Manfrotto MH804-3W 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head

This may be the most compact three way pan head that is heavy enough for my purposes. I have used it extensively, more than a thousand sittings, and it is still smooth.The telescoping handles together with its small size make it easy to fit into a case and transport.

It works, not very sturdy but pretty light. Made of plastic resin, not metal. Good match with my carbon fiber small Manfrotto tripod. Retractable handles are a nice touch, makes it more compact for transporting.

In general I find all Manfrotto products overpriced BUT I will admit they are solid and very well machined plus they seem to last forever. "Expensive but worth it" :-)

Great tripod head. Bought it to replace an 804RC2 that got run over by a car, not a pretty story except that the tripod survived unscathed. The collapsible handles are great, especially for packing in up.

Easy set up, everything is ready to go. Just install on tripod and your ready to go. The MH804-3W is a firm unit, no play when rotating different levers.

Sturdy, easy adjustments, smooth movement. Love the quick release.

I already had the MHXPRO-3W, which has twice the load capacity, is aluminum alloy, tension adjustment dials, and is a few dollars more. Honestly, I wish I had just bought this first. In practice, it seems to be more than capable of everything I need it to do and the MHXPRO-3W is overkill.

Way better than a ball head when using long lenses.

Excellent Manfrotto Head. I recommend.

The sliding handles are great to make the unit smaller for transport. It works well.