Bogen / Manfrotto 561B monopod

Paul Leung · June 22nd, 2008, 03:53 AM

I am ordering one this week at BH. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...&img=bh_wl.gif

I know that it gets to 2m when fully extended. Does it work well at this height? I mean, can you still aim the camera effectively with the LCD?

Piotr Wozniacki · June 22nd, 2008, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Leung

I know that it gets to 2m when fully extended. Does it work well at this height? I mean, can you still aim the camera effectively with the LCD?

Yes, you can. I'm relatively short, and yet I got nice shoots of a stage performance from above standing audience's heads; you just need to twist the LCD downwards...

Oh, and a zoom controller attached to the monopod's handle helps a lot, too.

Paul Chiu · June 24th, 2008, 12:07 PM

piotr,

i tried the 561B and 562B today at B&H photo/video.
wow!

the only question is whether the 561B can support the PMW-EX1 with letus and a lens.
the 561B is rated at 8.8lbs.

is that fluid head removeable?
when removed, it's the 562B and that is rated at 17.6lbs, so that's plenty.

have you used the 561B with letus and PMW-EX1? lights and shotgun too?

paul

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

Yes, you can. I'm relatively short, and yet I got nice shoots of a stage performance from above standing audience's heads; you just need to twist the LCD downwards...

Oh, and a zoom controller attached to the monopod's handle helps a lot, too.

Piotr Wozniacki · June 25th, 2008, 03:24 AM

Paul,

I must say I have no problems using my 561B with the complete rig - i.e. the EX1 + LEX with even the longest Canon zoom + the PAG M light + a shotgun + my Senny wireless + the Bebob Coco EX with BP-U60 battery. And the 701 "fluid" head is absolutely necessary if you are to shoot with extreme (very low or very high) monopod heights!

Michael Liebergot · July 2nd, 2008, 09:45 AM

Just ordered the 562b today from B&H.
Looking forward to putting it through some tests, shooting with FX1's.

I used to shoot with a monopod ages ago, using the Bogen 682 (with the retractable feet that fold inside the pod shaft). And while it worked good,, I wasn't happy with the flex in the feet (although I could stand on it s won), rattle of legs in shaft when folded in for normal monopod use. And the legs were a royal pain in the a** to screw in.

So I have been using the DVMulti Rig Pro, and love it to death. The only thing I don't like about it, is using it at full zoom as I still get too much body motion for my likes.

So I decided to give monopod another try to use for wedding processionals. The combo of the 701 head (which I did use on my 682) and teh fluid base should make for a real nice combo. Plus the form factor is a little bit smaller which should help.

I actually am going to remove the handle on the 701 and place my right hand in the camera grip and use my left hand for zoom focus and adjustments. By not having the handle on the 701, I can keep the monopod closer to my body and thus avoid more camera sway.

John Gilmore · July 11th, 2008, 07:25 AM

Has anyone tried an EX1 on the 560B? Can it support the weight?

I'm looking for a lightweight, ultra-portable solution so maybe this is it.

Michael Liebergot · July 11th, 2008, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Gilmore

Has anyone tried an EX1 on the 560B? Can it support the weight?

I'm looking for a lightweight, ultra-portable solution so maybe this is it.

John, I made a mistake in my post the other day, as I ordered the 561B, which has the modified Bogen 02RC head (only tilts, no pan, needed as the Bogen fluid base handles this).

If you are using the EX1, I would recommend the 561 over the 560. With an EX1 you might be at the cusp of the weight that the monopod is comfortable handling.

I am using a larger Sony camera myself, FX1 with XLR adapter, shotgun mic, wireless, and large Sony HVL-LBP LED light, and the 561 handles it just fine.

Oh and also besides using the 561B, I also use a DVMulti Rig Pro (http://dvtec.tv/id33.html) for most of my days shooting.
It can handle the weight of my camera with no problems, and my shots are smooth as silk.
I can shoot in handheld, fig rig, shoulder modes. Either with or without the 2 section support pod, which I use all of the time. You can even mount/unmount your entire rig on a tripod with the new Tripod Adapter Bracket in seconds. Or you can add a bogen QR assembly on the rig, and simply attach/remove your camera like normal to be placed on a tripod.

And best of all I have no fatigue after a 12+ hours of shooting. Well except for my feet.

The only reason that I went for a 561b monopod, was that I can't seem to get good extreme zoom shots, that I need for weeding processionals. mainly for the bridal entrance. The monopod, allows me to get this one shot more consistently with less problems.

If it wasn't for that one shot, I would use the DVMulti Rig all day long.

John Gilmore · July 22nd, 2008, 04:33 AM

Does anyone know if the modified 701 head of the 561B has the same counterbalance weighting as the 701RC2 head; that is, 1.5kg?

I have a 503HDV and the middle counterbalance weighting of 2.6kg works quite well but the lower setting of 1.5kg is way too light.

It's a shame that the 562B takes the old 375PLV plate rather than the newer 501PL plate otherwise I'd probably go for that monopod. I'm not really convinced of the need for a head, especially if the counterbalance doesn't match the load.

Michael Liebergot · July 22nd, 2008, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Gilmore

It's a shame that the 562B takes the old 375PLV plate rather than the newer 501PL plate otherwise I'd probably go for that monopod. I'm not really convinced of the need for a head, especially if the counterbalance doesn't match the load.

John, all you have to do is pickup the 562 and replace the QR assembly with a Bogen 577 assembly. Then you have the ability to use the 501PL plate.

John Gilmore · July 22nd, 2008, 08:21 AM

OK great, thanks for that Michael. It sounds like it could be my best option.

So does the plate have any tilt adjustment or is it just fixed perpendicular to the tripod itself. The 560B has a lockable tilt but I can't tell if that applies to the 562B also.

Michael Liebergot · July 22nd, 2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Gilmore

OK great, thanks for that Michael. It sounds like it could be my best option.

So does the plate have any tilt adjustment or is it just fixed perpendicular to the tripod itself. The 560B has a lockable tilt but I can't tell if that applies to the 562B also.

The 560B has a tilt head on it, while the 562b has just the QR assembly and plate on it, so you can't tilt the camera the 562B.

This is why I went for the 561B. It can support more weight than the 560B, and also has the modified 701RC fluid head on it. The modified 701RC has fluid dampened tilting, but no panning ability. This is what the fluid base of the monopod will do.

It really gives you some great monopod shots.
You would swear that you are on a tripod while you are shooting.
If you are after tilting ability, I would suggest moving up to the 561B, as the fluid head makes all of the difference for tilting. Especially if you have a larger camera like my Sony FX1 or even Canon A1.

I actually turn my pan handle way down on the 701 head, as I like to place my Right hand in the camera grip, and the left hand is on the camera controlling Zoom and exposure.

This way the camera is closer to my body and I can get even steadier shots. My right hand that is in the camera grip controls my panning and tilting. And my left hand is on the camera controlling zoom, and exposure.

If I am shooting higher in camera height then I will use the pan handle to control everything accordingly.

Also, the modified 701RC head uses the same QR plate as my 501HDV tripods (577 QR assembly). so swapping out is a breeze. I wish that Bogen would have also use the same QR assembly on the regular 701RC. Why they don't is a mystery to me.

John Gilmore · July 22nd, 2008, 08:56 AM

Do you know if the head of the 561B has the same counterbalance weighting as the standard 701RC2 head?

I found the 701 too light for an EX1, have you experienced that also with the 561B?

By the way, have you seen the new 701HDV? Guess which QR assembly it uses.

Michael Liebergot · July 22nd, 2008, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Gilmore

Do you know if the head of the 561B has the same counterbalance weighting as the standard 701RC2 head?

I found the 701 too light for an EX1, have you experienced that also with the 561B?

By the way, have you seen the new 701HDV? Guess which QR assembly it uses.

The head seems to actually be the 701HDV head, not the 701RC. Good find, I wasn't aware that Bogen had finally done this. Good for them.

Not sure about the counter balance on the head. But I find that I am able to run a fully loaded FX1 (with XLR adapter, shotgun mic, wireless, and large HVL-LBP LED light) on it with acceptable results.

John Gilmore · July 22nd, 2008, 09:24 AM

Sorry, one last question.

It looks like the 561 and 562 are essentially the same monopod except for the head/plate assembly.

Do you think it would be possible to mount a 701HDV head on a 562B monopod? After removing the existing plate of course. That would save me having two heads that are essentially the same.

Also, do you think it would be possible to mount a different monopod on the fluid base of the 561 or 562? Do you know if they sell the base separately?

Michael Liebergot · July 22nd, 2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Gilmore

Sorry, one last question.

It looks like the 561 and 562 are essentially the same monopod except for the head/plate assembly.

Do you think it would be possible to mount a 701HDV head on a 562B monopod? After removing the existing plate of course. That would save me having two heads that are essentially the same.

Also, do you think it would be possible to mount a different monopod on the fluid base of the 561 or 562? Do you know if they sell the base separately?

You are correct, both monopods are the same.
So you can mount the 701RC head on the the 562.
But you will find that you will be spending more for the combo.
Also, the 702 head on it is modified so you can't pan with it only tilt.

And as for the base, it's fixed and can't be removed, and is not sold separately.

June 25th, 2008, 03:24 AM	#19
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	Paul, I must say I have no problems using my 561B with the complete rig - i.e. the EX1 + LEX with even the longest Canon zoom + the PAG M light + a shotgun + my Senny wireless + the Bebob Coco EX with BP-U60 battery. And the 701 "fluid" head is absolutely necessary if you are to shoot with extreme (very low or very high) monopod heights! __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

July 2nd, 2008, 09:45 AM	#20
Michael Liebergot Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,505	Just ordered the 562b today from B&H. Looking forward to putting it through some tests, shooting with FX1's. I used to shoot with a monopod ages ago, using the Bogen 682 (with the retractable feet that fold inside the pod shaft). And while it worked good,, I wasn't happy with the flex in the feet (although I could stand on it s won), rattle of legs in shaft when folded in for normal monopod use. And the legs were a royal pain in the a** to screw in. So I have been using the DVMulti Rig Pro, and love it to death. The only thing I don't like about it, is using it at full zoom as I still get too much body motion for my likes. So I decided to give monopod another try to use for wedding processionals. The combo of the 701 head (which I did use on my 682) and teh fluid base should make for a real nice combo. Plus the form factor is a little bit smaller which should help. I actually am going to remove the handle on the 701 and place my right hand in the camera grip and use my left hand for zoom focus and adjustments. By not having the handle on the 701, I can keep the monopod closer to my body and thus avoid more camera sway. __________________ Michael www.lvpvideo.com

June 22nd, 2008, 03:53 AM	#16
Paul Leung Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 173	I am ordering one this week at BH. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...&img=bh_wl.gif I know that it gets to 2m when fully extended. Does it work well at this height? I mean, can you still aim the camera effectively with the LCD?

July 11th, 2008, 07:25 AM	#21
John Gilmore Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 103	Has anyone tried an EX1 on the 560B? Can it support the weight? I'm looking for a lightweight, ultra-portable solution so maybe this is it.

July 22nd, 2008, 04:33 AM	#23
John Gilmore Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 103	Does anyone know if the modified 701 head of the 561B has the same counterbalance weighting as the 701RC2 head; that is, 1.5kg? I have a 503HDV and the middle counterbalance weighting of 2.6kg works quite well but the lower setting of 1.5kg is way too light. It's a shame that the 562B takes the old 375PLV plate rather than the newer 501PL plate otherwise I'd probably go for that monopod. I'm not really convinced of the need for a head, especially if the counterbalance doesn't match the load.

July 22nd, 2008, 08:21 AM	#25
John Gilmore Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 103	OK great, thanks for that Michael. It sounds like it could be my best option. So does the plate have any tilt adjustment or is it just fixed perpendicular to the tripod itself. The 560B has a lockable tilt but I can't tell if that applies to the 562B also.

July 22nd, 2008, 08:56 AM	#27
John Gilmore Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 103	Do you know if the head of the 561B has the same counterbalance weighting as the standard 701RC2 head? I found the 701 too light for an EX1, have you experienced that also with the 561B? By the way, have you seen the new 701HDV? Guess which QR assembly it uses.

July 22nd, 2008, 09:24 AM	#29
John Gilmore Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 103	Sorry, one last question. It looks like the 561 and 562 are essentially the same monopod except for the head/plate assembly. Do you think it would be possible to mount a 701HDV head on a 562B monopod? After removing the existing plate of course. That would save me having two heads that are essentially the same. Also, do you think it would be possible to mount a different monopod on the fluid base of the 561 or 562? Do you know if they sell the base separately?