September 2007 | Margaret Brown
An innovative tripod head designed for single-handed directional adjustments.
RRP: $250
Rating (out of 10):
The Manfrotto 322RC2 Heavy Duty Grip Ball Head is made from magnesium to ensure light weight and high performance. Its design keeps the weight of the camera plus lens as close as possible to the tripod's centre of gravity. This head only adds 10.3 cm to the height of the tripod and 700 grams to overall weight. Targeted mainly at photographers with SLR cameras with relatively light lenses or advanced, long-zoom digicams, it can also accommodate lighter medium format camera/lens combinations. Maximum recommended load is five kilograms.
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The Manfrotto 322RC2 Heavy Duty Grip Ball Head is made from magnesium to ensure light weight and high performance. Its design keeps the weight of the camera plus lens as close as possible to the tripod's centre of gravity. This head only adds 10.3 cm to the height of the tripod and 700 grams to overall weight. Targeted mainly at photographers with SLR cameras with relatively light lenses or advanced, long-zoom digicams, it can also accommodate lighter medium format camera/lens combinations. Maximum recommended load is five kilograms.
Rear and front views of the 322RC2 tripod head, showing horizontal and vertical orientation.
Topping the 322RC2 head is a quick release camera plate assembly, which attaches to the camera's tripod mount. The plate slots into position and is secured by a lever and safety-lock pin. The lock stops the quick release lever from opening fully and prevents accidental removal of the camera plus plate. A rubber pad on top of the plate gives a good grip without damaging the camera and its angled sides fit into a wide range of Manfrotto heads.
The quick-release plate showing th lever grip and safety lock plus the bubble spirit level.
As supplied, the 322RC2 is configured for right-handed users but the entire 200PL quick release plate assembly can be removed and positioned for left-handed use or on the top of the grip in a vertical position. An Allen key is provided for making these adjustments. The maximum load is 2.5 kilograms when the grip is vertical.
Flexibility of movement is the key feature of this novel tripod head, which is designed to allow single-handed positioning in all directions, freeing the photographer's other hand to access the camera's controls. The head supports 90 degrees of lateral tilt in each direction and front tilt from -90 degrees to +3 degrees. Panoramic rotation of 360 degrees is provided.
The grip handle contains a ball lock lever with a friction control wheel that controls the strength of the blocking. A red line indicates the approximate amount of friction applied. With this wheel, users can adjust the head's movements to match the weight of the mounted camera plus lens. A built-in, hand-set bubble spirit level is provided. An optional 322RS shutter release trigger can be attached to the grip to provide additional flexibility.
In Use
This head is the most flexible tripod head we have used and it's very easy to get used to manipulating the direction and orientation of a camera through the adjustments provided by the grip. Freeing one hand to control the lens and camera adjustments while the other controls the framing position is a big advantage in many shooting situations. All movements are smooth and the head is easily locked into place when the correct camera position is achieved.