Manfrotto 303SPH Panoramic Head

Comments about Manfrotto 303SPH Panoramic Head:

Pros
Itís built like a tank with excellent attention to detail.
It has all the useful measurements marked on it allowing for the re-setting of the nodal point with ease, once calibrated correctly.
Important (and otherwise easy to lose screws!) are attached via wire grips to the head itself.
Inclusion of the 300N panoramic head at the base allows for the interval angle between shots to be easily and rapidly changed! No messing about with detents rings.
With a little bit of effort this head is both easy to setup and use allowing for great shots to be taken!!

Cons
Nodal point can be a little tricky to find (true with all heads like these)
Itís heavy; you will need a strong tripod to mount this on, and strong arms to carry it around all day!
There is a small degree of vibration when using a large camera e.g. 1D series, particularly when using exposure bracketing (this can be prevented by using mirror lockup and in some cases holding the head to prevent against vibration.
The most irritating missing option is a spirit level, it would have been so easy to include in the design! I have lost count the number of times I have forgotten my horse shoe spirit level and found following stitching together my panoramas have curved horizons!!! I would recommend a bullís-eye spirit level to attach to the head itself (very cheap from EBay).
This head cannot shoot a proper nadir shot; this may or may not be important for you, if it is then perhaps a nodal ninja maybe better.

Overall itís a great bit of kit; however do take the time to find the nodal for your lens, otherwise frustration and annoyance will be your only friends as you look at your misaligned panoramas on your computer screen!

Comments about Manfrotto 303SPH Panoramic Head:

After the initial headscratching when trying to work out which way to set it up on the tripod and aligning the lens, this tripod head works exceptionally well.
It is sturdy and well made and will stand the test of time, I'm sure.
Defining the nodal point is a little challenging to begin with - but if your organised and make notes on your lens position settings then future sets ups can be achieved with relative ease.