Manfrotto 7322YB-BB – a ball head tripod that’s as simple as day

What youre seeing up top is the ball head of a brand new Manfrotto MY Series 7322YB tripod which I got for a steal during one of my trips to the local HMR. If you follow me here on this blog, you’d know that I have a perfectly capable 2-way Samsonite Triton which I sometimes cheat in order to get the third way; I went back and forth when I saw this first on display and finally decided that there was a miniscule possibility of me spotting the same item with equivalent state and quality and therefore ended up taking it home.

Now there’s not much point in running through numbers really, lets just say that on full height its about only level to my eyes and it is about 1.5x the weight of my Triton. It came with its very own bag, a standard with Manfrotto pods… with most pods really, leave for second hand ones. Like my Triton it uses a clip-lock mechanism for the extensions of the feet and unlike it, even the additional central pillar uses the same.

The staggering simplicity of operation is what’s both wonderful and fearful about it; While this is less efficient than a quick release plate attached to the camera body, it screws on quickly enough when the main lever is released. This lever controls and holds everything together and hitting it wrongly will send whatever is attached to it into a spiral and nobody wants that trust me, operating it requires some care.

Another feature unique to it is a configurable joint lock which allows for a lower sprawl and consequently point of view for the attached camera. These are the gray portions on the photo above and they’re activated by using your thumb to swivel it into place. The construction, weight, and feel of a Manfrotto pod really sets it apart from the competition and there’s certainly no regret on my part from taking it home. Sure it takes a little bit more time to set up because of the individual untethered connection between its legs but the flexibility and freedom of movement once the camera is in place cannot be matched by the Triton. As with everything, each has its pros and cons, I’m just really glad to add more options to my toolset.