Review on Manfrotto Center Bundled ZAYKiR 200PL PRO by Dave Giri

I have mixed feelings about the Manfrotto MH494 ball head with 200PL-Pro quick release plate. I'll start with the head itself. Even when the tension is completely released and the locking handle is released, the movement of the bullet is uneven and not smooth. While I was enjoying a ball head from a Chinese manufacturer that moved as smoothly as glass, I wrongly assumed that the latest technology from this legendary Italian brand would be even smoother. I couldn't be more wrong. The position of the grips is the opposite of what a person holding the trigger with their right hand would want. The photographer adjusted the ball fixation knob with his left hand. Manfrotto placed this handle further away from the person when it wanted to rotate the orientation between landscape and portrait (see attached photo). On the plus side, both handles are designed with grooves that make them easier to operate with clumsy hands or gloves. Another plus is that since the post from the ball to the QR plate is slightly longer, the tripod legs fit easily between the ends of the ball head when folded (see attached photo). The ball head seems very strong and will most likely handle more torque than the QR clamp. Photographers and manufacturers emphasize how much weight a ball head can support, but that's misleading. What matters is how much torque it can support. As for the quick release (QR) release, I found that it didn't fully lock when a camera was attached to it with the matching QR plate. You must also press the locking lever. When the clamp is released, it is difficult to keep the clamp open. It wants to close. Finally, the contact area between the clamp and the plate, as well as the clamping force, are not that great. I don't want to put a heavy and expensive camera and lens on this clamp. As it is too late for me to return the ballhead to the seller, I have replaced the QR clip with an Arca-Swiss (RRS) style QR clip. I had to buy a small adapter for this, but everything was easy. The Arca clamp is much stronger. If you already have Manfrotto RC2 and Arca-Swiss QR clamps, you can use them with the 200PL-Pro quick release plate with just one QR plate. I personally often use the Arca-Swiss compatible L-Bracket. In addition, most of the other clips and plates are Arca-Swiss style. So I put the Manfrotto QR clamp and plate aside and use Arca-Swiss style on everything. Since I absolutely need a smooth glass ball head on my tripod, I attached this ball head to my monopod. On a monopod, I don't move the ball head as often as I do on a tripod. So this is a reasonable solution to save this. Would I buy this ball head and QR plate again? no