Product Description The 701RC2 is one of the most compact and lightweight 2-movement head found on the market, and was designed principally to support the latest digital video equipment, including Mini DV and professional grade DVCAMs. In addition, the 701RC2 is well-suited for still photography cameras with medium and long telephoto lenses. The 701RC2 has a fixed length pan bar with a soft handle and separate locking mechanisms. It is also equipped with a sliding quick-release video plate system and a fixed counter-balance spring to perfectly position uneven loads. 1 Pan Handle Tilt - +75 to -70 degrees Tilt Drag - Fixed Independent Tilt Lock Spring Counterbalance QR Plate Supplied Supplied with 1/4 inch camera screw Weight - 1.85 pounds
Good video headSeptember 7, 2008 Very fluid motion in all directions. Has mechanism to balance the camera in place when you let go of the handle.
Doesn't Stay LevelAugust 29, 2008 For the money, this is not a bad fluid-action pan/tilt head, and at first it seems to be made with high precision and strength, which of course is great.
BUT, after using it for more than a year, and having constant problems levelling my camera, I realized that the head goes out of level when you pan it! Seriously, I set the tripod/head/camera to perfectly level (which is often a several-minute procedure) then pan 90 degrees, and it's out of level! If you watch closely as you pan, you can see that the mechanism is not flat.
Big flaw in an otherwise fantastic head.
Great toolAugust 18, 2008 I mounted this fluid head on a Joby GP3-01EN Gorillapod SLR-Zoom Flexible Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras and used it to video wildlife on a safari in Kenya. I would wrap the Gorillapod legs around the rollbar of the Land Rover and use the bubble on the fluid head to get it level. With the huge zoom I had I don't know how I could have gotten some of the shots I did without this setup.
Pan drag not adequateJuly 28, 2008 I compared the 701rc2 to the discontinued Manfrotto 3130 and found this item to be seriously lacking.
1) The pan drag cannot really be tensioned despite the use of the locks. This means it's really hard to do a smooth pan at high zoom levels as there's no back tension to push against. You have to be able to vary the drag due to different cameras used. While one can argue the locks are locks and not a drag lever, on the 3130 the locks can also be used to increase drag, and this is true of even the high end Vintens. Inability to control drag with any precision is a deal breaker.
2) The fluid head only seems to impact the tilt (up/down) motion, in this aspect it's pretty good.
3)The receiver for the QR (quick release) plate is not a smooth action as one slides it back and forth, suggesting less than precise finish. I noticed this on two different units, so it's not a fluke.
4) I really don't care for the QR release lever sticking out from the body when the QR plate is in the camcorder. It seems far too likely to catch on something, possibly dumping a very expensive camcorder on the ground. Yikes! I returned this item after testing.
By the way, if you really care about shooting good video, get a good tripod. You'll do so eventually.
Bogen / Manfrotto 701RC2November 27, 2007 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Perfect product for my spotting scope as well as my heavy Canon camera and lenses.
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