| Manfrotto 210B (Bogen 3209) Mini Ball-Head |
This is the smallest mini ball-head in the Manfrotto line. I came across this mini- ball head at a local store's clearance for a mere $3 (a $20+ value). It has "bogen #3209" engraved on its base, but I can't find it in the Bogen catalog. It is listed in Manfrotto's with product code 210B. So I guess Bogen has stopped carrying this head. (The smallest head in Bogen's line is 3009, which is marginally larger than this one. I was also informed by Masfrotto that Bogen has a new designation for product code 3209.)
A friend of mine (Haibo Huang of Harvard University) borrowed the thing from me and did a review as follows:
Note that the 80-200 lens is referred to Nikkor AF-Zoom 80-200mm f/2.8D, which is the largest lens in his arsenal.The ball-head is strong enough to hold all other lenses in any orientation, except for 80-200, for which it is only good for near horizontal positions. So if we have the latest version with tripod collar, we would be all set. The real killer is that the dimension is too (guess what?) SMALL. When used on 3021 (the same with 3001), the tripod top plate is so LARGE that the camera can NOT be put into a vertical position. (Assuming the tripod itself is leveled.) The minimum inclination is 15 degrees or so. The rod on the ball has to be at least half an inch longer to give enough clearance. Two minor irritations are (1) hard to fasten camera (2) almost zero drag. Otherwise the ball head is very good and strong, good for all lenses in horizontal position.