Which ball head to go on my Monopod?

Raymond Lin

Raymond Lin

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Raymond
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I currently have this monopod.

http://vimeo.com/26869155

I bought it for the feet mainly and want to replace it with a ballhead. However, I am not sure which one.

Someone mentioned 486RC2 - £50

But there are ones that is like £200. i.e.

Manfrotto 468MG Hydrostatic Ball Head

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manfrotto-4...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1339089382&sr=1-11

No idea what the Hydrostatic part means, and is it worth the extra £100?

I don't really have a budget as long as it is worth it and obviously not silly money like £300 !
 
I've got an 496RC2 on mine which is spot on. The high end versions lock better with heavier lenses 300mm upwards. The 496 is fine with a 70-200 in my opinon.

If you stick to just your primes the smaller ball version you mention should be fine. My pod is the aluminium 680b and the 40mm head fits perfectly.
 
I have the 494RC2 aswell and it works fine with my 600D and the sigma 150-500. The 494 is smaller but still rated to 4kg
 
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Thanks guys, so....for £100, what would I go for? or is it worth it to get bigger?

Apart from the weight it can support, what does the more expensive ones offer that the 496 doesn't ?
 
A bit more finesse Raymond, probably best pop into Calumet in Birmingham and compare a couple. The only thing that took a bit of getting used to compared to an older, bigger version I have is that there's only one knob that controls the 360 degree rotation and overall movement, on my older version there's two knobs splitting the two elements if that makes sense?
 
Thanks

For example, this one.



What are the 3 buttons - red slider, the one that says Pan (I guess that one is obvious) and the one at the back.
 
Generally, one for friction control [probably the red slider], one for 360 deg rotation and obviously the main ball itself.
 
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