Manfrotto MH804-3W

This may be the most compact three way pan head that is heavy enough for my purposes. I have used it extensively, more than a thousand sittings, and it is still smooth. The telescoping handles together with its small size make it easy to fit into a case and transport. The plastic quick release works well but it is too flexible for my use. I mount a Custom Brackets flash bracket on it and it does seem to flex enough to make me nervous at first but I am getting used to it. I would give it five stars if this release were more rigid. Because I use a much stiffer release plate from Custom Brackets I would prefer that it had no release plate.

Sturdy, easy adjustments, smooth movement. Love the quick release.

I already had the MHXPRO-3W, which has twice the load capacity, is aluminum alloy, tension adjustment dials, and is a few dollars more. Honestly, I wish I had just bought this first. In practice, it seems to be more than capable of everything I need it to do and the MHXPRO-3W is overkill. This head was bought specifically to use on a Sirui HA-77 horizontal arm. The D800 will be pointed straight down, so while a ballhead would've been smaller and probably cheaper, finding one that doesn't drift in that scenario would be frustrating or more expensive. 3-way heads are just more reliable, imo. This one is solid, I have no complaints other than maybe the size/weight.

Way better than a ball head when using long lenses.

In general I find all Manfrotto products overpriced BUT I will admit they are solid and very well machined plus they seem to last forever. "Expensive but worth it" :-)