Giottos MH-1001 Pro Medium Ball Head with Independent Panning Lock and Built-in MH652 Quick Release - Supports 17.6 lbs

I bought this and used it for about a year with a lightweight camera and lens and found nothing wrong with it. Then I bought a heavier lens (Nikon d80 camera plus Nikkor 70-200 VR weighs about 5 pounds.) The ball head is advertised as good for 17 pounds without a problem. I therefore assumed it would hold five pounds without slipping. I was wrong. Unless I tightened both the knobs to the maximum it would not even hold the lens when the lens was pointed more or less parallel to the ground. At any angle (except _exactly_ horizontal), no matter how tight the knobs were, it would not hold its position with a five pound camera and lens. By the time I discovered this, it was no longer a returnable item (understandably enough) but when I wrote to Giottos, explaining that they were either advertising an extremely light-duty ball head misleadingly, or I had been sold one with a manufacturing defect, they asked me to email them photographs of the ball head (I guess as proof I had one) and after I did they refused any futher email correspondence with me.

So it's in my box of camera junk. I can't in good conscience sell it, but I can in good conscience warn others not to buy it. I actually don't know if it was an individually defective item, or if it is a light duty head sold with false advertising. Given Giottos response to my emails, there is no way to find out.

Caveat emptor.

Hi, I just received my Giottos MH-1001 with a built-in MH652 Quick Release plate and let me tell you it's great. I looked for reviews online before i buy this, and none make it justice. Its a great product and would recomended it to any amateur, semi-pro photographer.

I have a Nikon D50 and using my 70-300mm it supports it perfectly. Its not to heavy, and I love the quick release, its very solid and it feels and looks very profesional.

Bought this for my new Giottos Lava tripod (LOVE it by the way), in an attempt to save some weight. It only weighs about 1 pound and is rock solid. Considering the size, I was rather impressed. I am coming off of a high end Manfrotto with a 2" ball and while there is definitely a difference in performance (that head cost nearly $200 more than the Giottos after all), the weight difference more than compensated.

Unfortunately I will likely get rid of this head, even though I just bought it last week. There are no problems at all but I find the controls to be backwards, by my preference that is. I keep adjusting the tension when I want to release the head. I do not consider this to be a design issue, just a matter of my personal preferences.