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Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

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Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby _Paz_ » Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:44 am

I've been intrigued since I first read about Mom's monopod with chicken feet. Just couldn't justify paying that much when I already own several. I came across these feet on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KA5153Q?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01

and I've managed to attach one of monopods via a wooden dowel attached to a half wood screw- half 1/4 20 thread bolt, 1/4 - 1/4 female coupler and 1/4 20 male to 3/8 16 thread adapter and a couple of tiny screws drilled through the side of the lowest segment of the monopod into the wooden dowel.

Now I find I could get better results with a head of some kind. What do y'all suggest? Ball head? Pistol Grip? Regular?

thanks for any thoughts or suggestions,

Paz
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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby Steve Grisetti » Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:18 am

I like it, Paz! Looks like something Batman would use!
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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby Bob » Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:32 pm

That looks like it was modeled after the Manfrotto monopod foot. How is the ball joint in the foot? Is it a smooth fluid pan like the Manfrotto or is it stiff like a regular ball joint?

The footed Manfrotto monopods are intended to pan with the ball in the foot and the head is just a simple 2-axis tilt. The non-fluid feet I've seen are too stiff to pan smoothly and a head with a pan capability is better if you want a horizontal pan. Ball or pistol grip is a personal choice. They both work well if you have a decent head. I personally never liked the pistol grips, but a lot of people like them and some find the pistol grips easier to manipulate and faster to align then the standard ball. Ball type heads are great for general photography as you can quickly point the camera in any direction. But, they aren't designed for video as they can't be constrained for a single axis smooth pan --if the foot ball joint can pan smoothly, they'll be fine for horizontal pans though. The type of head really comes down to what you need it to do and how you're going to use it.
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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby _Paz_ » Fri Jun 12, 2015 4:39 pm

How is the ball joint in the foot? Is it a smooth fluid pan like the Manfrotto or is it stiff like a regular ball joint?


I've never tried the Manfrotto so I can't compare them. I believe the foot head is fluid. The ad says 'hydraulic'.

Here's an example straight out of the camera, having been processed in PreEl 11 only to be uploaded to YouTube:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nuozff7pERM[/youtube]

This 'foot head' has an extra knob, right below the red, 'head' section. When screwed up the monopod has good freedom of circular, lateral movement. When tightened down it will stand vertically and not move - maybe a little, but not much. (I still wouldn't trust an expensive camera on it.)

Since I was leaning forward with the monopod I was able to see the ducks in the water and follow them up the bank. I'm pretty happy with the stability of the footage. I see a couple of glitches, the kind that are common when panning with a Cmoss based camera, but I hope software will correct them. I have gotten much more stable 'still' footage with this setup than I can ever get hand held.

On the other hand, if a duck flew over, there's no way I'd be able to catch that and I want to be able to pivot to see and video anything that comes along.

I've never used a pistol grip head. I need a hand for the monopod and a hand for the camera, a hand to position the field monitor and a hand to begin and stop shooting and a hand to zoom in or out. I'm a little short of hands. How many hands do Space Aliens have, Bob? :fg:
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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby Bob » Fri Jun 12, 2015 7:55 pm

Two is the standard number. :fg:
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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby sidd finch » Sat Jun 13, 2015 11:29 am

That is a pretty clever idea to buy a separate tripod mechanism. Is it easy to transport with the rest of your gear? Your video looks pretty stable too. I think I might just invest in a Hurrycane and attach my camera to it. :conf:

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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby _Paz_ » Sun Jun 14, 2015 9:58 am

That is a pretty clever idea to buy a separate tripod mechanism.


Thanks!

Is it easy to transport with the rest of your gear?


Absolutely. I've left the camcorder screwed onto the monopod and the feet in the extended position, shortened the monopod so it will fit and put it in the back seat of a car. Saw some large white birds flying, stopped the car, got the monopod out, opened one latch to adjust height and I was shooting. It would have taken me 5 times as long to adjust my video monopod.

Your video looks pretty stable too.[/quote.

I agree!!! My hands are always shaky and I often have a hard time getting a non blurred still shot from my camera.

Right after filming the ducks I got this footage of a squirrel at MAX zoom level. When I consider how hard it is to see with hand held binoculars, I'm amazed at how steady most of this is. I've tried several setups. Steadicams and such. Nothing has been as good as this for me. Except the GoPro Gimbal from PilotFly FunnyGo, but that is GoPro only and it quit working after my third test and I still need to send it back to China for repairs.

I think I might just invest in a Hurrycane and attach my camera to it


Ya know... I'll confess, :oops: I've been looking for a used one in junk-antique-flea markets for a while now. I thought I might be able to fit the 9 foot painters' extension pole into one somehow. That's how I came across these feet! :fg:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQGJ5TjhgBI[/youtube]
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Re: Monopods - Head to Toe...um, Feet

Postby Dave McElderry » Sun Jun 14, 2015 11:10 am

Good job Paz! We live a half block from a very old city park and it's infested with these rodents, as is our neighborhood. I admit they're fun to watch, and great entertainment for the dog, too. But we've had our share of problems when they decide to take up residence in some part of the construction of our home. Too smart and agile to make good neighbors, and they can sure cause damage.

Now, I've just got to ask, how do they call something with three feet a monopod? :conf:
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