• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

The Wonderful Manfrotto 501 Head (1 Viewer)

I would like to recommend the Manfrotto (bogen in US) 501 head as one of the best quality tripod heads for birdwatching,digiscoping and videoscoping.I have been using this head for about 1 year in conjuction with my equally wonderful 117 tripod the movement is lovely and smooth and the essential thing about this head for me is being able to change the friction of the head so when i have my camcorder on the end of my scope i can stiffen the tilt so the setup isn't back heavy.The 501 also has a nice large quick release plate with a nice secure safety catch.Having adjusted to accepting wonderful smooth and precise pan and tilt for normal i can't think of myself even looking at anything else (except perhaps the more expensive Gitzo fluide head).The head as far as i know will fit on most Manfrotto tripods and costs £125 cheap at half the price.... .So before you think of buying the latest optical gear take a look at the 501 head for improving your birdwatching experience.By the way just so you know the head weighs 1500 grams and 10.5 cm high,and is available in any colour you like as long as it's black!.
 
Hi Tattoo Ian.

Thanks for your posting youve cleared up a question I was going to ask, I am considering changing the head on my manfrotto tripod & wondered which would be the most suitable.
 
Hi all i`ve just purchased the swarovski tripod no2,brilliant piece of kit very smooth pan & tilt.The important thing is when you lock the head up it stays pointed at your subject.The only down is that one of the plastic leg catches snapped when I opened it.I`ve since replaced the catches with the old style twist adjusters from my old Manfrotto tripod.The swarovski tripod is actually made for them by Manfotto.The other thing I like is the ability to alter the leg positions,so I can now get some low level shots this also helps on windy days.The price for the tripod including the head is £129.00.
 
Kevin
I was speaking to Dave Hawkins at Titchwell the other day and he was using a 501, he said it was one of the best things he had brought, it is rather a heavey looking head and big ,but does stop the scope from tilting up,i use a 128 and its almost impossible to stop the scope from doing this with the camera attached no matter how hard i tighten it down. Keep us informed if you get one.
 
I'm not up on all the differances in the Manfrotto line but have the 3001N with a Giottos MH5001 head. Am very pleased with this setup, very smooth operation on all planes.
 
As you know i use the 501 head but my uncle uses the 503 head that differs in having extra springing for heavier items and an extendible handle.It is not worth buying,for one the 501 head can easily cope with the heaviest scope outfit already and the extendible handle is just a gimmick,my uncle wishes he had saved £50 and bought the 501.Put the extra money towards a better tripod.
 
I have just bought the Manfrotto 444 carbon tripod and the 128 LP head. It has a screw fixing for the scope and this means you can move the scope backwards or forwards to get the right balance. It takes a few seconds longer to fix the scope, but it is well worth it.
 
Hi all. I can vouch for what Tattoo Ian says concerning Manfrotto
equipment.Iam a good friend of his, and his uncle as we regularly
go out birding together. I have seen the video footage that he
has taken and Ian's tripod and head has not let him down yet.
Take his word for it-it's good.
 
Hi all:

Would using the Manfrotto 357 Sliding Plate (Bogen 3273) with the 128RC help with the balance problem?

I have the 128RC (Bogen 3130) and find the scope and camera can be "back heavy".

So is anyone using the sliding plate?

Thanks,

Chris. Spratt
 
I used the 357 plate with a Manfrotto 128RC (Bogen 3130 in the US), Kowa TSN-824 and CP995. The plate did not adjust far enough to completely balance the scope, but far enough that tightening the tilt knob on the head a little was enough to keep the scope from moving when I let go, but I could still tilt the scope when I needed to. So it was OK. I later upgraded the head to a Gitzo 2380 which has a built-in sliding plate -- also not enough to balance the scope by itself but used together with the 357 provides more than enough adjustment to completely balance the scope. Glen
 
Hi:
I have been using for years the manfrotto 075 tripod with the 136 head on my commercial video camera, now I have added a aluminium 3/8" X 2" wide X 10" long plate, with various drilled and tapped holes, this is now what I use with my Bausch & Lomb "Elite" 80mm ED Lens with a 45 degree angled 20X60 eyepiece and no hard adjustment on the friction controls what so ever...the outfit to some seems a bit heavy, but I never have vibration problems on a windy day.
cheers
Walther
www.walther-loff.com
 
Last edited:
I'm in search of a new tripod head and it sounds like from reading this thread that the 501 may be what I'm looking for. There's one thing I need to know though, is it just for video cameras or can you put a spotting scope with standard 1/4" mounting threads on it?
Thanks in advance,
Pete Killingsworth
Peshtigo, Wisconsin
 
Your scope will just bolt straight on, Pete. No trouble at all. I own a 501 (like you, I bought it on the strength of this thread) and it seems OK but it's the only head I've ever used so I have nothing to compare it to. Certainly, if I were buying again, I'd want a head that was at least this good. I suspect that I haven't worked out the most effective way to use it yet.

One thing that I will say: it is very heavy. I don't know if there are other heads with similar quality but less weight.

Tony
 
B :) The 503 is a better head than the 501. The minimum drag is considerably less than the 501, and the counterbalance spring does make smooth tilt movements more possible - you have to remember that this is designed as a head for DV video cameras where these features are more valuable.
marco
Tattoo ian said:
As you know i use the 501 head but my uncle uses the 503 head that differs in having extra springing for heavier items and an extendible handle.It is not worth buying,for one the 501 head can easily cope with the heaviest scope outfit already and the extendible handle is just a gimmick,my uncle wishes he had saved £50 and bought the 501.Put the extra money towards a better tripod.
 
The 503 also has a much smoother glide and higher quality internals, but as you have said, it has been designed for video cameras. I have one and can not fault it at all.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 18 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top