Manfrotto 785B Tripod

I bought this tripod some years ago to use primarily for when I was traveling and wanted the stability of a tripod, but not the bulky size.  Now mind you, this tripod was not, and is not intended to take the place of a sturdy well made carbon fiber tripod.  But it does fill a need when you want to go small and light.

Closed, this unit is only a little over 17 inches long and can be extended to 50 inches (not using the center shaft which will get you another 9 inches)  It also only weighs in at a bit over two pounds.

Now, if you only use this unit with small cameras as it was intended, it is perfectly fine.  But I want to continue to use it for travel when I don’t want to lug around my full size tripod and with my dSLR camera which at times may have a 70-200 2.8 attached. (not recommended)

The one thing holding us back here is the fact that this unit only comes with the pistol grip head and it is permanently attached to the center column.  And the pistol grip, no matter how you try, will only grip so much and not enough to hold a heavier camera (for which is was not intended mind you) without slipping.

What we really need is a ball-head.  Enter modification time.

This is much easier than you would think.  Here is all you need. (perform at your own risk)

1 – Manfrotto 118 Universal Short Spigot with Double Male Thread, like this one.
1 – Manfrotto 3007K Table Top Kit, like this one.  OR, just get the 492 Micro Ball head…I figured for a few extra dollars why not add the table-top tripod too.
1 – 5/16″ Clevis pen and hitch pin clip – you can pick this up at any good hardware store.

First, remove the pistol grip section from the center column.  Just unscrew the two column pieces.

You will need to drill a 5/16″ hole through the bottom of the column.  NOTE:  Drill the bottom of the column leaving the threaded section alone so you can always just screw the pistol grip back to the center column if you want to use it again later.

 

If you don’t have access to a drill press, I recommend getting access to one either by renting or borrowing.  Drilling a hole in a round pipe with just a hand-held drill is just asking for a trip to the ER.  Don’t do it.  If you try, don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Now with our hole drilled…

We can insert the spigot with the proper size thread facing out and secure with the clevis pin.

I used a Dremel tool to trim off the excess part of the clevis pin that was not needed.

Now all that is left is to unscrew the 492 ball head that came in the kit and attach it to the column.  And ta-da..

We’ve gone from pistol-grip to ball head.

Leaving the pistol grip fully functional should we every want to use it later.

And we can easily remove the 492 ball head whenever we like to use with the table top kit.

Here are a couple examples showing the new modification.

Of course please note, if you’re going to do as I have and put such a heavy combo on this rig, be mindful of your tripod leg placement for maximum stability.

Final disclaimer…perform this mod at your own risk.  I performed this mod to meet my needs and share it here simply to show what can be done.  If you attempt this task, do so at your own risk of harm to yourself and/or your equipment.