Manfrotto 504x and Nitrotech 608 Video Heads Review

[@jfphotography69]

I bought the 608 and have not looked back, it's one fantastic fluid head.

[@EmreYazgin]

Hello, I bought one, and the tilt fluid drag knob is making a crackling noise when adjusted a bit hard/fast. Do you have this? Also, how hard is the maximum drag (tilt) ??

[@jfphotography69]

@@EmreYazgin when making the drag adjustment you need to pull the knob out, then make your adjustments according to the weight of the gear on the head, first make sure the weight is properly counter balanced. I have set mine for three quarters "my gear is 10-12lbs most of the time" counter drag weight. The slight noise you are hearing is from the piston as it moves up and down, depending on your adjustment. Again, you need to pull the lever out then make your adjustments, then push it back in. Make sure you have the gear that you will be using on the head.

[@EmreYazgin]

@@jfphotography69 Thanks for the reply, I think you misunderstood me, I am talking about the drag knob not the counterbalance knob. The one that you pull out is counterbalance.

[@jfphotography69]

@@EmreYazgin You mean the knob that sits inside the center of the wingnut "the wingnut is the one that locks it in position", the one that adjusts the tension for the vertical positioning of the gear.

[@EmreYazgin]

@@jfphotography69 yes, how I am talking about that knob. The one that sets the tension for tilt (vertical movement). When set to highest, how much resistance does that create?

[@ferrisakel]

There seem to be durability issues with the 504X. Check the reviews at B&H.

[@APECEpic]

it would be great to get a 608 nitro but online companies retail store fronts cannot ship to Hawai‘i without a freight forwarder . perhaps there is a little lithium battery in it

[@Prashant_singh_photography]

Manfrotto claims payload capacity of 608 fluid head is 13.5kg in video its said 8kg. Please clarify

[@vineetharya3254]

It’s for 612

[@NikCan66]

Always excellent video

[@gee4zfpv]

I’m a little confused- for the 608 you have the counterbalance weight correct but Manfrotto says the max payload is around 30 lbs

[@IddoGenuth]

There are two separate measurements that Manfrotto gives: 1. Safety Payload UNI/PdR 105:2021 - 14 kg 2. Counterbalance Weight - 0-8KG.

[@geertgermonpre7530]

I just bought the 504x to use with my slider. I tried to balance my ursa mini pro with lens and battery (5,5kg) and i can not balance it. It's too heavy.

[@IddoGenuth]

M... we didn't try it with 5.5kg but we tried it with over 3kg and it worked fine - the actual counterbalance should work up to 6.3-6.5kg officially so maybe 5.5 is a little bit too close to its counterbalance limit.

[@ferrisakel]

The counterbalance figure for the 504X has been found by many users, myself included, to have been overstated. It is not sufficient for even reasonable loads, let alone heavy setups.

[@NigelFairhurst]

Thanks for the great video. The counter balance procedure on the 608 looks very complicated and might be difficult to switch between cameras and remembering how to do it??

[@IddoGenuth]

I personally prefer the 504X for that and its simple operation in general.

[@VilkanVisions]

Thanks for that, I was just Looking for Review like that. Can You share dimensions of 504x? I found only hight but I need more 🙂

[@LensVid]

Glad you enjoyed that. I'll need to do some measurements on Sunday when I am back in the studio. What exactly do you want me to measure - the part where the plate sits or the base?

[@VilkanVisions]

@@LensVid width of whole head, I need to know how will it fit to legs and bag from different tripod brand

[@LensVid]

@@VilkanVisions OK I will try and remember to do some measurements on Sunday - if I don't get back to you write another comment here and I will be reminded.

[@IddoGenuth]

@@LensVid OK so I did remember to check and here is what I got - the base is round and has a diameter of 8cm the top part is about 18cm wide with the knobs over 15 cm long (that part with the plate facing forward that is). I hope this helps you and maybe a few others as well.

[@VilkanVisions]

@@IddoGenuth Thank You!

[@qmechkeys]

Thanks for sharing! Is this a friction head with grease or true fluid head? The head doesn't seem to fit fluid cartridges.

[@IddoGenuth]

What head are you talking about? the 608 is a piston head, the 504X is marketed as a fluid head - exactly what Manfrotto put inside I can't say but for the price, it works very well. The premium for a significantly better head (and there are of course much better ones) is pretty high though.

[@qmechkeys]

@@IddoGenuth My bad the 504X. The B&H listing said friction elements but then the B&H staff said it has fluid cartridges.

[@EmreYazgin]

Hello, I bought one, and the tilt fluid drag knob is making a crackling noise when adjusted a bit hard/fast. Do you have this? Also, how hard is the maximum drag (tilt) ??

[@LensVid]

Yeah, there is some noise (not sure if it is the same as what you are hearing). What are you asking what is the max balancing weight?

[@EmreYazgin]

@@LensVid Thanks for your reply. What im asking is how much resistance does the tilt has when the fluid drag knob is at its highest setting? Compared to 502 head, my 608 feels it has much leas resistance. Is it the case?

[@LensVid]

@@EmreYazgin M... The max counterbalance is 8kg but I don't think that this is what you are asking here right?

[@EmreYazgin]

@@LensVid Nope, I mean how big is the resistance of the tilt?

[@IddoGenuth]

@@EmreYazgin I am not sure how to measure this...