Is my 501 broken or am I missing something.
 

I got my 501 head in January. Now I'm noticing a jump when panning to the left only. Everything else is smooth. I've tried loosening and tightening everything but nothing seems to make a difference. Am I in trouble here and need service, or is there something else I can do?

Check the tightness of the head to the sticks. Three screws underneath... sounds to me like those are loose.

Also, I have the 3246 Manfrotto, and if the geared center column is not locked, there is significant play when panning.

Try locking those up if it pertains to you.

Cheers!

Hey Chris thanks. One of the screws was just a tad bit loose. Tightened it up and all is well again.

bogen 501 - no horizontal adjustment?
 

i had been using an old velbon my dad probably bought in 1980 for the past few years and it finally went on the fritz recently, so i figured it was time for something quite a bit nicer.

I picked up the bogen 3021 Pro legs and a 501 head today after doing some looking around and feeling pretty scure with the choice.

As luck would have it, i seemingly didnt realize that the 501 head doesnt have any kind of horizontal compensation mechanism...i.e: it pans left/right and i can move it up/down, but i cant adjust at all for unlevel ground with the head itself.

obviously i can mess with the legs, but it seems that would take a lot longer than a simple adjustment on the head.

is this typical for "fluid heads" or is it simply a matter of choosing a different fluid head? I like the head a lot, it feels good, (even though i havent even mounted any camera on it yet) and it seemed like a good value for the money as well as a dependable brand name.

Hi Trey

I have the 501 and find it a very good solid video head.....
I use mine on an old set of Gitzo legs and had the same problem.

You need to get the Manfrotto/Bogen Levelling head that fits between the two.... they cost around 60-70$.

Do a search on say Yahoo 'Bogen levelling head' and you'll find what I mean..

They work really well...

cheers

Gareth

Hello Trey,
Professional field tripods and heads for video feature a ball-leveling mechanism that enables you to quickly level the head on uneven ground.

Your 3021 legs feature a center column instead of a bowl into which such a mechanism would normally be. Also, I think that the 501 head is not designed as a ball-leveling head.

But Manfrotto does make an accessory ball-leveler that fits between a tripod's center column and a flat-footed head. It might be just what you're looking for. See the Manfrotto page on this product.

Hey, how is the golf swing analysis going?

thanks for the replys fellas...

i got the 3021 PRO instead of the regs because they did hvae a the bubble level in them and it wasnt but a few bucks more.

i'll have to check into that ball-level mech, ill also check into a couple other heads maybe, im just wondering if there is one that has it built in as that may be easier/better, although i think the bogen heads get quite a bit more pricey if moving up after the 501 model.

Bogen also sells the column and leveler combo, the 555B.

I have the 3502 ball leveller under my 501 head and it works great. You can't see the spirit level on the leveller (the 501 head covers it), but you can use the one one the head itself.

Missing screws, etc. for 501 Head
 

Hi guys, I have a 3 Manfrotto 501 heads all with missing pieces and was wondering where I could get replacements, since I have seem to come up dry at B&H. Specifically, I am missing 1 tilt tension screw, and 2 tripod plate lock screws. Also, anyone know of a good place to get replacement screws for normal 501 quick-release plates. Thanks a ton for any leads!

-David Frank

http://www.bogenimaging.us/service/service1.htm#Parts :-)

Thanks Bill. Always go to the source!

-David Frank

Unless you know the hardware section of your local store better than the employees, like I do. :-)

New Head, 501hdv results?
 

I just barely saw the new 501HDV head in a magazine and it looks impressive (from an artistic viewpoint). Has anyone tried it out and see if it is better than the old 501. I used to own the 501 and I didn't like it much, in fact I like my 701rc2 much better. This seems comprible to the 503 head, but I bet that Bogen intentionally made sure that the new 501hdv sticks in pans as much, or has some sort of deficiency that makes it hard to get good results, but I would like to be proven wrong.

Thanks in advance,

Holly

Holly, see my post here: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=86894

Not a full review (only had the system six hours!) but first impressions are that it is a great improvement.

I'll be trying it out on a location shoot on Monday and then for two weeks shooting a documentary in Africa. When I get back I'll try and remember to report my findings.

Ian . . .