Monopod head suggestions for panning

[Matt_P]

I've purchased a lot of new equipment lately to gear myself up for obtaining better photos at motorsport events (the subject dearest to me ;)). Anyway, I was hoping someone with experience in the field would have a suggestion as to what monopod head would be ideal for shooting motorsporting event.. And I pan more than anything else. Up 'till this point I've been doing things handheld with mostly the "Sport mode" setting on my 300D. I am now finally understanding more about the camera and how to use the manual settings. I will be using Tv and Av settings mostly... Slow down the shutter speed a bit to get the nice blur effect rather than just freezing everything in motion. A monopod will help out a lot. Already got the pod, just havn't decided on the head.

Thank you in advance.

[CyberDyneSystems]

When I pan on a monoipod,. the whole pod is turning... never used a panning head on a 'pod.

[Matt_P]

When I pan on a monoipod,. the whole pod is turning... never used a panning head on a 'pod.

Ahh, good to know ;) So a ball head maybe?

[tim]

I use a manfrotto monopod head that has one control that lets it turn the camera from portrait to landscape, and nothing else. If you don't need that, which you might not, just get the adaptor that lets you attach the camera straight to the monopod.

[Citizensmith]

Mine has tilt, and the ability to switch to portrait as Tim mentioned. Aside from that any other use and I move the entire monopod. A ball head or anything more than the most basic you can get is more (and heavier) than necessary.

[lostdoggy]

If you have a Manfrotto Pod it has a build in 1/4" male thread inside the 3/8" male thread. It will screw right on to the camera. For simple ball head you have to take into consideration the weight of body and and lens attached. I use a manfrotto Monopod w/ a verticle quick grip. The Combo is heavy, but like the action of the quick grip. Just pull the trigger and move it to the position you want and release.

[Jon]

The Manfrotto 3232 Swivel Tilt head, or the 3299 Swivel-Tilt with RC2 quick release plate, are probably the most popular. You can easily flip the camera between Portrait and Landscape modes with this, and most other motions you can get by tilting the tripod proper. I go for the 3299 since my tripod pan and ball heads are also RC2-compatible.

[Belmondo]

On my monopod, I use a Bogen 486 ball head that I've adpated to the Arca/Swiss QR system. The RC2 clamp is attached to the Bogen head with a 3/8"-16 stud in the monopod. I replaced it with an Arca/Swiss clamp from Really Right Stuff and it came already drilled and tapped for the 3/8-16 thread. I decided on the Arca/Swiss after acquiring a couple large lenses that really necessitated the more substantial hardware.

[KennyG]

I'll repeat what I have posted a few times before. For motorsport work you do NOT need a head on a monopod. One hand on the camera/shutter and the other on top of the lens to guide it. If you use a lens with a collar, you don't even need the flip-over head to go to portrait, just swivel the lens in the collar.

[Matt_P]

I'll repeat what I have posted a few times before. For motorsport work you do NOT need a head on a monopod. One hand on the camera/shutter and the other on top of the lens to guide it. If you use a lens with a collar, you don't even need the flip-over head to go to portrait, just swivel the lens in the collar.

Excellent! Thank you VERY much for that post. I had my camera attached to the monopod (via lens collar... 70-200mm F4L) without a head and I was wondering if having a head would really give me a further advantage. Good to know. Thank you all for the suggestions :D

[CoolToolGuy]

Kenny is a pro, and he makes it work without a head, but I find a ballhead helpful with motorsport shooting. I am outside the fences when I shoot, and the terrain is not always the best. I sometimes find that i have to support the monopod on an angle, and panning is better with the ballhead, even with a tripod collar.

I have the Manfrotto 486RC2 head, and it seems to be a good choice. The tension screw can be adjusted to give you just the amount of drag you want, and the weight limit is about right.

My 2 cents.

Have Fun,