ENG Style on Monopod at DVinfo.net

Peter G. Johnson · January 14th, 2012, 06:48 PM

I've been determined to make this combination of the F3 and Pix240 as portable as possible. Altogether that makes around 7kg of equipment. Therefore without using a tripod, which can be intrusive and heavy to lug around, I purchased a Manfrotto monopod (capacity of around 8kg) and the whole thing became manageable, but still difficult to keep it entirely steady.

For a subject I hung around our busiest mall in the city of Melbourne on a Friday afternoon. You get lots of buskers in a place named Bourke Street. Here I found Terry on his Wertheim. This is the first time I've seen a busker play an upright piano in the street. It was difficult to keep in focus, as he was moving around a lot and the monopod is a little too flexible with so much weight. I shot the whole thing using s-log and tried to grade it as best as possible. I am absolutely hopeless at doing that. Anyway it looks much better on a bigger screen.

Doug Jensen · January 16th, 2012, 08:47 AM

Peter,

It's just my opinion, but I think you'd get much better results if you used a tripod. A tripod isn't going to make you that much more obtrusive and I find the weight actually balances me out when I carry the tripod in one hand and the camera in the other -- just as it is easier to carry two heavy suitcases than one. I doubt you will ever be satisfied with the steadiness until you use a real tripod.

Also, I think you should give some thought to how you are exposing. You've got a lot of blown out highlights that I'm pretty sure could be brought under control with camera's built-in Cine Gammas, let alone S-LOG. The whole point of S-LOG is to help prevent blown out highlights like you have.

I hope that helps.

(FYI, one of the most unusual renditions of Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 I've ever heard)

Don Bloom · January 16th, 2012, 11:31 AM

I agree with Doug about the tripod but with a lot of practice and finding the "sweet spot" of the rig with the monopod you can get some pretty stable footage. Keep im mind the monopod only has the one ground contact and any movement will show pretty bad on the screen.
I used to use a monopod with a JVC5000 and various Sony DSR models but I would lower the monopod to be able to put the camera under my arm so I could squeeze it to my body and while it did help stabablize the camera any kind of movement loomed large so I kept the lens to the short end and didn't bother trying to zoom. If I needed to get closer I go closer. For me I found the ENG rig by DVTec worked really well and in many cases even better than the monopod.
If it were me, I'd go with a tripod andif necessary, collapse the legs together so you have a "monopod" but more ground contact than a traditional monopod.

Allan Black · January 16th, 2012, 04:11 PM

Yep at the Miller tripod factory tour demo here, they demonstrate how you can use their Solo tripod as a monopod by extending just one leg.

Showing a camera mounted in a run and gun situation, the Miller guy it had it down to a few seconds. Also how to stand when planning a wide pan,
you run it first and pay close attention to not tilting the camera.

Cheers.

Peter G. Johnson · January 16th, 2012, 04:59 PM

Thanks, Doug, Don & Allan for your suggestions. Much appreciated. In the end it was the almighty dollar and the practicality of carrying around so much stuff. The Miller and Manfrotto tripods that can take up to 8kg are incredibly expensive; well over $1000 and the weight of these tripods is also around 6-7kg.

For the 'serious' projects I use a Manfrotto 117 (capacity of 20kg) but that also accommodates a Kessler slider. So I thought long and hard about a monopod (Manfrotto 562B-1 FLUID VIDEO ALU MONOP W/PLATE - Fluid | Manfrotto) for the purpose of run and gun, and also getting into some of those precarious positions. Where I could sit on a step, a seat or lean against a wall, it worked really well.

Leonard Levy · January 16th, 2012, 07:50 PM

Those Manfrotto monopods with the collapsable feet are much more stable. Pretty cool really.
I use the monopod in a fanny pack for all my handheld work and prefer it a great deal over those cumbersome shoulder rigs.

Doug Jensen · January 16th, 2012, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter G. Johnson

. . . incredibly expensive; well over $1000 . . .

Peter, that is funny. I guess you have not been in the business very too many years, because until recently (thanks to China) any tripod worthy of holding the F3 and providing smooth movements would have cost several thousand dollars. In my own case, I spent nearly $8000 on my newest tripod/head 13 years ago. And if mine got stolen, I'd spend $8500 on the same system today to replace it without any hesitation.

I am skeptical that you can find a decent tripod for the F3 for anywhere near $1000, and if you do, that is hardly "incredibly expensive". It is actually unbelievably cheap. If you have not used a decent tripod before, then maybe that explains why you think the monopod doesn't seem that different. Try a decent tripod some day and you'll see how silly the F3 seems on a monopod after that.

My advice is to invest in the best tripod you can afford. And if you can't afford one, put it on credit or save up until you can. A good tripod/head will serve you for years and years. It is the most important camera accessory you will ever buy and will outlast many cameras you will own.

Leonard Levy · January 16th, 2012, 09:39 PM

Those Manfrotto monopods with the collapsable feet are much more stable. Pretty cool really.
I use the monopod in a fanny pack for all my handheld work and prefer it a great deal over those cumbersome shoulder rigs.

Peter G. Johnson · January 16th, 2012, 10:32 PM

Oh, I agree completely, Doug. A quality tripod would be preferable.

Even though the experts will continue shuddering at my techniques, the monopod is a way of trying out different strategies. On the street it wan't fantastic, but I also use it when recording school recitals and I can tell you, the leg room from one row to another is minimal and then imagine people trying to walk past you. This is where the monopod works at its best.

My Manfrotto 117 comes with the 501 head. It's really nice to use but very heavy! I bought a 114 dolly to go underneath it and that made great improvements.

117: 117B Professional Video/Movie Triopd Black - Single Leg | Manfrotto
114: Video/Movie Heavy Dolly - Dollies And Spreaders | Manfrotto
501: 501HDV Pro Video Head - Pro | Manfrotto (older version of 501HDV)
Pocket Dolly: Philip Bloom Pocket Dollyâ„¢ Kit (Standard Length)

Leonard Levy · January 20th, 2012, 11:21 PM

Just as an aside I've found that the old 501 head seems to be much smoother than the new 501HDV. I like my 501 but find the HDV versions sticky and pretty much n usable at all. have tried a few and been very surprised.
The Manfrotto 701 works nicely on a monopod. 501 does sound heavy but I'm sure its better if the weight is bearable.

January 14th, 2012, 06:48 PM	#1
Peter G. Johnson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 87	ENG Style on Monopod I've been determined to make this combination of the F3 and Pix240 as portable as possible. Altogether that makes around 7kg of equipment. Therefore without using a tripod, which can be intrusive and heavy to lug around, I purchased a Manfrotto monopod (capacity of around 8kg) and the whole thing became manageable, but still difficult to keep it entirely steady. For a subject I hung around our busiest mall in the city of Melbourne on a Friday afternoon. You get lots of buskers in a place named Bourke Street. Here I found Terry on his Wertheim. This is the first time I've seen a busker play an upright piano in the street. It was difficult to keep in focus, as he was moving around a lot and the monopod is a little too flexible with so much weight. I shot the whole thing using s-log and tried to grade it as best as possible. I am absolutely hopeless at doing that. Anyway it looks much better on a bigger screen. Yep, it's a busker! Terry Hansom Live 2012 on Vimeo Attached Thumbnails

January 16th, 2012, 08:47 AM	#2
Doug Jensen Vortex Media Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,442	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Peter, It's just my opinion, but I think you'd get much better results if you used a tripod. A tripod isn't going to make you that much more obtrusive and I find the weight actually balances me out when I carry the tripod in one hand and the camera in the other -- just as it is easier to carry two heavy suitcases than one. I doubt you will ever be satisfied with the steadiness until you use a real tripod. Also, I think you should give some thought to how you are exposing. You've got a lot of blown out highlights that I'm pretty sure could be brought under control with camera's built-in Cine Gammas, let alone S-LOG. The whole point of S-LOG is to help prevent blown out highlights like you have. I hope that helps. (FYI, one of the most unusual renditions of Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 I've ever heard) __________________ Vortex Media http://www.vortexmedia.com/ Sony FS7, F55, and XDCAM training videos, field guides, and other production tools

January 16th, 2012, 11:31 AM	#3
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: ENG Style on Monopod I agree with Doug about the tripod but with a lot of practice and finding the "sweet spot" of the rig with the monopod you can get some pretty stable footage. Keep im mind the monopod only has the one ground contact and any movement will show pretty bad on the screen. I used to use a monopod with a JVC5000 and various Sony DSR models but I would lower the monopod to be able to put the camera under my arm so I could squeeze it to my body and while it did help stabablize the camera any kind of movement loomed large so I kept the lens to the short end and didn't bother trying to zoom. If I needed to get closer I go closer. For me I found the ENG rig by DVTec worked really well and in many cases even better than the monopod. If it were me, I'd go with a tripod andif necessary, collapse the legs together so you have a "monopod" but more ground contact than a traditional monopod. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

January 16th, 2012, 04:11 PM	#4
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,928	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Yep at the Miller tripod factory tour demo here, they demonstrate how you can use their Solo tripod as a monopod by extending just one leg. Showing a camera mounted in a run and gun situation, the Miller guy it had it down to a few seconds. Also how to stand when planning a wide pan, you run it first and pay close attention to not tilting the camera. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

January 16th, 2012, 04:59 PM	#5
Peter G. Johnson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 87	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Thanks, Doug, Don & Allan for your suggestions. Much appreciated. In the end it was the almighty dollar and the practicality of carrying around so much stuff. The Miller and Manfrotto tripods that can take up to 8kg are incredibly expensive; well over $1000 and the weight of these tripods is also around 6-7kg. For the 'serious' projects I use a Manfrotto 117 (capacity of 20kg) but that also accommodates a Kessler slider. So I thought long and hard about a monopod (Manfrotto 562B-1 FLUID VIDEO ALU MONOP W/PLATE - Fluid \| Manfrotto) for the purpose of run and gun, and also getting into some of those precarious positions. Where I could sit on a step, a seat or lean against a wall, it worked really well.

January 16th, 2012, 07:50 PM	#6
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Those Manfrotto monopods with the collapsable feet are much more stable. Pretty cool really. I use the monopod in a fanny pack for all my handheld work and prefer it a great deal over those cumbersome shoulder rigs.

January 16th, 2012, 09:39 PM	#8
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Those Manfrotto monopods with the collapsable feet are much more stable. Pretty cool really. I use the monopod in a fanny pack for all my handheld work and prefer it a great deal over those cumbersome shoulder rigs.

January 16th, 2012, 10:32 PM	#9
Peter G. Johnson Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 87	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Oh, I agree completely, Doug. A quality tripod would be preferable. Even though the experts will continue shuddering at my techniques, the monopod is a way of trying out different strategies. On the street it wan't fantastic, but I also use it when recording school recitals and I can tell you, the leg room from one row to another is minimal and then imagine people trying to walk past you. This is where the monopod works at its best. My Manfrotto 117 comes with the 501 head. It's really nice to use but very heavy! I bought a 114 dolly to go underneath it and that made great improvements. 117: 117B Professional Video/Movie Triopd Black - Single Leg \| Manfrotto 114: Video/Movie Heavy Dolly - Dollies And Spreaders \| Manfrotto 501: 501HDV Pro Video Head - Pro \| Manfrotto (older version of 501HDV) Pocket Dolly: Philip Bloom Pocket Dollyâ„¢ Kit (Standard Length)

January 20th, 2012, 11:21 PM	#10
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Re: ENG Style on Monopod Just as an aside I've found that the old 501 head seems to be much smoother than the new 501HDV. I like my 501 but find the HDV versions sticky and pretty much n usable at all. have tried a few and been very surprised. The Manfrotto 701 works nicely on a monopod. 501 does sound heavy but I'm sure its better if the weight is bearable.