Do you attach it directly to your camera or do you have a ball head on it?

I am looking to pick up a monopod, so any suggestions are welcome on a unit or the ball head.

I have a Manfrotto RC4 quick release on the bottom of my camera, but I don't imagine it will work with the smaller ball heads for monopods...

 

You can't really use a ballhead for a monopod. You need this... http://reallyrightstuff.com/tripods/03.html

 

Ahhhhh..... Makes sense, and the guy at B+H just gave me the part number for the QR mechanism.

 

You absolutely can use a ball head on a monopod. IMO, the reason why it's commonly assumed to not be feasible is that most people simply don't have a large enough monopod.

 

Really? Hmmmm...


Truthfully, though, I was looking for a very compact lightweight monopod, so I think the B/M 3229 will be good.

 

I didn't mean that it wouldn't work, it's a PITA. That why I showed link to a better idea. sorry

 

No, actually your idea is the one I am going to go with! Just using the Bogen Manfrotto "head". I didn't think having a true ballhead on top would be all that practical, I just didn't know these little pivot heads existed! Thanks for the info.

 

Actually, looking at your link again, that IS a Manfrotto pivot, just with a Gitzo monopod, and a Really Right Stuff mounting plate.

 

Oh,and I have no social skills.

 

yes, Manfrotto model #3232 swivel head

 

i want one, but i dont have a lens that needs one.

 

I was going to rent a 70-200 f2.8, and with my girlish figure, I thought it might get cumbersome to hold that thing for a while. Maybe I am just making excuses to buy shit, I dunno.

 

You're just now realizing that's integral part of the hobby?

Just like Mexican food, photography gives you gas. Except in this case it's Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

 

I have a monopod / ball head combo, and I think it's great.

Monopods are, by their nature, going to be positioned at arbitrary angles, which makes
'pivot points' fairly useless, imho. For a tripod, they are useful for stuff like panning.
But for a monopod, I think ballheads make it very convenient to point it at the appropriate
angle depending on how you are standing/using the monopod.

I have a manfrotto 3245 + manfrotto proball 308rc.
You need a pretty serious ballhead - think worst case scenario (camera + largest lens +
flash maybe)

 

...so true...

 

It's gotten so bad that I think B+H may start accepting orders from me on Shabbat....

I think their customer service people know me by name with all the questions I ask them...

 

I think I may have put one of their kids through college.

 

 

 

I have a monopod and a 70-200 f2.8. I just mount the lens foot directly to the monopod without any type of head. You can position the monopod at many different angles. Plus the 70-200 f2.8 (nikon, not sure about canon) has a rotating collar mount. Once the lens is mounted on the monopod, you can rotate the lens 360 degrees. Should be able to pretty much get any angle you want.

 

The problem with attaching the monopod directly to your camera body or lens collar is that it limits you to using the monopod straight up and down. Ideally, you want to be able to be able to tilt the monopod out away from your body a little bit so that it effectively forms the third leg of a tripod with your feet being the other two legs.

 

So have the camera actually pointing down 20 or 30 degree when the monopod is standing straight up and down? Hadn't thought about doing it this way....

 

I've usually had mine angled no more than a few degrees, forward or backward. The monopod is usually fairly vertical. I guess there are many ways one can use a monopod to his or her liking.

 

The question is stability.
If the monopod is vertical, then it is just acting as a weight supporter.
(which by itself is pretty nice).

But there's nothing really preventing wobble, if you think about it.
where as the 'human tripod' stance allows you to lean into the monopod
and stabilize it that way.

But yeah, whatever works. It's a good idea to 'practice' - try different
stances, and see how long you can increase your shutter speeds.
It's always a good idea to know stuff like 'if I shoot at 200mm, I get
50% hit ratio if I shoot at 1/30 second' or something. Know your limits
and shoot extra shots if you start getting close.

- Frank

 

how many of you use your monopod for night shots?

maybe it's just me, but i can't wrap my head around using a monopod because you still have to hold it up (as opposed to a tripod standing on it's own), which could cause blur in your photos since we all know we can't hold a monopod perfectly still...

so, are monopods meant more for day shooting when there's actually light out, or am i missing something when it comes to night photography with a monopod?

the reason i ask this is because i've thought about getting one, but want to make sure i understand when it's actually being used...and sorry, wasn't trying to hijack this thread...

 

Ok, I got an aluminum Alloy Induro (may be the 2nd generation of Benbo, due to law suits from Benro).

Anyway, it is VERY STURDY. Way more robust than I thought it would be. It is not petite or dainty in any way... I had kind of thought it would slide into the rubber sleeves on the side of my Lowepro 200 AW Slingshot, but NO WAY! It comes with a hide-able mini support stand, and opens to much taller than I need, although Dan would still probably find it too short .

 

They are basically the equivalent of using an image stabilized lens. It's not a solid support by any means, but it helps reduce camera shake by 2 to 3 stops. You'll frequently use them with a telephoto so they can take the weight of the lens instead of having to handhold them all day.

 

Looks good!