Giottos MH 1001 Ball Head

I have been using this head for more than 5 years. Yes, the retaining ring came loose early on and blocked the slot. Surely Giottos has changed the glue or started using enough of it by now - the original glue probably covered 2mm of the ring. I scratched the old, poorly applied glue off with a fingernail and reglued with some thin CA - a 30 second repair. No problems for more than 5 years after that, and the head is going strong. The base rotation on mine is beautifully damped and steady as a rock. The ball itself is plenty smooth. I find the pre-tension knob works just fine so long as you don't try to use it for the lock. The locking action is more than adequate. I have not had any problems with locking creep or holding power. I often have a heavy lens (like all metal 80-200 f2.8) mounted on this head, and I carry it horizontally by the tripod's center post, Everything stays secure. I'm sure there are better heads out there, but they're not twice, three or four times as good. No one is going to miss a shot becuase this head did not perform properly. It does what it's supposed to do. Putting aside the one minor defect, which was apparently common, the thing is built like a tank and it has held up to years of use with no other problems of loss of quality.

Value, function, appearance

Minor built quality issue with my early unit - apparently a common problem but easily remedied.

Slik Pro Ball

None required

I bought my Giotto new a few years back and used along with my A-1 35mm it has always worked perfectly for me - everything is as smooth and tight as when it was new. I see in some other Giotto reviews that there are complaints of things coming loose and sloppiness in the mechanism - if that's the case, then why didn't those reviewers return their ball heads under warranty for replacement?

Works like a ball head should.

Can't think of any.

Not an acceptable product. There is play in the base which is supposed to be rotatable for panning with no way to adjust out play. Ring which holds ball tight came loose and spins in head, again with no obvious solution.

Lots of features, pretty

Features work poorly, parts have come apart, not smooth, locks poorly, is rated for 13 pounds and can't hold 3 pounds without compensating for droop.

Slik pro ball 800, bogen 3065

Currently at giottos for repair of ring which came loose.. will sell afterwords.

I bought this head to replace my aging Manfrotto due to it's inability to adjust any torque settings to allow a smooth tilt motion. I have only used the Giotto on a Monopod. Since using it I have found it to be an excellent tool for my photography. I have not experienced any sign of seizing or the inner ring coming loose. I doo like the larger knob being used for locking with the smaller being for torque adjustments.

Inexpensive and works very well for me in the field

The attachment being a screw in to the lens/camera bracket tends to loosen if its not fully tightened. I'm investigating attaching a quick release plate system to the ball head, hopefuly using a Arca-Swiss style plate.

Manfrotto ball head, very early production model

never used so far

I bought this after reading several other reviews. Although it is solidly built, it's not even slightly smooth at all. Once any amount of friction control is used, it's very hard to fine tune and make small movements. Also, after about 10 minutes of trying it out, the circular ring that holds the ball in place came unglued. This caused it to rotate around and block the slot that allows for 90 degree angles. However, this was quickly fixed with some glue. After fighting with this for a year, I finally shelled out the dough for a Kirk BH-3. What a difference! I fully recommend not wasting money on the Giotto head, and saving to buy something of higher quality.

Price, Size, Build Quality (except for the Ring that needs to be re-glued)

Not Smooth, Build Quality (because of the crappy ring that needs to be re-glued) Unfortunately, you really do get what you pay for!

Slik Pan & Tilt, Now a Kirk BH-3 (A Great Ball Head!)

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