Manfrotto 509hd or 504hd on Gitzo 5561 Monopod?

[Omar Nabulsi]

Hello all,

I am very new to the idea of monopods and am wondering if it is possible/ideal to mount a Manfrotto 504hd or 509hd onto a Gitzo 5561 monopod for video work? The idea would be to allow smooth pans and tilts on the fly without the need for a entire tripod system.

Any thoughts? All help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
~Omar

[Chris Soucy]

Hi, Omar.............

If you're not up on how to handle monopods, may I suggest you get one and try it out before asking yourself the same question?

I can shoot down the "smooth pans" thing from the get go, as, with one hand holding the monopod and one working the camera controls, you're left with the third to do the panning.

Shame, you were probably only blessed with two.

Tilts aren't an awefull lot easier and are simpler done by just tilting the monopod forward or backward.

In short, till you've actively played with one in anger, you won't have a clue what you might want to do to improve things, they take some getting used to.

Putting a 5 or 6 lb pan/ tilt head on one doesn't do them many favours either, an el cheapo stills head that allows you to vary the tilt angle whilst not actually doing a tilt "live" will suffice, IMHO.

Whatever, get the 'pod, try it out "naked" and work out how it can be improved to work the way you want, then come back and ask any questions you think pertinent.

If you do decide to put a full blown pan/ tilt unit on it, remember that whatever it is must have a flat base or be convertible, I cannot say for certain that the 509 or the 504 fall into that category, suspect, yes, certain, no.

Regards,


CS

[Allan Black]

Omar, what camera are you intending to use?

If you're an occasional weekend shooter, a monopod will take a long time to master it and even then, it needs regular use to stay with it.
Monopods are good for things like sitting in the stands videoing the game, and not zooming in too much.
The value is in supporting the camera for a long period.

Definately call 'rent a rig' before you decide to buy, there should be quite a few shops downtown in Chicago. Most tripods can be used as monopods,
just don't spread their legs.

But some folk love 'em .. in fact the monopod brigade will probably come marching through this thread with their funny stick like walk.
They're a division of the flat earth society ;)

Cheers.

[Omar Nabulsi]

Thanks for the help guys! I think your advice is terrific. It does make the most sense to try one out and use it before deciding if I even want to invest in one or not. The only problem for me is that since I just found out about this project not too long ago and shooting will be in one week, I may not have time to handle rentals. I may have to just pull the trigger. I will keep your advice in mind as I decide my next plan of action.

Allan, I am planning on using both a Canon 5D Mark 3, but I want something a bit future proof because I will be upgrading to a heavier camera next year most likely. My worry is that a 509HD plus heavy camera like Chris suggested may be too much for effective handling on just a monopod.

I may go with a cheapo head for this shoot since it is only a 5DM3, and then once it wraps, use my experience to decide what to do next.

Thanks!
~Omar

[Jim Schuchmann]

Omar,

Have you looked at these

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/890504-REG/Manfrotto_Manfrotto_Blackmagic_Cinema_Monopod.html

[Omar Nabulsi]

Thanks Jim, I ended up going with the 561BHDV-1.

Thanks again everyone!