Equipment Reviews

Manfrotto 222 Joystick Grip Action Head

This head has a trigger control enabling very quick movement or locking of the camera position. As the name suggests it works well for sports or nature action photography. However, the maximum load is only 2.5kg and mine eventually struggled to cope with some of the lenses I use for these subjects. If you need to check whether it is suitable for a particular outfit then the Manfrotto website has a handy section that will show you all the tripods and heads they provide for that set up.

The trigger tension can be adjusted and there is a secondary safety catch to prevent the quick release plate parting company from the head.

For macro work I found that the head would show too much movement when it locked down but for more normal range subjects it worked well.

Overall, it is a reliable head for medium weight outfit.

Overall Rating: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Value for money: 3/5
Build quality: 4/5


Pros: rapid trigger mechanism
Cons: not ideal for macro work