Is anyone familiar with the Bogen 116 fluid head? Is it the older model 516? Or the older model 3066? Or something else?

Is their a great difference between the older and newer models?The old looks to be made of metal and the new of plastic. What are the differences?

Would I be better off with an old 116 or a new 501?

Thanks for the help.
Jim

What camera are your looking to support?

oh yeah. . . xl-1

If you're on a modest budget go with at least a Bogen 501 or better, with a good set of legs. As near as I can tell, the "116" model you mentioned isn't even a video head; it's a photo "pan and tilt" head. (Bogen and Manfrotto have more product models than a junkyard dog has fleas.) To provide decent support for the XL1 you should budget at least $300 for head and leg combinations.

Use the "Search" facility (above) andd you'll find abundant discussions on tripods and heads here.

I agree with you about the 'dog to fleas' as 'Bogen to product numbers'. I've been checking out the info on the site, it has helped quite a bit. I was just curious about this head, which I haven't seen mentioned anywhere.
From what I can gather, it is a video head. I know it's a fluid head (they don't make photo fluid heads do they?). And I know it was originally sold as a kit with the 3061 tripod and a heavy duty tripod dolly. This all makes me think it's a video head . . . But, who knows?
Perhaps one of these days bogen/manfrotto will decide on a common and logical numbering system.
jim

Amen! I think Manfrotto bought Bogen a few years back and tried to somehow merge product numbers. But in the process they also decided to keep some of the Bogen id's. Meanwhile Manfrotto bought Gitzo and the whole family's become a stew of models. The closest to the "116" I could find on Manfrotto's site was a tilt and pan photo head. Bogen's site showed no such model that I could find.

The whole world with the exception of the US uses the Manfrotto numbers. I think they are moving towards using only the Manfrotto numbering. Manfrotto, Avenger and Gitzo, that'll be a real shimozzle.

I have the lowly 136 head and it works just fine with my VX2K. It is made of Aluminum, not plastic.
www.manfrotto.com

There is a cross reference but it's far from complete.

The Manfrotto 116MK3 video head is the same as the US (Bogen) 3066. Information on the head can be found here http://www.bogenphoto.com/product/templates/templates.php3?sectionid=79&itemid=285 this head has been around for some time in various forms. The older heads look slightly different than the one shown.

Jeff

At$325 US it isn't a cheapy! The 501 is only $130 at B&H.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh2.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___5322___BO3066___REG___CatID=0___SID=F2AE53 25A90

I'l be hang swangled. That's the same as the "116"? I have that head on a set of Manfrotto legs! (In addition to my Miller.) It's a very heavy-duty head and I actually like its weight, movement and good controls. But it's a honker and really too large for, say, a GL2. Weighing-in at nearly 8 lbs it's designed for a substantial set of legs. Jim, you should note that it normally fits to a geared center column, although it can be adapted to a 100mm ball.

Alright. . .
So I ended up buying the '116' or 3066 head. I got it used with a set of 3061 legs.
The things a tank. Certainly all I need for an xl-1. I wanted sturdy legs to support a homemade jib.
I ended up paying about $180 (US) including shipping. I got it off e-bay (I know many of you hate it, but this was a damn good deal).

I'm more than happy with it. I got better legs and a better head than I expected for about half of what I expected to pay. I'd keep my eyes open for bogen products labeled with the non-american system. Perhaps better deals can be found like this.

Thank you all for your help.
Jim