Gear Heads vs. Ball Heads

[Bubber Jones]

Taking what I read from Ilya's recent post, I'm trying to decide on a new head.

Reading through the post and shopping online, I'm trying to decide between a geared head vs a ball head. I like the idea of precise adjustments of the geared head, but don't want it to be too slow in the process.

The canidates (I think):

Manfrotto 410
Manfrotto 488RC2


I'm interested in hearing likes/dislikes about geared heads. Seems not too many people use them, there just might be a reason...

Dan

[CyberDyneSystems]

Well,. I've been a gear head my whole life,. it started with Muscle Cars in High School...

Oops,. wrong subject..

I like ballheads. To many knobs on gear heads.

[kfong]

I use gear head and I like it. I also happen to like buttons and knobs. The manfrotto's have built-in spring loaded clutches so you can turn them like a pan head for coarse adjustment. Gropping for the three knobs for the three axis adjustment while your eye is in the view finder takes getting use to, but there is no friction lock which can work loose.

Ken

[ChrisNardone]

I have the Bogen/Manfrotto 3275 (410) Geared head. Ditto what Ken said. You can swing it rapidly like a ball head on one axis at a time. As I said on Ilya's post, I also use it with a spotting scope. That is why the precise gear movement was important to me. If you're just using it for SLR photography, you might be happier will a ball head.

[EDad]

The canidates (I think):

Manfrotto 410
Manfrotto 488RC2


I've been looking myself, and think I will go with the 488RC0. It's just like the 488RC2, but with a different shaped QR plate, $10 less, and has bubble levels.

488RC0
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?&A=details&Q=&sku=272989&is=REG

488RC2
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?&A=details&Q=&sku=272779&is=REG

If I'm wrong, somebody please tell me.