Monopod heads

[Peter Boughton]

Does anyone have thoughts/advice on what to look for in a monopod head?

I'm planning to get a monopod to support the 2kg telephoto lens I'll be getting, and I'm looking at the Vanguard VEO CM-264 - folds to 54cm, weighs 460g and has a max height of 160cm.

So then it's a question of whether to get a head for it, and if so which type.

I get the feeling that the simpler heads with twiddly knobs (e.g. Manfrotto 494 Mini Ball Head) are designed for free-standing tripods, and I should be looking at heads with handles, to make it easier to use when angling the monopod (which is the main benefit of a head on a monopod) - like the Manfrotto 327RC2 Joystick head or maybe the Vanguard GH-300T Grip Ball Head, the latter also having a remote shutter release that might be useful.

This is just me guessing though - I've not actually used any type of head on a monopod or a tripod, so maybe my thinking is flawed or there's other stuff I'm not considering.

[GrahamL]

Hi Peter,

I'd try it out before purchase in a store if you can, though these days you can of course easily return an item if unhappy. The Vanguard looks an excellent choice specification-wise.

Manfrotto-wise you could consider popping into the downstairs part of Park Camera's at Rathbone Place (off Oxford Street), they have most of the Manfrotto gear (their prices on these items is very similar to Wex's).

I guess much depends on whether you plan to use the head solely on the monopod. Ease of making fine adjustments and a few other features are much more critical when the head is tripod mounted.

Cheers,

Graham

[Peter Boughton]

Thanks Graham, I hadn't even considered trying one out, but it's good advice. Will have to work out when I can get up there.

There is a part of me that'd like a tripod, and I haven't ruled it out, but I think if I did that I'd probably get a different head that is good for situations where the tripod would be optimal - I want a monopod more for support and would like to maintain as much of the flexibility of hand-holding as I can.

Will look into it some more, but just noticed the lens I want is currently on offer, so I'll definitely be ordering at least some stuff this weekend.

[GrahamL]

Hi Peter,

Best wishes with the new purchase, the long lenses don't seem to be getting any lighter..

Cheers,

Graham

[Peter Boughton]

So I now have the lens, the monopod, and the head - a Manfrotto Xpro ball head.

But I can't actually use them, because the monopod comes with a 1/4" screw (the size all DSLRs use) whilst the head comes with a hole for a 3/8" screw (which apparently someone decided to use as the standard for the other end of the head) - and neither manufacturer saw fit to include the cheap adapter necessary to convert between them.

Park cameras didn't have any in stock (they had every other adapter you might imagine, along with several I still haven't figured out), so tomorrow I'll be ordering the final piece - a 1/4-20 to 3/8-16 reducer bushing - a piece of metal that screws into the larger 3/8" hole and turns it into a 1/4" hole.

[Mike Farley]

I think the idea is that monopods do not normally have heads and are attached directly to the camera. It is always possible to hold the monopod at an angle if required, but that only works when shooting in landscape orientation of course.

[Peter Boughton]

Well the lens mount is a ring that allows for rotating the orientation, but still only being able to rotate and pivot around the foot would be too limiting for me. I'd like, for example, to be able to brace against a wall and still be able to angle as necessary, which a head provides.

Given that the adapter is a <50p bit of metal, it's a little frustrating that it's not just included and I need to order it separately - my headphones came with a 1/4" to 3.5mm adapter, and I remember when every mouse and keyboard would come with a USB to PS/2 adapter. Meh.

Oddly, the retractable spike in the foot appears to be a 5/8" thread - so I can actually attach the head to the bottom of the monopod. Not hugely useful photography-wise, but it does allow for a makeshift double-ended mace which could be useful in a zombie apocalypse situation.

[GrahamL]

Manfrotto do a couple of heads that are specifically designed for monopods, but they are much more limited.

I use this one; https://www.parkcameras.com/p/9370027/tripod-heads/manfrotto/mn-234rc-tilt-head-qr
but the MN 234RC only carries a 2.5Kg max payload and can only do simple portrait/landscape tilt. Not the 10Kg payload and many other features of Peter's new ball-head one.

Cheers,

Graham