Travel tripod, monopod, Arca Swiss etc?

ChrisR

ChrisR

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Bit of a complicated situation here. I have a Vanguard tripod with the small Manfrotto ball head and RC2 QR plate on it (probably a 494RC2), and a Manfrotto Monopod (probably a MMCOMPACTADV-BK) with a 234RC tilt head on it ( portrait/landscape, uses the same QR plate). I like the tripod, but I don't like the Monopod; it has a hand screw at the top that is supposedly helpful in attaching to the camera, but which serves no function now I have the tilt head, and tends to come undone easily. I use the monopod quite a lot, so I'm thinking of replacing it, but preferably with one no heavier.

At the same time, I think I'd quite like a travel tripod. I was also thinking of changing from the RC2 QR plate to Arca Swiss, and I guess if I'm going to do it, now would be the time.

My heaviest camera/lens combination is probably a Pentax LX with a Tamron 80-210, that would come in at about 1.25 kg, but would rarely be used together. I'm thinking of getting a Chroma 4x5 camera, that might end up being over 2kg.

Budget is... budget, really! £50-ish for a monopod, not too far off £100 for a travel tripod?

So:

a) What's a good quality, lightweight monopod?

b) Is there an Arca Swiss tilt head for a monopod?

c) What's a good budget travel tripod with (or taking) an Arca Swiss compatible head?

d) Are universal L plates a real substitute for (or better than) a tilt head?

e) What's a good, budget Arca Swiss compatible ball head? Or

f) Can a 494RC head be converted to take an Arca Swiss plate?

Yes, I know I probably want the unobtainable, but you have to ask!
 
b) Yes. Sunwayfoto do one. I had one and sold it on here. Will try and find details.

f) Yes. You can get an adaptor. Wex are UK agents but they are special order and take weeks. And they cost a lot of money. Certainly more than the cost of a decent monopod.
 
mickledore said:
https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/sunwayfoto-dt-02-monopod-head.659730/

Here's a link to the sale thread. There's a link in there for a monopod head Arca style. I thought it was a great bit of kit. Maybe ask the purchaser for his views????
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info... £50 would be good, £120 is a bit steep!

GreenNinja67 said:
My mate has one of these and he swears by it.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Benro-TSL0...pID=318OYewrIlL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Comes with head and Arca Swiss plate too.

Only weighs 1.0 kg
Click to expand...

Thanks, I saw that somewhere else as well, looks like a good option for the travel tripod. I did wonder how good those leg locks were, and how easy to use. I'm not quite sure what I think about the Vanguard locks (they are a bit slow to operate), but at least they have good leverage.
 
Apparently the leg locks are good and easy to operate.

I'll be getting one myself once I've freed up enough spare cash.
 
AndyB1976 said:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neewer-Including-Carrying-Camcorder-Capacity/dp/B01I1C8VGI/

Budget option, includes removable leg to monopod conversion.
Click to expand...

Thanks, those Neewer ones look quite interesting and a good price. Not sure how compact they are in terms of being a travel tripod, it's difficult to tell from the Amazon listing. I'll try to find the manufacturer's website.

A monopod from a tripod leg is a good emergency option when traveling, but would probably be shorter than I would like for regular use.
 
ChrisR said:
Thanks, those Neewer ones look quite interesting and a good price. Not sure how compact they are in terms of being a travel tripod, it's difficult to tell from the Amazon listing. I'll try to find the manufacturer's website.

A monopod from a tripod leg is a good emergency option when traveling, but would probably be shorter than I would like for regular use.
Click to expand...

Yeah fair point. I've got a chinese clone of that for hillwalking, packs small and light enough for me but isn't quite tall enough ( I never extend the centre column). Similarly the monopod conversion isn't as tall or robust as my aluminium monopod so I have to make a choice each time.
  • Carbon clone for hiking and walking
  • Monopod (or beanbag) for wildlife
  • Heavy Manfrotto 055 for local walks or if going into lochs and rivers.

Each time its always a compromise in someway or other.(y)
 
ChrisR said:
A monopod from a tripod leg is a good emergency option when traveling, but would probably be shorter than I would like for regular use.
Click to expand...

On some 'convertible' tripods the centre column can be split into two unequal sections and either one of those can then be mounted onto the monopod leg to raise the height of the head platform. Not sure if that Neewer one does that but it might be worth looking closely at the pictures (and any YouTube vids of it you can find) to see if it does?
 
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e - The Pig Iron range from Jack the Hat is very good value.
f - Remove the RC plate then add a cheap Arca/Swiss plate. This needs a small adapter which is cheap from Amazon.

I bought a bare 494, added an Arca/Swiss plate and I use this on top of my Velbon GEO E54 monopod.
 
I had one of these generic carbon travel tripods for a brief period before I returned it.
Wasn't expecting much from a carbon tripod with ballhead for less than a hundred quid and I didn't get it..

Twist locks aren't one piece, the ribbed bit is a rubber band that unless stuck properly turns without tightening properly.
Ballhead is also less than good quality and wouldn't trust a camera with even a medium size lens on it.

Got one out of interest just to see what all these lookalike tripods were like, really can't recommend them if the one I had was a representative example
 
I've just had a play and it's possible to screw a cheap Arca clamp onto an RC2 plate. That saves changing the head. Bit of blue loctite for safety sake. Only drawback is that it becomes a bit tall. Still need an Arca plate on the camera.
 
Of course if there had been a readily available solution we wouldn't all be taking about make do and mend!!!
 
mickledore said:
Of course if there had been a readily available solution we wouldn't all be taking about make do and mend!!!
Click to expand...

Similarly I've bolted a rotating arca pano head to my 410 geared head which cost me £25 to convert. It also fixes the centre of rotation ( when doing a stitch pano) as its offset with the geared head.
 
mickledore said:
I've just had a play and it's possible to screw a cheap Arca clamp onto an RC2 plate. That saves changing the head. Bit of blue loctite for safety sake. Only drawback is that it becomes a bit tall. Still need an Arca plate on the camera.
Click to expand...
Just discovered that Peak Design's dual plate for $25 works with both Arca Swiss and RC2 clamps, that might be a solution. Just buy an Arca Swiss compatible travel tripod for now and some of those plates. Mind you, need at least 3 plates, that's $75 there alone!
 
I have a Giottos Vitruvian CF travel 'pod. Can be rigged as either a tri or mono. I've swapped the head for a Manfrotto one so I have RC2 type QR through all my supports.
 
ChrisR said:
d) Are universal L plates a real substitute for (or better than) a tilt head?
Click to expand...

I took my camera and monopod (with 234RC portrait/landscape head) out into Holyrood Park on Thursday afternoon, in what I though was a bright spell in the bad weather. Half an hour later I'm clinging on to the side of a 40 degree snow/ice-covered slope in a horizontal blizzard, trying to photograph a small bare tree against the snow (the passing sledgers thought I was nuts!). This experience reminded me that the head is useful, but a PITA as the camera flops about whenever you slightly release the knob (no friction control). It's also hard to get the camera "horizontal" in landscape mode. I think the problems with using the head were what led me to think about L-plates, and L-plates were what made me think about Arca-Swiss plates.

There do seem to be a few "universal" L-plates around, including one for around £99 from Manfrotto (IIRC), and several from Sunwayphoto, differing almost indistinguishably from each other, but I think about a quarter that price. I don't remember seeing an L-Plate for RC2 clamps. :(

I worked out that an Arca Swiss clamp CAN be added to a monopod (a ball head on a monopod is a waste of time), Sunwayphoto again have one.

So: it seems like an Arca Swiss compatible travel tripod is fairly easy to find (but quality would need to be assessed), an Arca Swiss compatible monopod is possible, and L clamps are also a possibility )depending on exact dimensions and "feel" when mounted. That just leaves the existing 494RC2 head. Rather than try to get it converted, perhaps the best idea is to buy one of the new 494 Centre ball heads (£60 pre-order on Manfrotto's site), apparently compatible with both RC2 and Arca Swiss, and then sell the existing head (and a bunch of RC2 plates, plus the old monopod and head).

Methinks a visit to the Photography show to see some of the candidates would be a good idea, maybe catch some discounts too.

Does anyone know who in the UK (apart from Ama$on) sells Sunwayphoto and Neewer gear? Anyone likely to be at the Show?
 
Carbon Fibre SIRUI T-025X Tripod with Ballhead - had one for years without an issue
 
So, I've done quite a lot of research on this. Here's what I found so far:

a) What's a good quality, lightweight monopod?

I'm not really sure about this, but I'm going to research these at TPS (my existing monopod weighs 350 gm, has 5 sections with clip locks, goes from 42 to 156 cm and is rated at 3 kg):

- Manfrotto Element monopod, £44.95, 500gm, 41-150 cm, 5 section, twist, 15kg rated

- SRB On-it monopod, £30, 360 gm, 40-150cm, 4 sections, twist (screw?) 4kg rated, Al/CF

- Vanguard VEO AM-204, £35, 360gm, 47-140 cm, 4 sections clips, 5kg rated

b) Is there an Arca Swiss tilt head for a monopod?

A couple: a Sunwayphoto one that's on fleabay for over £100, and:

- Sirui L-10 Monopod tilt head £52 (eBay), £109 (Bristol Cameras), 330 gm, 18 kg rated.

There are also more expensive Kirk and RRS ones.

c) What's a good budget travel tripod with (or taking) an Arca Swiss compatible head?

Not really sure on this. I thought picking one as a kit including a head was probably more important for travel tripods than ordinary ones, as the heads are sometimes designed with cut-outs to make them more compact when folded. On thinking about it, I reckon that variable tension on the head is a deal-breaker for me, and nearly all those that I found (eg Neewer etc) lack this. Many have a visible second knob on the ball head, but usually this controls pan rather than tension. Sometimes it's hard to tell from the description (I think the makers sometimes assume that slightly loosening the ball head control knob is the same thing as friction control!). Need to think about the actual dimensions I want, maybe 45 cm max folded? I found several, there are probably more:

- Benro IF19 Al Portable Travel Tripod, £88 (eBay), 1.6 kg, closed 35 cm, height 147 (117), twist, rated 8kg, friction and pan control, monopod leg, Arca (carbon fibre version FIF19C £150 Wex, 1.4 kg)

- SIRUI T-005X TRAVELER ULTRALIGHT - TRIPOD ALUMINIUM, £110, 1kg, closed 34 cm, height 130 (95), twist locks, 4 kg rated, friction control, maybe not??? (CF version £200, 200 gm lighter). There is a GX head that does have friction control, could be paired with a set of legs, for about £190 in total, not sure how well it would fold down though.

- SRB Blue 25mm On-It Carbon Fibre Tripod £120, 1.4 kg, closed 46 cm, height 170 (135), friction control, short column, rated 5 kg, Arca

- Vanguard Veo 2 235AB, £140, 1.4 kg, closed 40 cm, height 145, friction and pan control, twist locks, rated 6kg, multi-position column, Arca

- MeFoto Globetrotter Titanium, £180 (Wex), 2.1 kg, closed 41 cm, height 163, friction control [very heavy!]

d) Are universal L plates a real substitute for (or better than) a tilt head?

I don't think anyone actually commented on this. There are problems with tilt heads on monopods, referred to in a post above, mostly related to friction control. But having watched a video about L brackets, I can see they would work very well on a tripod (where everything sits where it is when you take the camera off the head), it seemed to me that it might be quite awkward detaching and re-attaching the camera onto a monopod. One hand for the camera, one for the monopod, someone else tighten the Arca control knob...

e) What's a good, budget Arca Swiss compatible ball head?

I didn't really address this, partly because some of my F&C mates starting suggesting I should get a geared head (for LF), and partly because...

f) Can a 494RC head be converted to take an Arca Swiss plate?

I found a few examples that would theoretically do this, but only one that had an extra bit of shaped plastic specifically designed for Manfrotto RC heads that helps lock the Arca head in place (and a nice little video demonstrating how the conversion is done, made by someone possible less DIY-competent than me!). Sadly this one doesn't have a level built in:

- Boss Adapter to convert 494RC head to Arca £15, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boss-Ada...574210?hash=item4af9cd7f82:g:X-cAAOSwzgRWzs5T

But this PromMediaGear one does:

- ProMediaGear C60 Arca-Swiss Compatible Quick Release Clamp with 1/4" Hardened Thread Insert with Bubble Level $40 plus $10 for two anti-rotation pins.

EDIT: neither solution can be applied to my 234RC monopod tilt head as the top plate does not appear to be removable. I think there's a solution where a clamp has a RC2 plate on the bottom, but that's adding extra weight and points of failure.
 
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Chris - the photography show is a brilliant place for tripod/monopod shopping if you can get there?
 
Fraser Euan White said:
Chris - the photography show is a brilliant place for tripod/monopod shopping if you can get there?
Click to expand...

I meant to mention TPS, but it seems I missed it out. Yes, I have a ticket for Sunday. This is all prior research to make best use of my time and to reduce the salesman factor. I have all the details on Evernote so it'll be on my phone to make sure I don't diddle myself on prices! Also looking at square filters and holders, Cokin P compatible...
 
I tried buying a smaller tripod a few years ago for holiday. Bought a Slik ball head one but I think I changed the ball head for a slightly better but still cheaper one & it's shoved under the bed now........ I think. I'm not sure there is such a thing as cheap/decent with tripods. My main (older) one is a Red Snapper & that's still going well with the use/abuse it's had over the years. I wouldn't exactly call it a 'travel' tripod though but I carry it on hikes/walks etc

And an L bracket is much better than tilt head (on a tripod at least) I certainly won't ever go without one ever again.
 
LeeRatters said:
I tried buying a smaller tripod a few years ago for holiday. Bought a Slik ball head one but I think I changed the ball head for a slightly better but still cheaper one & it's shoved under the bed now........ I think. I'm not sure there is such a thing as cheap/decent with tripods. My main (older) one is a Red Snapper & that's still going well with the use/abuse it's had over the years. I wouldn't exactly call it a 'travel' tripod though but I carry it on hikes/walks etc

And an L bracket is much better than tilt head (on a tripod at least) I certainly won't ever go without one ever again.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm a bit worried about getting a smaller tripod. That said, you might need to judge my extent of competence... my first tripod was a pretty cheap one, bought in a charity shop for a fiver, though I did buy it a new Manfrotto ball head. Lasted until last year when it (and I) fell over on a Scottish rocky beach. I now have a much better Vanguard one, but it's too long for travel. Needs must, now that I've discovered the joys of longer exposures!

Have you ever used a L bracket with a monopod?
 
Snapsh0t said:
I have a Sirui ET-1204 that's looking for a good (or at least new) home. If you think it might be close to what you need I'll put it in the Sales section.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that could be interesting, I'll come back to you if I decide to go the Sirui route (although the new price is way above my target).

It looks like that has the E-10 head. This is one of those heads whose specs confuse me. The description says there is infinitely variable friction control, but there appear to be only two control knobs, one for pan and the other the main control unlocking the ball. My Manfrotto 494 has a knob dedicated solely to friction control, separate from the main control knob, which means no matter how much I loosen the latter, the head doesn't flop over. How does yours work?
 
I think they lie. It does only have knobs for lock and pan so can't have variable friction as we understand it.
If this is a problem and you are interested I might be able to swap it for the smallest Pig Iron head which does have a friction knob but I'd have to check that the tripod will still fold round and fit in the case.
 
So, what happened? I went to the Photography Show with a big list of things to look at, and it was VERY useful. I still didn't get everything right, though.

As a travel tripod, I bought a Vanguard Veo 2 235AB, got it for £99 rather than £140. It has twist locks rather than the clip locks that the original Veo has, but compared to others the locks are only quarter turn so I think they should work pretty well. It comes with an Arca Swiss compatible ball head, so right there I made that decision to go Arca!

As a monopod I bought a very nice Veo AM-204 monopod, with clip locks. Unfortunately, when I got it home I realised how much longer it was than my existing monopod, so I don't think I'll be keeping this one. I've still to find the right monopod!

I also checked out the Sirui monopod tilt head, and I thought it a big improvement on the 324RC that I currently use. However, they wanted £100 or so for it, so I waited and eventually bought one from fleabay for £52.

The only generic L bracket I could find was the violently coloured 3 Legged Thing bracket. They let me try it on my camera, but I didn't buy one as it turned the ergonomics of holding the camera to rubbish! The SRB stand didn't have theirs at the show, but did advise me to buy the small one, with free postage, so I did. It looks very nice, just fits (which is good), and doesn't damage the ergonomics too much at all. Haven't used it yet, though.

While at the 3LT stand, they made up a monopod (with Arca clamp) for me, so I could try mounting and remounting my camera on the monopod using the L bracket. Apart from the ergonomics of the bracket itself, I thought this process was doable. The trick is to hold the monopod vertical by gripping the clamp release screw handle, while changing the camera from landscape to portrait with the other hand. Anyway, I thought it would work, so I did buy the SRB L bracket later.

Also when I got home, I ordered an Arca clamp and Boss adapter to covert my Manfrotto 494 head. Unfortunately I got too tricksy here. Rather than buying the clamp and adapter as one package (where as noted above the clamp does not have a level incorporated), I bought the boss adapter separately, and ordered an Andoerr pano clamp with a level. The first disappointment when it came was that the level can't be seen when a plate is clamped on; this might be ok in practice, if using the level without camera to set up the head for pan shots. The second disappointment came today when I discovered that the boss adapter wasn't quite compatible with the Andoerr clamp! So now I've had to go back and order a set with adapter and clamp together. Oh well, live and learn!
 
So, a final update...

a) What's a good quality, lightweight monopod?

As noted above, a rush of blood to the head meant I bought a Vanguard AM-204. It's very nice but too long, so it'll be up for sale soon. I then bought a SRB On-It monopod, and a set of tripod feet for it. Haven't really tried the feet but I've used the monopod and it's easy to extend and retract, very solid, light, and only 350 gm, so quite light. I'm very happy with it.

b) Is there an Arca Swiss tilt head for a monopod?

Yes, the Sirui L-10 tilt head works much better than the Manfrotto 234RC. On the latter, once you release the grip it tends to flop right over. The Sirui has a lot more friction, so it doesn't flop but can be moved to any angle. Very well made with a nice Arca Swiss plate.

c) What's a good budget travel tripod with (or taking) an Arca Swiss compatible head?

I've now used the Vanguard Veo 2 235AB tripod that I bought, and once you figure out the trick to assembling it (dead easy but non-obvious) it was easy to use. It has a ball head with friction control, the lack of which was one of the issues with many of the other cheaper travel tripods. I used it on a slope in quite strong winds with a 200mm zoom lens, and I don't think it was quite solid enough for that, but I suspect few travel tripods in this price bracket would be much better.

d) Are universal L plates a real substitute for (or better than) a tilt head?

I bought a medium SRB L-bracket, inexpensive and very well built. The camera (Pentax LX or MX) remains very usable hand-held with it installed (unlike the 3LT version which felt really uncomfortable). The only slight downside is that they have not added a hand-turnable control on the fixing screw, so you need to make sure you have some small change in your pocket.

I have not used it much, but I'm somewhat inclined to think it actually works better than the Sirui tilt head (which itself is better than the Manfrotto version). My concerns about changing from landscape to portrait format needing an extra hand turned out to be un-warranted.

e) What's a good, budget Arca Swiss compatible ball head? Or

f) Can a 494RC head be converted to take an Arca Swiss plate?

I did convert my 494RC, after ordering a Boss adapter and clamp as a package (after the adapter and clamp I bought separately turned out to be incompatible, as noted above). This works fine, though the package came without a clamp so I had to order an extra one.

I'm not totally sold on the ergonomics of Arca Swiss as against Manfrotto RC2. I seem to have to turn the securing knob quite a lot in order to free and secure the Arca Swiss plate from the clamp. The Manfrotto was a bit of a faff to get off (have to hold back a little locking lever and the larger lever), but putting an RC2 plate into a clamp is as simple as pushing it down, when it clamps automatically. However, I think having got this far I'll stick with Arca Swiss!

Now to get some selling done!
 
ChrisR said:
<snip>

I'm not totally sold on the ergonomics of Arca Swiss as against Manfrotto RC2. I seem to have to turn the securing knob quite a lot in order to free and secure the Arca Swiss plate from the clamp. The Manfrotto was a bit of a faff to get off (have to hold back a little locking lever and the larger lever), but putting an RC2 plate into a clamp is as simple as pushing it down, when it clamps automatically. However, I think having got this far I'll stick with Arca Swiss!

Now to get some selling done!
Click to expand...

You need an Arca-Swiss clamp with a double-speed locking thread.

Few manufacturers make a point about this very handy feature (eg Acratech, Kirk) but actually quite a few very afforable AS clamps also have it. I have three of different brands, none of which mentioned it in their product descriptions and it's otherwise impossible to tell until you get it in your hand.

This is one of my favourites for £11:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andoer-Adj...d=1525207105&sr=1-6&keywords=arca+swiss+clamp

and here's another circular one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N5HHRO2/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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