC and DSLR, need both radically down and up on rare occasions with a VC and with a DSLR. The 410 points down easily but won't point up to far-the only drawback to this head-solution-? I made an adapter that reverses the camera on the plate without removing it- so the down adjustment quickly becomes the up adjustment. Details later if anyone is interested.

[Brian Ellis]

. . . Why would you want to point a LF up or down anyway?

Because everything I photograph isn't at eye level.

[cjbroadbent]

Because everything I photograph isn't at eye level.
You are introducing me to a new world!

[chris_4622]

Me too-especialy since I use mine for both VC and DSLR, need both radically down and up on rare occasions with a VC and with a DSLR. The 410 points down easily but won't point up to far-the only drawback to this head-solution-? I made an adapter that reverses the camera on the plate without removing it- so the down adjustment quickly becomes the up adjustment. Details later if anyone is interested.

I'd like to hear more about this. There have been times I want to tilt way back and the only solution I could think of was to loosen the screw on the plate and turn it around and remount the camera on the tripod.

It's not too often I need this movement but I've passed up some shots as a result. Other than that drawback I like my 410.

[Stephen Lewis]

Great bit of kit :) but, like anything else, benefits from a service now and again.

Every few years, I dis-assemble the head and turn the gears around a few teeth on the worm drives. Constant usage in the same limited range of gear teeth creates a little wear and tear, so it does it good to move the gears on a few teeth.

Once you have the image framed, you can lock the movements by nipping up the coarse adjustment locks (turn anti-clockwise).

I've had mine ten years, using with both LF and my RB67. It's had many knocks and taken the full brunt of the British seasonal weather. It's a great bit of kit and solid as a rock

[Paul Kierstead]

Ok, there are few trams in Australia, but 450? I would need two tripods.

Perhaps Kirk shoots a lot closer to infinity.

[Roger Thoms]

Me too-especialy since I use mine for both VC and DSLR, need both radically down and up on rare occasions with a VC and with a DSLR. The 410 points down easily but won't point up to far-the only drawback to this head-solution-? I made an adapter that reverses the camera on the plate without removing it- so the down adjustment quickly becomes the up adjustment. Details later if anyone is
interested.


I'm interested in details. Right now I remove the camera from the tripod, loosen the QR plate rotate it 180 degrees, tighten the plate, and put the camera back on the tripod. Kind of a pain.

Roger

[bigdog]

Me too-especialy since I use mine for both VC and DSLR, need both radically down and up on rare occasions with a VC and with a DSLR. The 410 points down easily but won't point up to far-the only drawback to this head-solution-? I made an adapter that reverses the camera on the plate without removing it- so the down adjustment quickly becomes the up adjustment. Details later if anyone is interested.

I use my 410 head with an RB67. No problems as others have said. As for shooting straight up - I did this a good bit shooting inside church buildings. I, too, would have to mount the camera essentially backwards. Actually mounting the camera "backwards" is just a matter of putting the qr plate on facing the other way, hardly a major problem.

What I did find as a weakness to this method, is that by turning the head sideways to point up (or down), you eliminate 1 of the 3 axis, since that one was used to orient the camera 90 degrees. So, "one of these days", I am going to fabricate a holder/bracket for the RB that will put the tripod socket centered at the back of the camera, allowing it to be mounted to any tripod head - and balanced - without having to move one axis 90 degrees from the start. I think this will be a big advantage shooting up! I can see this working with any film camera body as long as you have the right viewing device, i.e. waist level, or a right angle adapter on a prism. A view camera would require a reflex hood, I guess.

Anyway, getting a bit off topic, except that this whole thought process on my part was a result of using the 410 head. Using a geared head over the usual pan and tilt was a revelation! What I now want, but probably don't "need" is a 405! :D

[Kirk Gittings]

Perhaps Kirk shoots a lot closer to infinity.

As I approach 60 this year, the black hole is in sight.......

Everyone, I am buried doing a large proposal. I will get to the 410 reversal accessory. Tomorrow.

[Roger Thoms]

Just a side note, as I mentioned in an earlier post, my tripod fell over a landed on the QR lever on my 410, breaking it off. The replacement lever just arrived today. Very nice that Manfrotto supports their product.

Roger

[rdenney]

I bought a 410 for use with my Sinar F, and it is very easy to use and sturdy--EXCEPT that the gears have play. I have read that this can be adjusted out but I have not yet attempted it. I came upon a Sinar Tilt Head before getting to that point and I like that better, but it would not be particularly useful with a medium-format camera.

One beef with the 410 is the QR plate. I have standardized on Arca-Swiss plates and I ended up bolting the 410 QR plate to an Arca-Swiss clamp (made by Wimberly or maybe Really Right Stuff). That worked well but added another 3/4" to the height. Even if I was still using Bogen hex-plates, this head isn't compatible with those, either.

For medium-format, I'm still using an Arca-Swiss ball head. But ball heads are a real pain to adjust to level with a large-format camera.

For precision adjustments, the 410 is a dream.

Rick "everything is a compromise of requirements" Denney

[Paul Kierstead]

One beef with the 410 is the QR plate. I have standardized on Arca-Swiss plates and I ended up bolting the 410 QR plate to an Arca-Swiss clamp (made by Wimberly or maybe Really Right Stuff).

See this clamp (http://www.kirkphoto.com/SQRC-3271_Manfrotto_3271_Quick_Release_Clamp.html). Pops into a 410 head (like its own plate) and provides an acra-swiss clamp. I have one on my head pretty much permanently, as all my cameras have an acra-swiss plate.

[rdenney]

See this clamp (http://www.kirkphoto.com/SQRC-3271_Manfrotto_3271_Quick_Release_Clamp.html). Pops into a 410 head (like its own plate) and provides an acra-swiss clamp. I have one on my head pretty much permanently, as all my cameras have an acra-swiss plate.

That is quite useful. I essentially made the same thing by bolting the Bogen quick-release to the underside of a more generic A-S clamp. I used two bolts, so it was a pretty secure connection, and in the end looked a lot like what you linked. The Kirk product is a little more elegant, though.

Rick "unaware of this product at the time" Denney

[dalton]

Once you have the image framed, you can lock the movements by nipping up the coarse adjustment locks (turn anti-clockwise).

Everyone who says that their 410 has play in the gears needs to take note of this. I found my 410 to be a little bit wobbly from time to time as well. One day I discovered that tightening up the quick adjustment knobs solves every problem and locks it down tight. My 410 is quite stable now after I learned that trick.

[Steve Barber]

I do not like the 405 at all and I am not entirely happy with the ergonomics of the 410. Another, that I like better, but never see mentioned, is the 460MG.

http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfrotto/pid/2332?livid=80&lsf=80&child=1

I have not had any problems with this using a 4x5 and I like it better than the 410.

[Sevo]

The 460MG of course is not geared, and rated 3kg only - but at less than 500g it is a decent light three-way head for hiking and other tasks where low weight is the primary concern. In my experience it will carry a sinar f2 with wide lens and still be reasonably rigid when locked down. Its rigidity and handling are no good once you tilt it out of the horizontal, but for purely levelling purposes it can do better than many heavier heads.

[Brian Ellis]

See this clamp (http://www.kirkphoto.com/SQRC-3271_Manfrotto_3271_Quick_Release_Clamp.html). Pops into a 410 head (like its own plate) and provides an acra-swiss clamp. I have one on my head pretty much permanently, as all my cameras have an acra-swiss plate.

I've used the Kirk adapter for many years. It's worked great. I was initially concerned that adding, in effect, a second QR plate would create some instability but that hasn't happened, everything is very solid.

[Keith Pitman]

It's pretty tall, which probably contributes to the wobbliness, and it's heavey too. That said, it is nice and precise to use. You can tighten the wobbliness somewhat by removing the disks with the degree measurements, and tightening the socket head bolts underneath. I cut out circular holes in the center of the disks and can tighten any time it's needed.

[Shutter]

I used the 410 successfully with anything up to 4kg (Sinar F2 // 240mm 5.6 // 70cm rail) but I wouldn't recommend anything above that....
For my P1 8x10 and other heavy stuff I got the 229 head, it's not geared but keeps everything up to 12kg rocksteady (even a Sinar P1 8x10" with 480mm Ronar and behind the lens shutter pointed 90° downwards ;) )! The 229 is also a bit heavier than the 410 which I consider a good thing to add further stability - but not too heavy so it's still usable in the field.