Motorsport - panning with a monopod

goinggreynow

goinggreynow

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Morning all.

I purchased my monopod just before the WEC in April and have to admit I just couldn't get to grips with panning using it. As I panned the camera (clockwise), I could not keep the monopod vertical with the result that my pans were"dipping away" and the last few images in the burst were usually at an angle. I am reasonably OK with my hand held panning technique.

Off To Silverstone again soon and wanted to sort out once and for all whether or not I need a ballhead (or some other head) to rid my self of this problem.

Or is it a case of my technique being suspect and I need to persevere with my current kit (monopod and tilt held/quick release plate)?

Have trawled through various posts but seems there is a real difference in opnion as to whether a head is needed or not.

Grateful for any thoughts.
 
I'm not quite sure what you mean by dipping away? Pretty much all my shots, not just panning shots, are taken with a monopod screwed directly into the lens collar without any fancy head and it works just fine for me. As far as I am aware a ball head just gives you the ability to angle the lens up and down as well as side to side but I'm not really sure that benefits panning in any way, instead it could add a complication. I think it's probably just case of getting used to the technique, when hand held you are pivoting around your waist, on a monopod you want to be pivoting around the foot i.e like you say keeping it straight and just rotating the camera on the spot. As with most things, gear doesn't solve as many problems as practice (that sounds incredibly patronising lol forget I said anything)
 
I can struggle using a monopod when panning - if I need to use one for extra support, best way I've found is to use a belt adapter and put the monopod in this - so the monopod moves with me when I move - hope that makes sense.

I do have a spare new one and if it's of any use, I can put a sale thread ?
 
goinggreynow said:
Morning all.

I purchased my monopod just before the WEC in April and have to admit I just couldn't get to grips with panning using it. As I panned the camera (clockwise), I could not keep the monopod vertical with the result that my pans were"dipping away" and the last few images in the burst were usually at an angle. I am reasonably OK with my hand held panning technique.

Off To Silverstone again soon and wanted to sort out once and for all whether or not I need a ballhead (or some other head) to rid my self of this problem.

Or is it a case of my technique being suspect and I need to persevere with my current kit (monopod and tilt held/quick release plate)?


Grateful for any thoughts.
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What lens are you using? If you are reasonably OK with handheld why use a monopod?
 
Unless you're using a huge heavy lens, then personally i think hand holding offers better results than a monopod.

The way i look at it is the Professionals only use a monopod with very heavy lenses, and they know what they are doing!
 
Echoii said:
Unless you're using a huge heavy lens, then personally i think hand holding offers better results than a monopod.

The way i look at it is the Professionals only use a monopod with very heavy lenses, and they know what they are doing!
Click to expand...

Yes and no... A lot of people may use a monopod purely to give their arms a break but I'd wager many more use it to stabilise at telephoto distances, it makes a huge difference when working beyond 300mm... Sure if you are working with a small wide lens then handholding is the best way but when you want a sharp pan that fills the frame, a monopod is invaluable (not saying vital as lots of folks don't, but in my limited experience it works wonders)
 
Graphix501 said:
Yes and no... A lot of people may use a monopod purely to give their arms a break but I'd wager many more use it to stabilise at telephoto distances, it makes a huge difference when working beyond 300mm... Sure if you are working with a small wide lens then handholding is the best way but when you want a sharp pan that fills the frame, a monopod is invaluable (not saying vital as lots of folks don't, but in my limited experience it works wonders)
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Yep that's what i'm saying, i'd consider most 300mm+ telephotos to be too heavy to hand hold and pan. But then i am a weakling!
 
Echoii said:
Yep that's what i'm saying, i'd consider most 300mm+ telephotos to be too heavy to hand hold and pan. But then i am a weakling!
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Lol :) there's a lot of slower 300+ lenses that have next to no weight though. It's the focal length that magnifies shake significantly I.e at 100mm if you move a millimetre it doesn't change your field of view too much, but at 400mm that same amount of movement can have a significant effect on what your camera sees
 
I know exactly what you mean and I bought a spear-type end for the monopod so that I could anchor it in the ground, a ball head completed the job.

However I eventually learned to pan without it, even to 400mm:eek:
 
andyred said:
I can struggle using a monopod when panning - if I need to use one for extra support, best way I've found is to use a belt adapter and put the monopod in this - so the monopod moves with me when I move - hope that makes sense.

I do have a spare new one and if it's of any use, I can put a sale thread ?
Click to expand...
Same here, i use one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-Monopod-Pouch-Stable-Support/dp/B000XV6DR0 and have very few problems with it apart from it trying to pull my trousers down.
 
If you want to pan using any form of fixed/vertical support you must move your body... and that limits the length of panning swing possible. If you do not move your body, the monopod tilts and drops. A ballhead can alleviate the tilt, but not the drop. And that ruins the "panning effect." Basically, you're stuck with using a higher SS and shorter pan if you can't move far enough.
 
Many thanks to all for your replies, thoughts & suggestions. I quite like the idea of the monopod belt pouch and may give this a go. Overall, though, the consensus seems to be that a ballhead, in isolation, will not sort my issue and although I will continue taking the monpod with me (at least for now), it looks as though I'll be panning handheld for the forseeable future! Thanks again.
 
There is a way to make panning w/ a monopod "better" (still not ideal). You need a long, heavy duty arca plate on the lens, and a clamp on the monopod (no head or a *very* strong head). The idea is to attach the monopod underneath, or even behind the camera body (can be directly to the camera body w/ smaller/lighter lenses). This moves the point of rotation closer to the body thereby reducing the amount of lateral body movement required. If you can get it behind the camera body w/o interfering with use, the whole camera will swing in front of the pivot point much as it does when handheld... but it will be even more unbalanced. The less body movement required, the less the monopod will drop when you don't move.
 
Hi I am new to this forum but I have a lot of experience panning with a monorod and heavy lenses, for the last 8-9 years I have used a ball head on my monopod . You leave the head clamps loose and your panning is smooth and level. Its very similar to hand held but withought having to support the weight, you can also traverse through a longer arc than having the lens fixed to the monopod. The lens and camera rotate around your spine not the monopod making a more fluid movement.
datetaken
 
19905186170_a605a54b1f_b.jpg


not quite sure what you did to mangle the url from flickr, but I think I've rescued it for you...
 
Has anyone tried the "red dot" sight for this technique?


Cheers
 
If it's a heavy set up then I can highly recommend the following, I have done a 12 hour trackside shoot with just a 10 minute break for lunch 'just'.

Basically:
MonoPod belt pouch - Don't use your normal belt that hold your trousers up, I went for a wide fabric belt that I wore slightly higher just for the pouch, which was a lot more comfortable.

On the head of the monopod I now have the ProMedia Tomahawk Head (don't listen to the video on that link unless you really have had enough of life itself) with the PX6 foot on the lens. very light, over engineered and really smooth action. Mounted straight onto the pod with no ball head, turned the lens collar 45 degrees so it was side mounted and the swivel is now up and down, put a tiny bit of tension on the ball race and it's good to go.

I know it's not the cheapest way BUT it works really well and will no doubt last a lot longer than I will need. Probably of no use to you but thought I would pass it on anyway.

.DAVID.

i-kvLB3Cr-X2.jpg
 
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tbh i dont do a lot of panning but what about the likes of a gimbal
 
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