I wanted to share my setup with hope that someone might find it useful.

I purchased the Atlas 10 (with vertical kit) a few months ago. I needed to find a ball head to use that would allow my NX5 to go vertical without the flipout LCD getting in the way of, or coming into contact with the slider. I was also hoping to find something that was compatible with my Manfrotto 501 PL quick release plates. I ended up finding the Manfrotto 057 Magnesium Ball Head with Q5 Quick Release. This head is nothing short of amazng for my setup. Not only is the quick release built right in (dont have to use any adapters), but it includes 3 bubble levels for vertical and horizontal shooting. The head is tall enough that when set to vertical mode, the camera juts out far enough that it doesn't come into contact with the slider yet still allows the cameras LCD screen to be completly visible. The head is rated to support 33lbs which is far more weight than I would ever put on it but it's nice to know that it will easily support my NX5. I suppose the only downside with this head (or any ball head for that matter) is that you can't do any pans but it works great for about 99% of my shooting needs.

Hi Michael, thanks for posting this up. I just picked up an Atlas 10 myself and am in need of some sort of mount for the camera (I thought a simple quick release adapter would work - but I can't get it to mount facing forward).

How do you find the 057 for general operation? Do you ever wish you had a small tripod head instead for extra control whilst performing slider moves? Or do you find 3' slider moves to small to require manipulation mid-slide?

How do you find the 057 for general operation? Do you ever wish you had a small tripod head instead for extra control whilst performing slider moves? Or do you find 3' slider moves to small to require manipulation mid-slide?

I love using the 057 for most of my slider shots. It makes the process of switching from horizontal to vertical operation extremely quick and easy. I do have a few extra tripod heads laying around that I can and do in fact use sometimes if I need to make more complex moves mid-slide but I would say that the 057 pretty much lives on my Atlas 10 the majority of the time.

Thanks, I've put in an order for one, so hopefully it does the job for me too.