Recently I ordered an 8×10 wet plate camera from BlackArt Woodcraft and along with a new camera comes the possibility of being able to mount it on a tripod. The absolute biggest advantage the new camera will have! The only “problem” being left is that my current tripod is a Manfrotto 190XB with a 141RC head; able to carry up to 5 kilos. My current wet plate camera already weighs 5,3 kilos so I guess you can see the issue here.
About 1 1/2 weeks ago we ran into a second-hand geared head on the internet, the Manfrotto 400, the biggest there is out there especially made for large format cameras. Going price new: about €850,- Second hand: way doable at €275,-! So my boyfriend, as sweet as he is, ordered the head and today we picked up the package. Man, that thing is B.I.G.!!! Oh, and heavy and very wowie to use! With my D200 connected it looks totally ridiculous; that thing is bigger than my camera lol! But luckily I don’t use that camera that often anymore (though for jewelry and such this will be marvelous to work with) and it’s perfect for large formats. Just a heavier tripod and then that’s done too!
Yihaa!
Photography Contrastique - Alternative Photographic Processes 
great head but expensive,i am thinking to buy the junior 410, what do you think about it?
Hi,
I bought the head second hand otherwise I couldn’t have bought it either.
The 410 is also a very beautiful head. It depends on how much weight it needs to carry. I believe it can handle up to 5 kilos? I needed more for my large camera, that’s why I went for the big one. If it’s for an SLR or mid format you should be fine with the 410.
Good luck!
Indra