Manfrotto 322RC2 Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate (3157N)

I bought this on recommendation from a couple fellow photographers. While it is by far better then some of my previous ones, it's not quite perfect.

Pros:
- Quick attach/detach of camera
- Super quick to reorient thanks to the action grip
- Ability to change from handle grip to pistol grip
- Adjustable firmness for grip itself (not the grip on the ball, but the movement)

Cons:
- Does not grip 100% on portrait mode..slips, which is disappointing. Noticed the slip with my D300 and a 18-200 VR lens...should be able to hold that easily.
- Have to use handle facing forward or you cannot orient the camera up more then 10 degrees...put the camera on with handle facing front and you you have much more vertical control, though you have to reach around to move it.

It's a decent middle of the road ball head, but it's definitely NOT the same quality as a Really Right Stuff ballhead. But for who had $500-600 for a BH-55. :)

I bought this head with a multi-purpose in mind. i shoot wildlife, still life and landscapes. It is by far the handiest head I've owned. forget leveling the tripod with the pan/tilt heads. A simple squeeze of the lever and level the camera. I was apprehensive when ordering as I shoot wildlife with the Sigma 50-500 (4 pounds alone) mounted on a Canon 40D with grip....pretty hefty. The head is solid and doesn't move when the lever is released. the friction adjustment works great!

I find it a slight inconvienence to take photos while panning as both the head lever and shutter button on the camera are on the same side of my body, casing me to have both my hands very near each other to pan and shoot....but its a minor thing to deal with.

This is a great tripod head. It has a quality build and is very versatile. It came shipped in the right-hand operation configuration (as shown), but I easily converted it to be controlled with my left hand. I found this to be a much more natural position allowing my right hand to hold the camera grip, manipulate the camera position, and fire the shutter of my DSLR.

While the concept of a ball head adjustable with a hand-held grip is nice, in practice I have found this head to be too heavy and obtrusive when traveling. The hand-grip also requires more-than-expected force, and one's hand can quickly grow sore. I have returned this item in exchange for a much lighter and less obtrusive Gitzo ball head.

This is a fun ball head to work with, very stable and has a bubble level if you need it. I'm not sure the level will do much for you if you move the mounting plate. The plate can be moved from the location on the handle shown in the picture to the base of the handle. The only reason I can imagine anyone doing that would be to get a few extra inches of height, or if you like vertically positioning your camera more than the normal horizontal so that the level worked for vertical instead of horizontal.