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Manfrotto Mini Ball Head 496RC2 | | | | Reviews | Views | Date of last review | | 5 | 12,100 | Sat June 9, 2018 | |  | | Recommended By | Average Price | Average User Rating | | 100% of reviewers | $87.00 | 8.25 | | | | 
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| Author: | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2016 Posts: 242 | | Review Date: June 9, 2018 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: N/A |
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Hi,
I am confused! The April 13, 2016 review above says that the 496RC2 does not support panning? But several others, plus the info at the top, seems to say that it DOES support PANNING?
Can someone clarify that?
I thought the purpose of the second knob was to lock or unlock the panning?
I am asking because I just got a BeFree, which came with the 494RC, which definitely does not pan (it only has one control), and I want panning!
Thanks,
Jim
| | | | | | | Closed Account Registered: March, 2015 Posts: 8,694 | | Review Date: April 13, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $105.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Well built, stable quick release, light weight | | Cons: | Cannot pan | |
The Manfrotto 496RC2 is a basic ball head that is OK on a tripod, but works very well on a monopod. The lack of a panning feature makes this head useless for panoramic landscapes where stitching photographs together is needed. As a basic tripod head it is fine as long as the weight of the camera and lens being used is not too close to its maximum load capacity. Unless a very sturdy tripod is used with this head, it can be difficult to set the camera and lock the head without the camera position dropping down slightly. It is not a precision head but I can recommend it for general use.
Note - The Manfrotto 498RC2 ball head has a panning function. I have also done a review of this head as I own and use both the 496RC2 & the 498RC2.
| | | | | New Member Registered: May, 2012 Posts: 15 | | Review Date: March 19, 2014 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | lightweight, sufficient for generall usage | | Cons: | quite unprecise | |
Fine, relatively cheap (I got mine in kit with 055 tripod). It is such stable in most applications, but 300 mm lenses (on digital) mlu activation is recomended.
I will focus on disadvantages: first, all the locks are made of plastic (no damage I noticed, but I trust metal, these locks seems to be delicate), the second- when the head is off-vertical axis it is hard to locki it precisely- ball slighty wobbles. It makes that head not the best choice for macro, but is negligible in other applications.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 238 | | Review Date: March 3, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Small and easy to handle for DSLR | | Cons: | Not solid enough for 6x7 | |
I had this head some time and liked it very much - easy to handel and not to heavy - but finally I replaced it by a 498 because that can carry my heavy 6x7 camera
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285 | | Review Date: July 4, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $68.99
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Smooth movement, firm engagement, friction control knob | | Cons: | No level on the tripod head | |
The 496 model apparently incorporates a number of improvements over older models, and it will hold more weight than the 494RC2. The new friction control knob allows improved control when handling the camera and making micro movements without having to totally lock and unlock the ball head. The locking lever can be pulled out to reposition the lever at a different angle without unlocking the ball, this allows you to put the lever at the angle most comfortable for your use - nice feature. Weight is reduced by two oval cutouts on the sides of the head.
The 496RC2 is equipped with the compact, rectangular 200PL-14 quick release plate system. The compact, rectangular 200PL quick release plate system fits neatly under small-bodied dSLRs, its rubber pad gives a good grip without damaging the camera, and its angled sides ensure that it also fits perfectly and tightly into the Manfrotto 496 head. My copy came with three 200PL-14s allowing me to have one on each camera and an extra if I need it for a telephoto with tripod mount. 
Currently mine is atop my Dolica Proline Aluminum tripod and it fits nicely into the bag that it came with too
You need to know that it has a 3/8 female inch thread on the base, so if your tripod/monopod has a 1/4 inch screw, you will need to buy a 1/4 to 3/8 inch adapter.
UPDATE 12/28/14: Still going strong after 3.5 years. It now rests atop my 055XPRO Manfrotto tripod where it is even more steady than it was on the Dolica. Extra plates have been acquired from Chinese sellers for $6 a piece so my two longest lenses have dedicated plates. Looks like it was just taken out of the box - this thing is solid.
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