Manfrotto 486RC2 Compact Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect System: Customer Reviews & Product Details

I originally ordered a Manfrotto 486 RC2 ball head. The manufacture has discontinued that model and the vendor A.P.D. automatically sent me the placement model: 496RC2. It works fine if you take pictures at the normal landscape camera position. When you turn 90 degree for portrait shots, the ball head always creeps a little, unless you tighten the screw to the extreme. The panning action is awkward with a ball head. However, it's simple, compact and light-weight. It fits my Manfrotto tripod perfectly.

I never actually received this item, as it wasn't in stock with the reseller.
It had already been discontinued.

I've had this for about 18 months now. It's a great head for a monopod because it has no ability to pan, like the 488. If you are using it on a tripod I strongly suggest you spend a few extra dollars and get the 488.

One other note, when you attached the camera make sure the safety switch is ingaged. It does not automatically switch into the engage position all the time. I recently had my 7D and 580EX on it and it the whole rig fell off because that switch had not engaged. Nothing happened, as it was very close to the ground, but it could have been very bad.

This is a really nice ball head that can hold a lot of weight. I am able to use this head with large four pound telephoto lenses and the head shows absolutely no signs of stressing to hold everything solidly in place. The single lever to control tightness of the ball and rotation of the head is dead simple to use, and clamps down hard with ease...you can easily use one finger to clamp down enough to hold firm.

My only minor complaint is that the RapidConnect plate has a little bit of play in it when locked into the head. It's not enough to move on it's own, but you can definitely wiggle it if you try. The plate is the perfect size to fit a tripod ring on a telephoto lens, and can go relatively un-noticed when mounted directly to the camera body. The little lock lever to prevent you from releasing the quick release accidentally is a nice feature, but I always forget which direction is locked, and which is open. It would also be nice to have a bubble level on the mounting plate of the ball head, but it's not that big of a deal to just look through the finder and compose your shot on your own.

This is a very sturdy ball head, as evidenced by it's heft, weighing in at around 1 pound. It gets the job done, and seems to be able to hold up to trail abuse quite well...I see no signs of grinding or other wear caused by dust from hiking.

I debated about getting a heavier head, but then settled on this head since I really never use a large lens and only mount a Nikon D50 with a Tamron Macro Zoom lens. I mount it on a Manfrotto Pro Tripod. It is such an easy head to adjust and quickly switches to the portrait view from the landscape view. Keep it loose and you can also pan with a little practice. I have owned it now for about a year and it has worked flawlessly. This is my first ball head and there was a slight learning curve. It would be a good idea to work with it for a while before you wanted to use it where you needed to change orientations quickly. I love the RC2 Rapid connect system, but I am still a little wary about leaving the camera attached when I sling the tripod over my shoulder. It does have a locked position, but I still take it easy when relocating for another angle.