It’s difficult to make a tripod head sound sexy. Pretty much all adhere to one of a handful of designs, and as long as they move as we expect and stay in place when we want them to, we can't reasonably expect too much else.

Even Manfrotto’s latest Nitrotech N8 video head appears to be designed along fairly conventional lines, although its name and vibrant red core suggests something a little different is going on inside.

That difference is nitrogen-powered gas piston technology, dubbed NITRO, which guarantees continuous counterbalance for mounted systems weighing up to 8kg.

Together with the Variable Fluid Drag system that’s featured on previous Manfrotto heads, the company reckons you can get smooth, precise and judder-free movements as you pan and tilt.

The head itself tilts over a 160degree range and pan around a full 360degrees, while the familiar Easy Link system lets you attach LED panels, monitors and other accessories through an arm, with its ridged design preventing these from rotating when mounted.

Crafted from aluminum and finished with a handful of trademark red details, the Nitrotech N8 also features a flat base with a 75mm diameter to allow you to mount it onto a range of sliders, jibs, cranes or just a plain old set of legs if you desire.

With a standard 3/8in thread you can use it with an existing set of legs if you have these already, although Manfrotto has also prepared a triplet of head-and-legs bundles, with both aluminium and carbon fiber options, for those who want to invest in a whole kit.

The N8's long mounting plate slides in and out of the head, and features metric markers for precise adjustment, but you can just quickly and simply clip the plate in from above and lock it with a knob to the side. There’s also a single bubble level that lies horizontally, and this is cleverly illuminated to give you a hand wherever you happen to be setting up.

Manfrotto promises this to be the first model in a new range, so if it’s not quite perfect you may be in luck yet. If, however, it has won you over, head over to Manfrotto’s website as you can order one already.

2017-4-28 03:00