I'm thinking of getting a monopod and fitting it with a Manfrotto 222 Joystick Head for my A1.

Anyone used this Joystick?

Bill,

It seems kind of excessive for a monopod setup. I use a Bogen 562b monopod for sports and subjects where I am not worried about rock steady shots. In a way, I have the versatility and get the energy of handheld shooting without the fatigue.

The thing about a monopod is that it's impossible to keep it steady unless you have some way of anchoring it. So if you have all of this capability for smoothly moving your camera with the joystick head, you are not going to have that same control over the actual monopod itself. If you are trying to do a smooth tilt up, for instance, your monopod is still going to be shifting left and right or up and down which will negate your efforts to get a smooth shot. Do you understand what I'm saying?

Anyway, the other thing I love about my monopod is it's small and light and can be setup super quick. Adding another head to it would seem redundant to me....

But, then again, that's just my opinion. It might work great for you. What are you going to be shooting?

I use the monopod below.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/5493-REG/Bogen_Manfrotto__682_Monopod_with_3025.html

It has legs that go inside the tube. You unscrew the bottom, the legs flop out, and you screw it back in. It's quite stable. I've used it with the Xl1-S and A1. I wouldn’t walk away from it, but it's great for areas where you don’t want to deal with a tripod or handheld.

the legs are also spikes. so you can jag, puncture, or impale any suspect individuals sizing you up or giving you the stink eye.

I'm going to be filming from the deck of a fishing boat.

I just thought the joystick was one way of getting a quick angle change. Feels ok but doesn't allow for a smooth pan, as you pointed out Steve. Just thought I'd chop out the jerky bits in post.

I like the look of the Bogen 562b monopod, though.

Problem is, I can't seem to find one locally so won't be able to test drive it.

And I love my 562b, by the way....just in case I didn't give that impression...just not for super steady shots.

I agree, it surpassed my expectations.

Steve I read a thread elswhere on the forum re. the 561B:

"My only issue with this monopod is that the ball in the base is a little too stiff. Primarily, this adds a large jolt when repositioning the monopod while recording, which is done to cover indoor action martial arts. The unit is not designed to help in this area, so I've switched to a better camera support - the DvMultiRig. I don't see why the ball in the base is so stiff."

This appears to be the same fluid head base as the 562B. Is it an issue with you?

I haven't had that problem at all. The 562b is calibrated for much heavier cams.

Actually..yeah, that 562B looks pretty sweet. But at 1.6lbs and no spikes.. you'll still need a sword or a large knife to do any real damage.

Eric. I'm not sure what you mean.

Ok, just read back through the thread. Now I get you.

Bought a light Velbon Neo Pod 6. Nice and light, but had just a flat non tilt attachment. I quickly learned I need to be able to add tilt, so I bought a simple Manfrotto 3232 tilt head. It is not intended to tilt during shot, only to set up an initial angle.