I have the Manfrotto 055CXPRO3 and a Manfrotto 3047 three-axis head, so I thought I'd chime in. The horizontal column can be used with that head, though any head, including a ball head, will displace the center of gravity away from the vertical axis of the tripod more than just attaching the camera directly to the tripod. The version I have is carbon fiber and the column is very strong, and my camera is a 40D, with my largest lens only a 28-135, so it isn't noticeable in practice. I can even set the column so the body is well away from the vertical tripod axis, but if you are using the metal version, and you have a 1 series with heavy glass, you may want to bring the camera as close to the vertical axis as possible to avoid flex.