Is there a recommended monopod head?

[jaomul]

...or is it down to personal preference or purpose of use.

I bought a fairly sturdy monopod to help with a sigma 150-600mm lens. There is no head with it.It can go directly onto the lens, but I think it might work better with a head.

Can anyone give me any pointers?
Thanks

PS- its mostly for birds/wildlife

 

[astroNikon]

I tried birds and airplanes before with a monopod with and without a head.
It was good to take the weight but once something moved beyond right in front of you it just got in the way and was a stick connected to the camera.
I just hand hold it now.

 

[robbins.photo]

My experience was similar to Astro's - I found a ball head worked well enough for sports shooting where people were just moving up and down the court/field, but trying to track a target with any significant vertical motion and the monopod quickly became more troublesome than it was worth. Fortunately for sports shooting most humans have a pretty pathetic vertical leap statistic so I could usually shoot wide enough that it wasn't a huge issue.

 

[Overread]

Monopod Quick Release Head

I use one of these. It's a very simple head that only has back and forward motion. However the idea is that on a monopod you have side to side just by turning the rig whilst the head does the pitching forward and back; which covers most motion you need.
It's only limit is if you want to do portraits; but most lenses heavy enough to warrant using a monopod will have a tripod collar so you just use the collar to rotate the camera.

It's small, light and works well though I'm either changing it or getting an adaptor as I'm slowly moving to arca swiss plates on my setup.


Ballheads can be a bit tricky as if you weaken the ball lock you have a 360 degree amount of motion which means it can very easily become "floppy" so the pod isn't actually holding much if any weight until you lock the head off.

 

[Dave442]

I've always just used a quick release connection directly to the monopod.

 

[EIngerson]

Why bother with a head? direct to monopod.

 

[Netskimmer]

Why bother with a head? direct to monopod.

Having a head on it can help with positioning. One example would be to take a step forward while leaving the monopod foot where it is. By angling the pod you can change the high of the camera without making any adjustments to the monopod itself. (as long as you don't lean so far forward that the foot slips out from under you) Kind of like when a singer angles his mic stand to lean towards the crowd.

Like most of the others, I haven't had much success using a monopod when trying to photograph birds or planes. I just end up picking the whole setup off the ground and shooting hand-held.

Edit:

A good shoulder strap might help. You would be able to let the camera/lens rest at your hip and give your arms a break until you are ready to take a picture.

 

[zombiesniper]

Monopod Quick Release Head

I use one of these. It's a very simple head that only has back and forward motion. However the idea is that on a monopod you have side to side just by turning the rig whilst the head does the pitching forward and back; which covers most motion you need.

This type of quick release head isn't recommended for heavier lenses since they can release from the weight of the lens if you tilt off of level. Ask me how I know.

 

[dxqcanada]

We have two monopods (well I have, since my wife, blacksheep, does not like using them), one with a ball head and one with a 2-way tilt head ... I find that they both have advantages, though I find the tilt head "nicer" to use when I am stationary, the ball head is ok for lots of motion ... both keep my arm from getting tired and not as cumbersome as my tripod.

 

[EIngerson]

Why bother with a head? direct to monopod.

Having a head on it can help with positioning. One example would be to take a step forward while leaving the monopod foot where it is. By angling the pod you can change the high of the camera without making any adjustments to the monopod itself. (as long as you don't lean so far forward that the foot slips out from under you) Kind of like when a singer angles his mic stand to lean towards the crowd.

Like most of the others, I haven't had much success using a monopod when trying to photograph birds or planes. I just end up picking the whole setup off the ground and shooting hand-held.

Edit:

A good shoulder strap might help. You would be able to let the camera/lens rest at your hip and give your arms a break until you are ready to take a picture.

Sounds like a nuisance to me. I have a monopod, but honestly never use it. Unless you're using a heavy lens you really don't need one. And you're certainly not going to aim down with a long heavy lens.

 

[Netskimmer]

Sounds like a nuisance to me.

Much of the time they are.

Unless you're using a heavy lens you really don't need one.

Heavy is a relative term.

And you're certainly not going to aim down with a long heavy lens.

There are plenty of reasons to want to lower the height of your camera rather than simply pointing it towards the ground to get something into frame.

 

[EIngerson]

Sounds like a nuisance to me.

Much of the time they are.

Unless you're using a heavy lens you really don't need one.

Heavy is a relative term.

And you're certainly not going to aim down with a long heavy lens.

There are plenty of reasons to want to lower the height of your camera rather than simply pointing it towards the ground to get something into frame.

okay.

 

[jaomul]

Thanks all. I'll think about your recommendations