Manfrotto MVH502A,546GB-1 Professional Fluid Video System with Aluminum Tripod and Ground Spreader (Black)

So I'd like to give it about 4.5 stars. It's a really nice fluid head. Everything is almost perfect about it. I'm trying to film airplanes with my new camera setup at about 40,000 ft. I would just prefer maybe it get a little bit stiffer. For everyone else it would probably be absolutely perfect. It's actually perfect for me too. I'm not saying it's not. For the price compared to some other ones that cost thousands of dollars, you're getting an amazing deal with this fluid head. It holds about 20 lb of my camera gear and the quick release mount pairs up with my sigma 150 to 300 mm lens perfectly. I highly recommend it for pretty much everybody. Even if you don't need it just go ahead and get it. I paired it up with a Benro TAD28A tripod and I would also give the tripod five stars. It works perfectly with this fluid head.

I've seen a bit of griping about this head being 'clunky', not smooth. I've used it for taking video of birds and natural surroundings and it not only was smooth as silk, but noiseless as well. However, I think I understand the complaints on its clunkiness; it comes (or mine came) pretty well tightened down (perhaps to keep it from flexing too much during shipping...?), and you need to loosen the bindings that cinch the ball bearing mounts which I believe are only on the pan mechanism, and use the fluid mount adjustments to fine-tune the fluidity of movement instead. Once I did this, that little choppy, clunky chatter (which you skateboarders, or anyone familiar with ball bearing joints, will recognize as problematic if tightened too tightly) will go away. The result is a nice, smooth, quiet movement.I had it too loose at first, and was having trouble keeping the movement fluid, but after adjusting a few times I found it to be awesome! I got really nice movement on the pan, the rise and lowering, and both in unison, as it should be. At this point, you're on your own to develop the feel it takes to make those smooth movements.As a fledgling filmmaker, I'm working on my control of all things involved in my filmmaking, but this help immensely in making what would otherwise look like a handheld, YouTube vlog video look very professional. One suggestion would be to always allow a second or so to begin and end your movement so that the jerky beginning or ends of your clip, if any, can be edited out in post. Other than that, I find this to be the perfect tool for what I need to make my videos look really nice! Like anything else, it's not something that will do all the work for you, and since you'll most likely use it to smooth out DSLR/Mirrorless footage, you aren't going to have the added weight of a big, heavy camera to help slow erratic movements. It is capable of holding one of those cameras; there are two mounting screws included, a 1/4" and a 3/8", so attaching any DSLR-type camera is a breeze, and either screw can be removed so it's not in the way or rattling around on the slider plate. The slider plate allows for easy balancing of your camera on the head so whatever lens you're using, it'll balance nicely. I've used it on a Peak Designs Travel Tripod with a Canon EOS R and a Canon 70-200 zoom with spectacular results, even without using the lens' mount for additional balancing!For the price, I'm really pleased with this purchase!

READ THIS:Be cautious about who you order this head from. I ordered it from Ornem first and the 502 I received was obviously used and scratched up by the previous owner or maybe it was a demo/showroom model. I feel like Ornem was hoping some schmuck wouldn't have cared about the condition and I ended up receiving it. When you order something that is described as BRAND NEW, that is what you should expect and what you should receive, no questions ask. I returned it that same day and ordered it again through CaMan and the new one I received was, you guessed it, brand new.Before I sent them my negative seller feedback, I noticed that they had a couple negative reviews in the past 30 days. So I went ahead and put together my review and it was live in about 10 minutes. NOT EVEN 15 MINUTES LATER, my review as well as the other reviews left by unhappy customers had been deleted! How is this possible? Amazon should be the only one that is capable of deleting reviews because now, Ornem has a 100% unblemished record and customers will never know about situations like mine.THE ACTUAL REVIEW:This head is a beast. It's a solid build and the fluid drag system will give you buttery smooth panning and tilt footage. The only concern I had going into buying this head was the fact that it's made in China. Not to say that stuff made in China is bad, I've purchased plenty of great products made in China, it's just that Manfrotto chose to have it manufactured in China vs. Italy like the majority of their products that got me thinkin.I also ordered the 190 go tripod which is made in Italy so I was able to get a good idea of the build quality between the two. The 190 is flawless 5/5 no problem. The 502 is a 4/5, it's constructed very well but it appears they took some shortcuts on the finish. The one thing I noticed about the 502 is that as you're adjusting the fluid dials, there is this odd popping sound. My guess is it's the fluid within the head as you adjust it accordingly. Not a huge deal breaker as the head pans and tilts consistently in all directions but I am hoping that it will eventually go away. There is some play in the dials too but I was aware of that when I was doing my research on this head.VERDICT:In the end, I'm super stoked to have added the 502 and 190 to my setup and I highly suggest ordering either of these products if you are in the market for some sweet gear. Once again, BE AWARE OF WHO YOU ORDER THIS THROUGH.