Please suggest Monopod/Ballhead combination.

Hi,


I am planning to buy a Manfrotto <span class="titolorossowar"]682B <span class="titoloProdotto"]self standing monopod which has 3 retractable legs. Was wondering if all tripod heads can be fixed on a monopod?


<span class="titoloProdotto"]What will be the best head to go for this monopod which will give me high versatility to try variety of photography types. Basically i dont want the head to restrict me experimenting.


<span class="titoloProdotto"]Geared, 3way, 2way, ballhead, joystick &amp; VR are the available options on manfrotto website. Also if anyone has used this monopod would like your feedback or other options to be considered.


<span class="titoloProdotto"]I have a EOS 40D with couple of lenses which weigh less than1 kg. But i intend to buy heavier lenses in future.


<span class="titoloProdotto"]Any other monopod acessories i should consider? I already have a manfrotto tripod. I require this monopod so that i can use it during activities like treks or when i am on the go moving quickly&amp; cant carry/set the tripod.


<span class="titoloProdotto"]Please advise and help.


<span class="titoloProdotto"]Regards,


<span class="titoloProdotto"]Daya

Yes, you can put pretty much any tripod head on a monopod. But, should you?


I'd avoid the pan/tilt, and probably the ballhead as well. VR head? You can't really stop a monopod from moving, so there's no point in a VR head.


Have you tried the 682B in person? The retractable legs are not the easiest to extend/retract. If you're 'on the go moving quickly' I expect you'll not want to take the time to extend them, and they don't perform well on anything other than a flat surface. If you don't extend the legs, you need to support the monopod with one hand (with legs that short, I'd support the camera even with the legs extended!), meaning fiddling with a ballhead is not practical. Keep in mind that those little legs are short - you're not going to get anything even close to tripod-like stability from them.


So, I'd narrow your choices down to two - a joystick (the upright one) or the one-axis tilt head. The joystick head will be bigger and heavier, but will allow more 'flexibility' - but at a cost. A monopod is most effective when the load is balanced over the leg. The joystick will allow you to tilt the camera off at an angle, sure - but you'll lose a fair bit of the effectiveness of the monopod in that case, especially with a longer lens. Even though the tilt head is one axis, you can easily spin a monopod, so you really have two axes.


Which begs another question - what lenses? Usually, a monopod is used to steady the weight of a longer, heavier lens. Personally, I don't find much use for one with a shorter focal length lens, where the lighter weight and shorter focal length mean a monopod is not going to help much beyond handholding. Generally, you'll see much more benefit with a monopod for a lens with a tripod foot (the implication is that those require balancing because they are pretty heavy to handhold).


Since a monopod (without a 'standing base') can easily be tilted, you have a fair bit of freedom of motion. The main purpose of the head on a monopod is to facilitate changing from landscape to portrait orientation. The joystick head is nice for that, since you can operate it one-handed, but the tilt head is easy to operate, too.


Personally, I use a Manfrotto CF monopod (694CX) with the 234RC tilt head for my longer lenses (70-200mm f/2.8<span style="color: red;"]LIS II,100-400mm f/4.5-5.6<span style="color: red;"]L,200mm f/2.8<span style="color: red;"]L). I've found that it doesn't make a substantial difference with shorter lenses (17-55mm f/2.8, etc.), and for landscapes/macro the stability of a tripod is really best anyway. For the two white zooms, I have the QR plate parallel to the axis of the lens, so I use the tilt head for up/down tilt, and the tripod collar to change from landscape to portrait. For the 200mm prime (no collar), I have the QR plate on the camera base in 'normal' (perpendicular) orientation, so the tilt head changes from landscape to portrait (just like the drop-notch on the tripod ballhead). I picked the tilt head over the joystick head to keep the overall length of the monopod shorter, and to keep it lighter.


Hope some of that long diatribe helps!

For the monopod, get whatever you can afford. If you can pay $250 or so, buy a Gitzo 2 or 3 series carbonfiber monopod. Or, you can get a similar product from Gitzo look-alikes Benro or Induro for about $50-100 less.


As for the head, there are two monopod heads that are worth a look:


Manfrotto 234 head - will support everything up to a 70-200.


Really Right Stuff MH-01 head - this thing is the best monopod head out there and is rated to 75lbs.


hope this helps


brendan