Manfrotto 701 HDV Head

By Darr Colburn

I was talking with Steve down at the Outdoorsmans a couple of weeks ago about replacing my tripod head. Jay and I have both used the Manfrotto 701 RC2 for several years and really liked it.  Manfrotto no longer makes that head so Steve suggested the new Manfrotto 701 HDV.  Here is the description of the 701 HDV head from the Manfrotto web site " Developed specifically to support the latest prosumer and professional light, compact HD camcorders, the 701HDV offers an updated design, which has been created for improved ergonomics with locks and knobs that allow for a more solid grip and better control, a better fluidity thanks to improved internal fluid cartridges, a double pan-bar rosette and a bigger sliding plate to optimize the position of the camera considering its centre of gravity."  The 701 HDV weighs 1.81lbs (slightly less than the 701RC2).  I took the new head out elk scouting and was very impressed.  The head is very smooth even with the 15X56 Swarovski binos and the Swarovski spotting scope.  The large adjustable plate locks into place and allows you to adjust the center of gravity of your optics, making the head extra smooth.  I think this will be a great all around head and should work great with the video camera as well.