Manfrotto410 Junior Geared Head with Quick Release - Supports 11.1 lbs (#3275)

I bought the Manfrotto Junior Geared Tripod head back in November, 2017. 5 years later and it is still looking and performing like brand new head. Yes, this head is not the lightest or the smallest, but when you need sturdy and reliable tripod head then Manfrotto is the brand and Junior Geared Tripod Head is your tool.

I ran over my original 410 that I purchased 10 years ago. So I replaced it with the same unit. Very sturdy but that comes with a cost, its kinda heavy. Neither unit did I have any slipping issues. The first one I did have very tight knobs. This one not so bad. One note. The bubble in the level is very small. Much smaller than the older one. So small its a problem so I had to purchase a level cube my the Hot shoe Nonetheless, when comparing to the others I found this Manfrotto still is the best for me. Prime delivery was 2 days late.

The media could not be loaded.  I am a professional photographer and have been using a Nikon 200-500 zoom lens recently and needed to upgrade my tripod head to something with greater precision when positioning at full zoom without any detectable camera shake that would be evident in video sequences.This Manfrotto 410 Junior Geared Head partnered with the 120-30 column spacer is just what I needed!Very easy to install (thin flat screw driver necessary for the spacer) a dream to operate with no detectable wabble, shake or vibration through the head when adjusting or positioning.Designed for semi-static subject matter, not for fast selection of moving subjects. I plan to use this for subjects in fixed locations such as woodpeckers making homes, nesting birds and of course, wasps and hornets making their nests. Standard heads were just too inconsistent as I had to constantly make compensations and would lose positioning when tightening or loosening the tilt adjustments. This geared head takes the guess work right out of it and I can make micro adjustments with ease. I also do macro/micro video and photography so the ability to be within a few inches of the subject and have incremental pan control just makes my life so easy and I wonder how I ever got along without it.Adjustments are firm and workable, silent, and nothing that would give me away if the wildlife is nervous.The build is excellent, heavy, nicely finished with knobs that feel nice and give excellent finger traction. The wave shaped adjustment flanges are accessible and well placed for rapid adjustments.YOU NEED THE COLUMN SPACER - adding the 120-38 Manfrotto spacer took away all pinch-points between the lower controls and the tripod. This will allow me to use the horizontal mast setup which the Manfrotto 055 has as a feature.Great price, excellent quality, I definitely recommend the 410 Junior Geared Head without hesitation.final note - it's also going to work wonderfully for an upcoming Super Moon photo session.

I've been using this head for years. I first had one at my previous employer and when I left there to work for myself I purchased them again. We actually had a few of these at my employer. We did have one that broke after a drop but we sent it in to be fixed and it was good again. I cannot find another geared head even remotely as good on the market. Stay away from the pro head, we had that at my job too and it was not as good as this, only a lot bigger and harder to use. This one is great and my only complaint is that there is a little wiggle in the head. Every single one of these I have used is the same way. To be clear, that's 4 of these heads that I have used that have the same problem. It doesn't effect still photography. It was a problem when I had a slider mounted on top of the tripod for video and as you slide across, it would rock ever so slightly but it was drastic in the video. I couldn't find a fix so I couldn't use the slider on this head. I wish they would come out with a fix for that rock because this would be a 5 star head then.

I am currently photographing food and needed a new tripod and tripod head. Fit onto my older Bogen tripod until I can purchase a new one. It is solid and is very easy to use. I am happy I made this investment.

I have mixed feelings about this gear head. While it's well made and has a nice gear system, I'm not happy with the Manfrotto quick release plates. I have Arca Swiss plates on all my lenses and L brackets on all my cameras so I only want one system. Converting this to a compatible arca swiss plate is not possible unless you attach it to the Manfrotto quick release plate. Which is not as simple as it sounds. The Manfrotto plate is quite large and when you attach an arca swiss plate it gets sucked into the padding on the plate and the jaws of the arca swiss clamp are not able to move. If you position the arca swiss clamp way over to the edge of the Manfrotto plate, you can have the moving jaw overhang the edge. I'm not crazy about that arrangement. So I'm going to keep the head and continue to search for a better solution to attach my arca swiss quick release plate. If this is not an issue for you, this is a great gear head and will serve you well. If anyone has a solution that doesn't involve purchasing a $1,000 arca swiss gear head, I'd be happy to hear about it. Thanks!

Three way geared heads are the ideal tool for people who like to compose patiently and precisely from a tripod. However, this particular one has numerous, very annoying flaws and it's not built to last - although, to be honest, that applies to pretty much everything made by Manfrotto (my study is like a Manfrotto grave yard!). All the gears have just enough play to annoy and this increases over time; the spring in the quick release mechanism came out after about a year and getting a new one in is a pain. The clutch mechanisms are also weird, allowing the gear to suddenly snap to another position.I suppose you have to bear in mind that this is pretty cheap for a three way geared head, but still, there's no overlooking that fact that it's big, heavy, clunky, and won't last five minutes. I've got through a lot of Manfrotto stuff and honestly I can't recommend any of it, it's badly designed and poor quality.

‘Junior’ must be some kind of in-joke in the same was as Henry Jones Sr addressed his son Indiana. It’s a very solid, strong and surprisingly accurate geared head. No sign of any play or backlash on any of the three axis movements. Given its price, it’s remarkably good value.Movement controls are a little stiff but that doesn’t make it jerky, it moves smoothly.Downsides. That manufacturer specific plate. It is nice and solid but a pain so I’ve just attached a separate Arca clamp on top.

I've had three of these in the past 7 years. Shooting mainly interior design and architectural work, this head gets used approximately 100 times per year. It's well looked after and carefully stored. However, eventually they all develop a significant wobble which is a sign of worn internals. My latest one is now unusable. I only paid £159 for my 410 heads so I was ok with them lasting 2 years before needing replacing. However, at £230 I simply can't recommend them anymore.

This head is very sturdy and very well constructed. I use this head for precise macro compositions. I also use it for some of my static astro photography, particularly when I am using long focal length lenses as it allows for very acurate small adjustments. I have even mounted the Nikon P1000 which is a very front heavy bridge camera particularly when the lens is zoomed in. This head held the camera totally steady even when the lens barrel was remotely zoomed in an out. The pan and tilt micro adjustments are very smooth and positive. Larger adjustments are achieved with the twist rings which are located at the head of the micro adjustmen knobs.

I should start by saying something like "how wrong could I be". I'd identified a need for a geared head to go atop my ageing but substantial and still perfectly serviceable Slik tripod. This Manfrotto seemed to have overall positive reviews but I am naturally suspicious of the fact that sometimes products marketed under "big" or "revered" names often don't match up to the billing. Not so in this case. The head is beautifully engineered (obviously to quite tight tolerances judging by the feel) and has an overall feel of quality about it. Everything from the knobs, release plate, gearing, screws, to the small but very useful bubble level, seem so well made. I presume this unit is called "junior" purely because there is a bigger/more expensive one available in the range just above it? Otherwise I can see no reason why you would call it "junior" in any sense of the word. It easily copes with my Canon 5DIII + 70-200 zoom and certainly with any wide angle lens I attach to it.....in fact I think the gearing actually feels better when under load. If you are looking for a geared head I really don't see how you could do better than this at the enthusiast level.