Manfrotto 682b self-standing legs annoying??

Looking into monopods (my first, woo hoo). Because I already have manfrotto stuff I want to stick with it.

682b
Maximum Height: 70.1" (178cm)
Weight 3 lbs

681b
Maximum Height : 65.8"
Weight: 2.3lbs

I really want the 70.1" height of the 682b but like the weight and design of the 681. Looks like the difference is that the 682b has these little legs so it can be self-standing (why I don't know). Does anyone have the 682b. Are those little spider legs annoying??

The legs on the 682B, should fold up into the monopod leg, until you want to deploy them.

Thanks for the pic. I must admit, though, I don't exactly know what I'm looking at there. Is the bottom of the monopod to the left?

How do you like the 682b? Do you find it comfortable, portable enough to carry?

merlin2375 wrote in post #10151738
Thanks for the pic. I must admit, though, I don't exactly know what I'm looking at there. Is the bottom of the monopod to the left?

How do you like the 682b? Do you find it comfortable, portable enough to carry?

The picture is of a 680B with a universal folding base, this should be similar to the 682b which is a 2 section monopod. The 680b is 3 sections but shorter.
You basically unscrew the bottom part of the monopod and the legs pivot out, you then screw the bottom cap back into the base and the legs are sandwiched between the cap and base holding them securely.

I went with the 680b as it was more compact when minimised, but if you need the extra height then the 682b is what you will need to go for.

Here is a link showing the 682b
http://www.dilipmurali​daran.com …elf-standing-monopod.html

Hope these give you a better idea.

merlin2375 wrote in post #10151679
Looking into monopods (my first, woo hoo). Because I already have manfrotto stuff I want to stick with it.

682b
Maximum Height: 70.1" (178cm)
Weight 3 lbs

681b
Maximum Height : 65.8"
Weight: 2.3lbs

I really want the 70.1" height of the 682b but like the weight and design of the 681. Looks like the difference is that the 682b has these little legs so it can be self-standing (why I don't know). Does anyone have the 682b. Are those little spider legs annoying??

How tall are you?

Have you given any consideration to the fact that the viewfinder of your camera is not at the same level as where the camera would fasten to the monopod?

Have you thought about how you are planning to use the monopod? I, for example, use my Manfrotto 680B monopod in many ways other than just standing vertically behind a vertical monopod and thus have a Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head on top the monopod. This effectively lengthens the monopod several inches further while also allowing me to put the camera/lens at any angle to the monopod that I need for the situation.

Don't for one second think that the little legs on a monopod are a substitute for a tripod. Murphy says that the first time you try that with hands off the monopod, it will come crashing down.

lannes - thanks for the pics, link, and post. That was SUPER helpful. Now I clearly see how the extra legs work.

Skip - I'm about 73" tall. The heights I mentioned include a 234rc head (as given on the BH website). So I'll maybe add another 4" to the viewfinder and subtract maybe 6" from the top of my head to my eyes. So I think the 681b should be fine.

merlin2375 wrote in post #10153090
Skip - I'm about 73" tall. The heights I mentioned include a 234rc head (as given on the BH website). So I'll maybe add another 4" to the viewfinder and subtract maybe 6" from the top of my head to my eyes. So I think the 681b should be fine.

You're on the right track.

You may want to figure out how you want to use the monopod while making up your mind. I, for example, will use mine while seated with the shaft of the monopod far from being vertical and the angle between the camera/lens and the monopod far from 90°. Only one of my three lenses has a tripod ring on it. Thus, I need the ball head which I use to allow me to set up the angles I need for different situations.

The 234RC head only has one axis of movement. If you are using a lens with a rotating tripod ring, you can get more than one axis of motion, but if you are mounting the camera to the 234RC, you cannot change the angle between the lens' axis and the shaft of the monopod.

The ball head I use adds a bit more than 3-1/2 inches to the total height of the monopod (over fastening the camera directly to the monopod's top plate).

Thanks Skip. I am thinking about the practicality of a ballhead on a monopod. It's interesting but I can't decide how useful it might be. Do you leave the ball relatively loose so you can move easily?

Also the 234rc, is that any different than an RC2 style? I have an RC2 plate, it looks the same in pics but thought it couldn't help to verify.

merlin2375 wrote in post #10154192
Thanks Skip. I am thinking about the practicality of a ballhead on a monopod. It's interesting but I can't decide how useful it might be. Do you leave the ball relatively loose so you can move easily?

Also the 234rc, is that any different than an RC2 style? I have an RC2 plate, it looks the same in pics but thought it couldn't help to verify.

The 234RC uses the same quick release plate as any of Manfrotto's ...RC2 heads.

I don't usually leave the ball head on my monopod loose. Typically, I get set up with the camera in some location and wait for something to happen that I want to photograph. Thus, I find a comfortable position and then set up the ball head for the angles that I need and then lock the ball head down. Normally, I keep the ball head straight and locked down so I can use in a conventional mode or have it easy to pack and/or carry.

Thanks again Skip

One last question (I would promise its my last question but I don't want to make a liar out of myself), what ballhead do you have on your monopod?

let me ask you this...

Looking at your gear, why do you need a monopod?

canonnoob wrote in post #10154632
let me ask you this...

Looking at your gear, why do you need a monopod?

It's a fair question, I am basically looking for something small and lightweight that I can easily carry around while that gives me a bit of extra stability. This would be something that I might want to take camping or hiking or other places where mobility is important and space/weight is key as well.

I also want to see if I can do HDR with a monopod and my 7d with 8 frames eper second (fast shutter speed). This is more of experimentation.

It seems relatively inexpensive (especially compared to a really nice CF tripod that is small) so I figured it's worth a shot. I have an 055xprob + 488rc2 ballhead tripod but I find I don't use it as much as I should due to weight.

Thoughts?

merlin2375 wrote in post #10154604
Thanks again Skip

One last question (I would promise its my last question but I don't want to make a liar out of myself), what ballhead do you have on your monopod?

I use a Manfrotto 486RC2 ball head on the 680B monopod and I have other heads using the RC2 quick release system that I use on my tripods.

merlin2375 wrote in post #10154676
It's a fair question, I am basically looking for something small and lightweight that I can easily carry around while that gives me a bit of extra stability. This would be something that I might want to take camping or hiking or other places where mobility is important and space/weight is key as well.

I also want to see if I can do HDR with a monopod and my 7d with 8 frames eper second (fast shutter speed). This is more of experimentation.

It seems relatively inexpensive (especially compared to a really nice CF tripod that is small) so I figured it's worth a shot. I have an 055xprob + 488rc2 ballhead tripod but I find I don't use it as much as I should due to weight.

Thoughts?

A monopod is useful for taking weight off your arms, but not as useful as you might think for stability. A tripod is way ahead of a monopod for stability.

I typically use a monopod when I want a heavy lens (all of mine are heavy) aimed at a particular place for an extended period of time but with the flexibility of my re-aiming at any time. An example would be waiting for an animal to come back to a place where it has been doing something. A tripod would not be as useful for the potential change in camera position, but I use shutter speed and/or IS (Image Stabilization) for the stability when using the monopod instead of depending on the monopod for stability.

Hmm, here I was ready to spend some money but now you guys have me thinking about whether it's worth it Perhaps I need to just suck it up and save for a light weight portable tripod.

Hmm...