Monopod, with or without head?

[Stagecoach]

Hi all,

I have been absent for a while due to an unscheduled panic trip to the UK and as it looks like I will be here for a while I'm considering a few photography purchases to take back to the sunshine

Something I'm not sure about is the 'need' or 'value' of a head to go with a monopod so I'm looking for advice on this taking account of the following;

a) Camera D300 and Nikon 80-400mm lens. I do not anticipate having a heavier rig on it.
b) Shooting sports, rugby, cricket.
c) Birding, static and in flight.

I recognise the need in b) and c) above to be able to change to handheld quickly and easily.

I also recognise that any head used is going to affect the strength/rigidity of the combination when moving it around, e.g. over your shoulder.

Any advice based upon experience would be very much appreciated.

Grahame

[tclune]

This blog gives terrific advice on using a monopod. I normally use the last approach he discusses. For that, you need a monopod that is about as tall as you are -- I like to have the monopod stretching out noticeably in front of me, which gives it more stability IME. You need a head. I like a substantial ball head -- when the monopod is leaning forward, you need to level the head at whatever angle you are tilting, which is a natural thing with a ball head. I like to keep enough tension on the ball that the lens doesn't droop, even if it's a super tele, but not so much tension that I can't adjust the ball without loosening the tension. There is no discernable advantage to carbon fiber on a monopod, so save your money and buy aluminum. And there's no such thing as too hefty a monopod -- get it as substantial as you can: you'll use it as a walking stick as well. Richard from this site once suggested getting foot-long double-sided Velcro strips to allow lashing the monopod to a post or similar as a make-shift but stable tripod. I have since carried Velcro strips wrapped around my camera bag strap for just this purpose. It works!

ETA: I never carry my camera over my shoulder on the monopod. If I am repositioning on-site, I collapse the leg and carry the camera cradled in my arm, still attached to the monopod. Otherwise, I put the lens and camera back in their cases. Of course, I am typically traipsing through brush, so moving very far requires me to protect my kit first.

[PhotomanJohn]

I followed rpcrowe's advice and got a Kirk MPA-2 monopod head and am very pleased with it. For me it is much better than a ball head because it has only one axis of motion. It is really built and is rated for 80lbs of load.

John

[DanK]

I use a monopod a lot, but mostly for macro, so I am not certain my experience is all that relevant. But for what it is worth:

I use an Oben carbon-fiber monopod that extends to 166 cm / 65.5 inches. Don't forget to add the height of the head, plate, and camera up to the viewfinder in figuring out what height you use.

Like John, I use a Kirk MPA-2 head. It is very solid, well built, and arca-swiss compatible (which I needed), but it is expensive and fairly heavy. The clamp on the Kirk can be rotated. For macro work, I have it set to rotate up and down. For landscapes and some other uses, it is better to have it rotate side to side so that you can switch to portrait mode if you don't have an L-bracket on. My decision was that I wanted only rotation on one axis, so I opted for this rather than a ball head. It has worked well.

[rpcrowe]

I don't like a standard tripod head (ball head or pan-tilt head) for a monopod. They are heavier and I don't need the side to side tilt, to do things like level my horizon (that is usually just the slightest tilt). What I like to have however, is an up and down tilt capability. I often like to shoot with the lens pointed down or pointed up and I feel that a monopod tilt head is just the ticket for doing that while still keeping the monopod stable. I usually shoot my portraits with a 70-200mm f/4L Lens which has a tripod ring allowing me to adjust the side to side angle by that means.

I use a Kirk MPA-2 tilt head on a Calumet carbon fiber monopod. I once used a Kirk MPA-1 head on another monopod but, I left that rig on a bus somewhere in Croatia. When I wanted to replace the Kirk MPA-1 and monopod, Kirk had discontinued the MPA-1. I opted for the MPA-2 which is heavier duty than the MPA-1 but also twice the price.

The Kirk MPA-1 was actually a Manfrotto 234 Tilt head with a Kirk Arca Compatible Clamp.

The Manfrotto 234 starts at about $25 USD from B&H in New York. Adding the Manfrotto quick release clamp brings that up to about $50. You could add the Really Tight Stuff B2 clamp directly to the Manfrotto head and end up with (quoted from RRS website http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/The-...-Solution.html) "A reasonably robust tilt head with quick-release capabilties." You can attach a Kirk A/C clamp to the Manfrotto 234 tilt head. However, I wouldn't trust the Manfrotto 234 with a really heavy camera/lens package because it is only rated for 5.5 lb. payload.

Really Right Stuff distributes a MH-01 High Capacity which is a great monopod head but about the most expensive of the lot.

There are other brands of tilt-heads that I know nothing about. These include

Sirui (http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIRUI-Alumin...item51cf11f9c9)

This no-name tilt head (http://www.ebay.com/itm/18-kg-Monopo...item19feeb8f0a)

Desmond DMH-01 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Desmond-DMH-...item2edba5c32c)

Oben VH-R2 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Oben-VH-R2-T...item20fa15c569)

Sunway Foto DT-01D50 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/SunwayFoto-D...item5673420a29)

I have heard sad stories (but no proof) of the tripod screws of some Chinese units breaking.

The important thing (to me) is just how secure the tilt-head will hold the camera onto the monopod because I often carry the camera with long lens lens on the monopod over my shoulder. I don't however worry quite as much about how tight the tilt head can be clamped for shooting. I will most often shoot with the tilt-head adjusted fairly loosely. I will put pressure down on the camera/lens to stabilize it.

When shooting with a lens that doesn't have a tripod ring, I prefer to use an Arca Compatible clamp and a Arca Compatible L bracket. That way, when shooting verticals, we don't have to hang the camera cantilevered over to the side of the swivel. Obviously, using a tripod ring, you can switch from horizontal to vertical format without cantilevering the camera over to the side of the head.

BTW: the direction of the channel in a Arca Clamp may need to be changed when using an L bracket. The channel usually runs fore and aft, so clamping a camera with the L bracket results in the tilt going side to side. It is very easy on the Manfrotto 234 head and the Kirk MPA-1 to rotate the clamp channel 90 degrees so that the camera tilts up and down. If memory serves me (at my age I can never be too sure about memory) my MPA-2 came with the channel going side to side. I don't know about the channels in the other tilt heads. Of course, if you are not using an Arca Compatible mounting system or are only using a lens with a tripod ring, this is a moot problem.

I would, if intending to shoot with a L-bracket, ensure that the channel will run side to side. I "think" that the RRS MH1-01 tilt head cannot be adjusted so that the channel runs in the direction I prefer. However, I may be wrong!

Of course, you can attach the camera directly onto the tripod screw of the monopod. However, here are some examples of why I like using a tilt head.

Shooting in a zoo, over the fence, down at the animals. I cannot tilt the monopod enough to get the downward angle. There are of, course many other variations of the above when the tilt head makes shooting easier and more efficient. I remember sitting in the audience and shooting a Chinese Performance in a Xi'an theater. The tilt head really made things easier.



Additionally. I was able to shoot down over the railings onto the terracotta Warriors, also in Xi'an.



I personally like using the monopod perpendicular to the ground. That way, my two legs and the monopod make a tripod or triangle out of the stance. That Is, IMO, the very most solid hold I can generate.

I really like monopods and long lenses. Using a monopod and a swivel head on a monopod can result in nice shots like this, using my 300mm f/4L IS on my Canon 7D. I was able to easily frame the pony and rider as they advanced towards me.



Another use for a monopod is to elevate your camera over obstacles like the heads of a crowd. Using a remote release can get your camera to higher vantage point quite easily. The tilting head makes this easier since you can hold the monopod straight up when shooting.



You can either use a wide lens and "guestimate" the framing (like I did in the Chinese crowd shot) or if you have an articulating LCD, you "may" be able to frame the shots using the LCD. If I were planning to do a lot of elevated shooting, I would sync up the camera with my smart phone and use that as a viewfinder and shutter release. Of course, all the stability you gain using the monopod placed on the ground, you lose when elevating it in the air.

One final suggestion! I would want a monopod which, when collapsed, will fit in my checked-on travel bag. It is an "iffy" thing whether an airlines will allow you to carry the monopod as carry-on baggage. I have been allowed to carry the pod on-board on one link of a trip and refused on the other link (same airlines).

[loosecanon]

I have found the standard monopod head rather limiting, moving in only a single direction, especially for portrait format shots, and even with a quick release that enables a 90 dge turn.
In pratice I find a ball head better, and one where I can adjust the tension even better.

[Polar01]

Interesting article in Luminous Landscape from January 17th this year. Here is the link to the article

https://luminous-landscape.com/gimba...e-long-lenses/

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...DFF/d10-v1-t14

Cheers: Allan

[DanK]

BTW: the direction of the channel in a Arca Clamp may need to be changed when using an L bracket. The channel usually runs fore and aft, so clamping a camera with the L bracket results in the tilt going side to side. It is very easy on the Manfrotto 234 head and the Kirk MPA-1 to rotate the clamp channel 90 degrees so that the camera tilts up and down. If memory serves me (at my age I can never be too sure about memory) my MPA-2 came with the channel going side to side.

The Kirk MPA-2 has a screw in the top of the plate that you loosen to rotate the clamp 90 degrees.

I also used an inexpensive Benro tilthead for a while. It worked fine, but it was not as beefy as the Kirk, and it had its own proprietary plate, which I found a real pain because all of my plates are arca-swiss.

[IzzieK]

I do not know anything about monopod but I would like to welcome you back here at CiC...

[Stagecoach]

Tom, John, Dan, Richard, Loosecannon and Alan

Many thanks for the comprehensive information and views.

As I suspected the consensus seems to be that a head is a necessary advantage, and then we come to the personal preferences of just tilt or full ball type. I will give this some more thought based upon what I expect to be shooting and possible adaptability with my existing Manfrotto tripod/head setup.

I'll spend some time studying the links offered and will hopefully come to a conclusion.

Many thanks,

Grahame

[Stagecoach]

I do not know anything about monopod but I would like to welcome you back here at CiC...

Hi Izzie,

Thank you for the welcome back

I have been forced to buy one of those infernal laptop thingys here to get back in touch with the world

And it's cold !

[shreds]

Grahame,

I dont know which part of the UK you are in but you must know that our sweltering summers are here and I am walking around in shirt sleeves.

Clearly you are spoilt out in Fiji. Of course it will make you appreciate the weather when you return so much more!

Oh and for what it is worth I usually shoot with a Manfrotto ball head on the mono, but occasionally use it without. I won't repeat all the whys and wherefores of the above discussion though.

[dasmith232]

I definitely prefer using a (somewhat small, actually) ball head on a monopod.

I've done the "no-head, directly-attached" thing before and spent way too much time trying to reposition the foot. The monopod isn't a rock-solid support and I don't try to configure it to be that (with a proper head). It only does one thing: to stabilize one axis of movement, but it's the most critical axis and it does that job quite well.

It's mostly for sports. I can move around quite easily. I still have the monopod attached but have just enough movement and with tension on the ball to get anything I need. This is for when I shoot high-school sports for the local paper.

I'll also use a monopod at the local butterfly pavilion because they don't allow tripods. That's a macro situation and when I really wish that I had more than 1 axis of stability. Oh well, that's a different story...

[Saorsa]

I'm in the ballhead camp at present. I have used headless monopods and still do for my compact P7100 but with the Nikon 1 or DX DSLRs I use a full ball head. I make sure I have a tall tripod for shooting upwards. A tilt head is good and if I were going to restrict myself to horizontal shots I would use it.

The ballhead makes it possible to keep the camera tilted upward for nest or incoming shots at rookeries as well as a tilt head. It also allows me to move to a vertical aspect when I want to. My Manfrotto tilt-head cannot without repositioning the camera on the head.

[Stagecoach]

Grahame,

I dont know which part of the UK you are in but you must know that our sweltering summers are here and I am walking around in shirt sleeves.

Clearly you are spoilt out in Fiji. Of course it will make you appreciate the weather when you return so much more!

Oh and for what it is worth I usually shoot with a Manfrotto ball head on the mono, but occasionally use it without. I won't repeat all the whys and wherefores of the above discussion though.

Ian,

I'm in Southampton on the sunshine coast at present, where I lived previously for many years but have been given instructions to travel north to London by the daughter but will pick the weather when to do this

Looking like I will also go Manfrotto ball head as I could also use this with the tripod for which I only have a pan/tilt head.

[shreds]

Ian,

I'm in Southampton on the sunshine coast at present, where I lived previously for many years but have been given instructions to travel north to London by the daughter but will pick the weather when to do this

Looking like I will also go Manfrotto ball head as I could also use this with the tripod for which I only have a pan/tilt head.

Yeah I interchange mine occasionally although the ball tends to stay on the mono most of the time.

Oh and we have lost the weather, its gone cloudy.....pending your arrival

[h2daddy]

Never used a monopod with a head. don't seem natural!

[Krawuntzel]

Hello Grahame
since a couple of months I use a Gitzo two way (birdwatching) head; I find that my pictures have improved (technically ) on your c) and b). I could no longer be without such a support.
On short tracks (up to 2 kilometers) I leave the camera attached to the head and had so far no problems.
Erwin