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| |  | Tripod Heads | Home » » » Manfrotto 501HDV Video Head - Replaces 501 | | | | | | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 15.67 inches | | Product Width:
| 4.33 inches | | Product Height:
| 2.76 inches | | Product Weight:
| 3.53 pounds | | Package Length:
| 15.83 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.69 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.88 inches | | Package Weight:
| 3.97 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 22 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 22 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 found the following review helpful:
Good Compatibility with the DVX-100aJan 07, 2009
By Tim Gooch
"Why waste time cursing darkness if you can light candles?"
I've been doing micro-budget indie video productions for about a year now, and recently upgraded my tripod (a Bogen knock-off) with the 501HDV. There are a couple of things to note.
First, if you've never seen one in person, this head is larger than any of the cheap heads that you've seen on $69-150 tripods. It's also really solid. As a result, people who see this sitting on top of my ultra-cheap tripod legs ignore the legs, see the head, and assume that I know what I'm doing. (I don't, but I'm not going to disavow them of that assumption.) The only downside to this is that it could overwhelm less-serious legs due to it's size/weight. The legs I'm using are a knock-off of these: Manfrotto 190XDB 3 Section Aluminum Tripod Note: I do NOT recommend this as an ideal combination, but it IS workable/usable, presuming that you keep the legs set at the wider angle.
Second, the spring counterbalance works pretty well, but is designed for cameras that are at least as heavy as the DVX-100a. If your camera is lighter than 3.7 lbs, you may find that the spring balance (which is NOT adjustable, as far as I can tell) is too strong, and will always force the head back to horizontal. As it is, I can tilt down or up a good 30 degrees, with the lightest tilt resistance setting, and the camera is perfectly still and stable. (If you want more flexibility in this regard, the 503HDV offers a range of counterbalance adjustments, for another $160.)
The mounting plate (which adjusts fore/aft to balance the camera) works well, and the safety release keeps the camera from sliding out the front. Given the cost of the DVX, it's somewhat comforting to know that it's not going to slip out the front of the mount, and will require me to hold down the safety release to remove it from the rear.
As long as you don't expect this head to be more than it is, you'll have a hard time finding something equivalent for less money. This is a really good video head for someone using an entry-level prosumer camera, who wants to move up from the low-end gear without breaking the bank.
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 For the DSLR Video World, This is Best Choice for Your BuckMar 31, 2011
By PD
Have y'all noticed the mixed reviews? Some think this head is superb, others hate it. I think for the long-time video pro this head is too entry-level, it defintely won't be fluid enough when starting or stopping a pan (the rubber-band trick does help). But for us photographers that had the video world slammed down upon us (with much joy I might add) in 2008 when the 5D Mark II changed the game forever, we admittedly have been thrown into this video world full force, and to be honest, we had no idea what we were getting into. The video quality we can now produce is insane, but hand-holding a DSLR for video is a total waste of time (newcomers to DSLR video, read that last sentence again... without a tripod, monopod or a rig made for hand-holding, your video will look as amateur as it gets). THEREFORE, if you are in the new world now and want to get a good working video head without maxing out your credit card, this 501HDV shines and in a big way. It's a great fit with the 055XPROB tripod (the video world calls tripod legs "sticks", FYI), and this combo will give you a great setup and smooth panning. The video pro may not be enamored with the smoothness, but believe me, us still photographers who are now bit by the video bug will go bananas for the way this head feels with a DSLR attached. After using it you'll understand why a ball head is totally useless for video. One thing to note: the pictures are misleading, this head is way bigger than it looks. I went WHOA when I unpacked it.
Last thought: I made the mistake of selling my ball head and thought I could use this 501HDV for both photo and video. WRONG. If you shoot 100% landscape orientation then you can, but if you shoot vertical stills on a tripod (and of course you will), you CANNOT lock down this head well enough to do that. Keep your stills tripod, and go for this head and a set of Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro "sticks". This tripod is beefy enough to handle the huge 501HDV. I ended up buying another set-up for stills (055CXPRO3 with a 498RC2 ball head). You really do need two tripods, one for video, one for stills. You can start out with one tripod and switch heads, but that'll get old in a hurry, believe me.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Outstanding, even with small camcorders (Canon HF10)Oct 23, 2009
By Ken Elliott
"masterofgoingfaster"
I'm a pro still photographer, so I have plenty of equipment for SLR cameras. I wanted a head that would fit my existing Gitzo tripod, and hold my Canon HF10. I tried others, but they either flex, made it difficult to smoothly pan and tilt, or had other issues. I was concerned that this head would be too large for my tiny camcorder. Well, it is huge - much larger than the camcorder - but the combination works great.
The head has a built-in spring to counter-balance the weight of the camcorder when tilting. I was concerned that it would be too strong and push the camcorder back up - adding a bit of drag (via the right hand knob) took care of that. It does take a bit of practice to fine the best drag settings for both tilt and pan. Practice a bit with the camera zoomed all the way out and you'll figure it out pretty quickly. The head is big and heavy, with may put some off. But big and heavy is a requirement for getting smooth moves. Any tripod that is good for this head won't be light either.
To sum it up - this is a great head for anyone who is serious about trying to make smooth moves with their lightweight/prosumer/consumer camcorders. If you have a heavier camcorder, you might want to look at the more expensive Manfrotto 503 head, with adjustable spring tension. But this head is very good and a very reasonable price for what you get. Mate it to a good set of legs.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Smooth While It's MovingFeb 12, 2009
By Halibut
A bit of a lurch when you start a pan, combined with bounce-back when you stop. Same for tilt operations. The HMC150 I use with it is very lightweight, which probably contributes to the problem. For a lightweight head that stays with me any time I have the videocam - It's O. K.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Great head, you just have to know how to use it.Jul 28, 2011
By Paul Lewis
I've used a lot of tripods, from $60 cheapo tripods to $6000 studio tripods, and even a few pan/tilt heads. I chose the 501HDV head because it's built strong and works really well with my 60d setup. Honestly I've never had a problem doing pans and stuff with this head, that's actually what I got it for. The balance system makes doing tilts really easy, I just adjust the resistance and let it tilt itself. Pans are easy as the head offers enough resistance to keep your hands steady. Pair this head with a nice set of sticks, or even just pick up one of the kits, and you'll be ready to go.
Overall I would suggest this to anyone who wants a nice video head that's built tough and works well. If you're already looking at a tripod in the $200-$300 range, I would save a couple hundred more and go for this, you'll be happy you did.
See all 22 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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