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Monopod heads.
If you use a monopod, do you have any use for a tilt head on top of it? I have an old 'spindly leg' Slik that has a tilt head built into it, but I never use it since I always use it in landscape mode. Maybe portrait, but it throws the weight to the side so I leave it vertical on the stick. Plus it doesn't mount to the Arca-Swis L-plates on my cameras so a new one was called for, and its flipper-lock legs were often slipping from the weight.  Asking because I went to the place above (Really Right Stuff) yesterday and, as expected, prices for a couple of their heads with the pod would place the thing over $700 with tax. So I cheapened out and just got the lever clamp alone attached to the pod's top for 12 cents short of $500 figuring I can use the L-plate on the camera and switch from landscape to portrait using it instead of the swivel of the head. Any tilt I can do with the pod - maybe? But now I wonder if I should have bought the tilt head... Mar 19 16 09:09 am Link I have a Manfrotto head on my monopod that tilts. I got it so I could shoot portrait, but also because it used the same quick-release plate as the head on my tripod. For convenience, I usually leave a quick-release plate on each of my cameras (except for my main DSLR, because I usually shoot portrait with that and the plate on the vertical grip is uncomfortable). Mar 19 16 09:30 am Link Really Right Stuff looked great on TV but I question their prices. You can get a Manfrotto monopod and a head for less than $150.00. I have one with the medium sized ball head. The fact that it throws the center of gravity off when used in the portrait position is something you'll have to deal with, you can't change physics. Mar 19 16 09:41 am Link Ive got a ball head on mine.. makes verticals n horizontals quick n easy. Mar 19 16 09:47 am Link Vector One Photography wrote: You get what you pay for, and I'm a very happy RRS customer. We've got two of their monopod heads, the now-discontinued MH-02 Pro (rotatable screw clamp version, now only available in a lever clamp version, MH-02 LR). I've been extremely happy with it since day one. Could I suggest looking into an L-plate for your camera for portrait orientation? That way, you could keep the monopod head's tilt axis aligned for tilt, rather than having to turn it sideways and tip it off to the side, which sacrifices the actual tilt feature? Any lens with a foot should also give you the freedom to swivel to portrait. Mar 19 16 09:52 am Link http://www.feisol.net/monopods.html http://www.feisol.net/heads.html?cat=11 I prefer Feisol. I have both a tripod and monopod from them. I prefer Foba heads above all including the original Arca which I also have. Mar 19 16 10:17 am Link The Feisol with the extended legs (CM-1473) looks neat for $189. I've seen the small fold-out feet on others, and one reviewer said his fell over soon as he walked away from it. So I scratched those. For what RRS charges I would think they'd come with a bag like their tripod did. Guess I'll have to make one. The thin hand strap also has a very sharp nylon edge so I put a fleece sleeve over it which helps. It might soften in time, but it's pretty stiff new. I practiced with the L-plate and I can go from portrait to landscape off the lever clamp in 4 seconds. Luckily I have large hands and can squeeze and lock the lever with one hand around their clamp and pod while the other holds the camera and its L-plate. If it had the screw to tighten it instead of the single lever, it might be a three-handed job to hold the pod, tighten the clamp's locking screw, while holding the camera too. Then I could see the need for the tilt head. I don't know if RRS has the patent on the single-lever clamp without also needing the coarse adjustment knob as some others have prior to throwing the clamp's lever to lock it down. Didn't find one with just the lever clamp only and no pre-tensioning knob. Some others have a security release lever as well, but RRS doesn't. It just flips halfway open on the first cam's detent and can slide a bit sideways, and all the way open on the second for full release. I think a ball head as mentioned above might be a better idea than the flip-over head they suggested for the monopod. They have a head that tilts right and left, but it also swivels for front and back tilt for a lens and its plate on the same axis. A ball head would satisfy both axis. Still hard to believe that building is all theirs and just for tripods. Machinery and tooling is upstairs, and downstairs is the offices and showroom for just tripods (Maybe 12 on display with sundry attachments.). Glass showcases for their heads and smaller stuff. Sundry prints on the walls with overhead spotlights. Carport may be solar covered too, but I couldn't see the top other than the wiring under it. Mar 19 16 12:21 pm Link I have the same ball head on mine as my tripod. Mar 19 16 01:05 pm Link GRMACK wrote: I have the 1473. In two years I haven't had any accidents. Mar 19 16 02:41 pm Link GRMACK wrote: Keep your right hand on the camera, left hand grabs the clamp screw, loosen the clamp, rotate the camera, tighten the clamp, done. The tilt head is for the camera to be able to "look down", not to put the camera into portrait orientation. GRMACK wrote: That halfway bit is pretty impressive, especially if your camera/lens plates have the safety stop screws. Open halfway, slide for ideal balance, re-clamp. GRMACK wrote: A ball head becomes too floppy for monopod use, hence the one-axis head for monopods. Mar 19 16 02:52 pm Link Dan Howell wrote: Yeah, I throw away money now and then. But there's also a notion of overinflated ratings. I do often put an 8-10 pound supertelephoto lens with a 3-4 pound camera and a ~1 pound monopod head on my monopods, so a 25-pound rating that's wrong by 2x puts me too close to the wire. I've also put a 3-4 pound camera and the ~3 pound 11-24mm lens on the end of a monopod, and slid it out over a railing to shoot a walkway underneath. In other words, the monopod was horizontal, supported only by the lowest section, hanging out over a walkway 8' down. I'm glad it was an RRS monopod. Mar 19 16 02:56 pm Link Interestingly, I prefer to use my monopod without a head when I can. I have a Manfrotto. I find it more stable and easier to handle when the head isn't attached On the other hand, I often need it. I end up putting it on and taking it of, depending on what I am shooting. For the record, I had a hard time finding a monopod that I was able to use comfortably. For years, I totally forswore them until I finally found one that I liked. Mar 19 16 04:44 pm Link I've got a Manfrotto monopod with a Giottos ball head. Both heavy-duty units. I think I may have used the monopod without the ballhead once. The ballhead hasn't been off the mono since then. Mar 19 16 05:17 pm Link I use a gitzo monopod, ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018N … 3SWPDLGPMG ) and I added an Opteka pistol grip head. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U7 … 5KMTCCBTTC) It isn't area swiss compatible, but it is really quick and easy to adjust, which I needed because if I am using the monopod I am shooting sports or something fast paced. ps- yeah, I know, I put a cheap ass head on an overpriced monopod, but the combo works, and as murphy's laws of combat so eloquently state, " if it's stupid, but it works, is isn't stupid." Mar 19 16 05:26 pm Link I've bought some bonkers expensive tripods, but I don't know if I can get behind expensive monopods. Whether it's rated for 10 pounds or 100, the majority of motion is going to be the result of the fact that it's a single leg, held in place by a living, breathing hunk of meat. You could weld a head directly to a piece of rebar and still get motion. You can use an extra-solid monopod as a hiking stick, and I do like that use. But it seems to me that otherwise, buying a monopod rated for more weight than you have is like buying a camera for its ISO capabilities with an 18-55 lens, or buying $5000 speakers for a $150 amp. Sure it might be better, but it doesn't address the fundamental issue with the product. Mar 19 16 05:41 pm Link GRMACK wrote: Yes, a Sirui L-10 Monopod Tilt Head... which is an exact copy of the RRS MH-01 Pro Head... both of these are superb, with excellent fit/finish/craftsmanship and functionality.... RRS is made in the USA... Sirui is off-shore... If you are focused on impressing other hobbyist then you likely need the RRS varient... GRMACK wrote: Me to, the SLIK E-Z Pod Jr. Which work fine with prosumer bodies like the D7200; D600; D750 etc but is seriously challenged by Pro weight gear... I've used the SLIK with a D7000 and a lightweight Telephoto (i.e. AF 180mm f/2.8D Nikkor) but that's about it's limit... Note: Arca-Swis plates are a tad large for these prosumer bodies in my humble estimation albeit I use Arca-Swis on all my other gear... Mar 19 16 05:41 pm Link Go for the tilt I use a Manfrotto with a ball head, Example 1:, say you are shooting at the Grand canyon, you are up against the fence, and you want to shoot down below to the bottom of the canyon, much easier to simply point the camera and lens down then back up and tilt the mono pod. Example 2:, So you are shooting the Eagle up in a tree in a nest, much simpler to un-lock the ball head and point up to the nest. I wish you well Mar 20 16 06:51 am Link Love RRS! But their stuff is pricey. I don't use heads with monopods. I typically only use monopods with long glass, and those lenses have collars that rotate. Mar 20 16 07:02 am Link I went with an Acratech ball head years ago and have never considered upgrading since then. It's a beautiful work of art in its own right. Plus, the built-in Gimbel is enough for my D800+ 70-200 or 80-400 lens. I have a simple Manfrotto tilt plate for my monopod. It was cheap, if I need something more I can always swap over the Acratech. Mar 20 16 08:04 am Link I was looking at the Sirui P-426 or P-326 monopod, but the retractable rubber foot along with the spike combo turned me off as I had an old Velbon tripod where the retractable rubber foot cracked, foot fell off, and I couldn't get it replaced by Velbon so it was only the spike foot on one leg. Fwiw, I've seen the better Sirui tripods and they may even be more substantial than the RRS ones on the yoke and at half to third the price of the RRS ones too. They also carry a 6 year warranty too over the RRS 5 year one. Even been contemplating the Sirui L-10 tilt head for $100 against the RRS MH-02 LR which is $345 but the RRS one rotates the clamp portion left/right or forward/back for the lens plate rather than unbolting the plate and rotating it 90 degrees as in this video by RRS with their $245 (cheaper?) one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ywPJX7K3IU RRS has something about the monopod tilt head verses the ball head too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbwKJ6EWVek although I don't know why they didn't use the smaller friction or drag knob to lessen the wobble on the BH-55 head they demo'd. I have that head and you can tighten the drag up to the point you can lock it down as well as the large knob, or back it off a little for the correct drag with whatever setup on it. This guy ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KfR8mM4dtI at 2:10 into it ) has the idea that the best way to use a monopod is at an angle to to the ground to form a tripod with your body and claims it is more stable than using it upright. To do so he uses a ball head. Oh well. I got 30 days to decide with RRS if I want to change it to a ball head or tilt head over the lever clamp that's on it now. I may just add their BH-40 ball head under it. Their BH-55 head is a lot larger around than the top of the pod (The one in their demo.). Mar 20 16 08:53 am Link petemplinphoto wrote: You know that the load rating is for vertical loads in compression, not bending or lateral leverage, right? A 50 lb load rating doesn't apply if you are leaning your monopod over a wall. Carbon fiber has strength only along the axis of the fibers. When it goes, it goes in catastrophic fashion. In your situation a metal monopod would have actually been more resistant to failure. Mar 20 16 12:05 pm Link Thomas Van Dyke wrote: Not quite exact copy. RSS has the more standard Arca Swiss plate which has screws on bottom which protrude downward to keep the camera from rocketing to the ground once the clamp is loosened. Sirui has a button stop which comes up from the clamp as a safety stop with the added feature of a small button on the side to release the camera so it slides past the stops. They're kinda-sorta compatible with standard QR plates for mounting, but incompatible as far as the safety stop goes. Mar 23 16 06:49 am Link hbutz New York wrote: I have a RRS L-plate on a D800E and a D-7000. Neither L-plate has the screws to keep them from sliding fully through the clamp's channel. However, on the RRS plate on the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens collar it does have the two chrome screws on it to keep it from sliding through. Weird. Both have their leather hand-strap (Great set-up too!) on them but I don't think that's why they lack those screws as there's no threaded hole under them, other than the 1/4-20 tripod one. Mar 23 16 08:12 am Link Dan Howell wrote: Yes, I ride carbon fiber bikes, and have studied materials in the past. Thanks for asking. Mar 23 16 08:17 am Link Bah!  Had to add the BH-40 ball head to it. Didn't work out well with just a clamp and no pivot adjustment at the top. Apr 13 16 07:48 am Link GRMACK wrote: Tilt-head is my default head. Apr 13 16 09:54 pm Link I've given up on Manfrotto. My tripod, my monopod, my heads - there is not a single piece of Manfrotto equipment that I didn't need to cut, saw, or modify with a power tool to get it to work right and their QR plates are propriety e.g. my monopod had an annoying lock lever for the squeeze to raise and lower it, which I cut off with a saw. Then, the damn rubber foot kept falling off until I found a special bracket made by a third-party to keep the rubber foot attached to it! Miserably designed equipment. For monopods, I switched to Sirui - a really solid 6-section monopod with built-in panning head. It can convert between 1/4 and 3/8 on the fly but I added a tilting head and QR plate - makes it really heavy tho. Apr 14 16 12:20 pm Link I use a ball head on mine because I tend to shoot things with it where I have to react quickly. I'm not sure if that's right for you since architecture tends to require more precise movements. For that I love the Manfrotto 405 head. You can get the "junior" version for $275. Apr 15 16 06:24 am Link |
