Monopod head- which one??

[Treat me like a tourist]

Hi, i have a monfrotto monopod, and at the present time i simply screw the pod into my camera. Ideally i should have a head, but i dont know which one- i put a question out on the forum in the summer about tripods and heads, i didnt buy one as i later found out i couldnt afford it.i was given the recommendation of a monfrotto ball head 488RC2 that cost £70- would this be too expensive for a monopod?

Any thoughts and recommendations would be most welcome.

[BearLeeAlive]

486RC2 would be just fine, that is what I bought and is by far the most recommended on these forums.

[SkipD]

The 488RC2 is a little heavy for a monopod, and the panning release is virtually useless on a monopod. I use the 488RC2 on a portable tripod (3021BPro) but use the 486RC2 on my 680B monopod. The 486RC2 seems just about perfect on the monopod.

[Treat me like a tourist]

Thank you both.

Skip i think it was you who recommended that head to me but for the tripod.
I see that my local store has the 486rc2 in stock- but with a quiicke release plate, can this plate be used with the 488rc2?

Many thanks again for your help.

[BearLeeAlive]

The 486RC2 does come with a quick release. This release is the same as the 488RC2 so the camera or lenses the plates are mounted on can be attached to, or detached from, the ballhead quickly. I would definitely recommend this.

[Treat me like a tourist]

thanks bear- good news, hopefully when i do get round to buying the 488 i will have two plates, an excuse to buy a new camera lol

Thanks for your help.

[SkipD]

All Bogen/Manfrotto heads with the ...RC2 suffix use the same quick-release plate family.

There are different ...RC2 quick release plates that one can buy. They are available with 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 mounting screws and with or without a lip to keep the camera body from rotating in "portrait" position. I have never found the need for the ones with the lip.

[Mike K]

Hi, i have a monfrotto monopod, and at the present time i simply screw the pod into my camera.
Any thoughts and recommendations would be most welcome.

How heavy of a lens and camera are you planning on using, now or in the future? Most folks only use monopods for fairly heavy gear. In this case the lens foot is normally attached to the monopod, not the camera.

The most important question is what are you going to be shooting with your monopod? Most folks who shoot sports usually don't use a head, just put a Arca Swill style clamp right on the monopod. This is because most sports happen in two dimensions and they can pan left to right by rotating the monopod. However, birders have to pan vertically, so they need something that will rotate upwards. Here is a picture of a simple Bogen 3232 with an AS style clamp.
http://www.reallyrightstuff.com/tutorials/monopods/index.html
I have a birder friend that uses a Wimberley Sidekick with the bogen set up above, and it works great for a large lens like a 500 f4 with 1.4X TC on a 20D. The sidekick facilitates good neutral balance and gimbal action and allows easy upwards/downwards rotations to follow bird movements.
Mike K

[Treat me like a tourist]

biggest lens that i would use would be the 70-200f4 hardly a heavy lens, this would only be at an airshow, really it would be used for low light environments for primes- just to get a higher iso without suffering shake, maybe some birding but i think i lack the length in my lenses to do that, i think what skip has advsied is the right choice for me, thank you all for your help.

[rklepper]

The 488RC2 is a little heavy for a monopod, and the panning release is virtually useless on a monopod. I use the 488RC2 on a portable tripod (3021BPro) but use the 486RC2 on my 680B monopod. The 486RC2 seems just about perfect on the monopod.

Yes, the 486RC2 is perfect.

[2005GLI]

i bought the 482 thinking it was going to be ok. In the pics on b&h's site it looks so much bigger. When i got it, i was like this thing wont support the sigma 70-200. i think i'll get the 486rc2 now that i've seen some pics of it.

[Loesje]

Hello,

I'm planning to buy a Manfrotto 681B with a 234RC Monopod Head.
Following the specs., the maximum load for this head is 2,5 kg. and it would just support my 30D with grip and a sigma 70-200 2.8, but would it also support a 300mm 2.8?
Anyone using this 234RC and what lens (weight) do you have on it?
Would you advice a 234RC or a larger ballhead instead?

I will also buy a tripod with 488RC2 which has the same plate: 200PL-14. I could use this head for the monopod too but I prefer not changing the head all the time.

Thanks for your advice!

Loes