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ballhead on a monopod?
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Jun 25, 2017 21:59:02   #
planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs
 
I've never tried to use a gimbal head...I don't own any lens big enough to use on anyways.

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Jun 26, 2017 04:39:18   #
DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX
 
I shoot air shows and I have found that handheld works best. Usually, your shutter speed is fast enough and you need to practice panning by hand.
planepics wrote:
I don't recall if I ever asked this or not, but does it work well for airshows? I'm going to a week-long aviation convention in July and I'm wondering if it's worth using. I've tried using my monopod in other years, but I had never owned a ballhead and it was too awkward to try to use trying to sway and rotate to catch the action with the camera firmly attached. And I'm afraid I might end up tripping over my tripod legs. What I usually have been doing is just hand-shooting the acts and sitting down in-between. My rental lens (if the specs I read were correct) is going to be just shy of 2x heavier than my current long lens - Tamron SP 70-300 (765g) vs Sony 70-400 G2 (1500g). I'm tempted to rent an a77ii to go with it, but that'd end up costing me probably another $75 or more.
I don't recall if I ever asked this or not, but do... (show quote)

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Jun 26, 2017 10:55:49   #
Geegee Loc: Peterborough, Ont.
 
Transporting is one of the great features. Just turn the monopod upside down with the rubber foot up in the air and the gimbal becomes a good hand grip, just like carrying a briefcase and your arm is straight down so there is not muscle fatigue.

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Jun 26, 2017 12:07:02   #
imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida
 
Geegee wrote:
Transporting is one of the great features. Just turn the monopod upside down with the rubber foot up in the air and the gimbal becomes a good hand grip, just like carrying a briefcase and your arm is straight down so there is not muscle fatigue.


With camera attached ??

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Jun 26, 2017 12:32:24   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
Sure, why not with the camera attached... I prefer to usually just lay the camera over my shoulder and hold the monopod with my right arm.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

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Jun 26, 2017 12:40:08   #
imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida
 
imagemeister wrote:
With camera attached ??


Yes, I see now what you mean .......

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Jun 26, 2017 12:49:09   #
imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida
 
imagemeister wrote:
Yes, I see now what you mean .......


I have never personally owned a gimbal - in the distant past they were quite expensive ( for me) but recently prices have almost become "affordable" - at least the cheaper ones. I have been around people who were using a gimbal and seen videos in action. I would not mind trying one on a monopod ........

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Jun 26, 2017 13:31:47   #
Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina
 
I would not get a pano gimbal unless you are also planning to use it with a sturdy tripod. If only using a monopod the tilt head will handle the up down motion and the turning of the monopod the pano motion left / right. The tilt head is going to be less expensive most likely too. Just keep in mind that if you are going to place a valuable camera and or lens on any of these ball tilt or pano gimbal heads you want to have a well built unit that can handle the weight and if using a tripod a sturdy one that can support that weight.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

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Jun 26, 2017 15:07:16   #
speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho
 
planepics wrote:
I don't recall if I ever asked this or not, but does it work well for airshows? I'm going to a week-long aviation convention in July and I'm wondering if it's worth using. I've tried using my monopod in other years, but I had never owned a ballhead and it was too awkward to try to use trying to sway and rotate to catch the action with the camera firmly attached. And I'm afraid I might end up tripping over my tripod legs. What I usually have been doing is just hand-shooting the acts and sitting down in-between. My rental lens (if the specs I read were correct) is going to be just shy of 2x heavier than my current long lens - Tamron SP 70-300 (765g) vs Sony 70-400 G2 (1500g). I'm tempted to rent an a77ii to go with it, but that'd end up costing me probably another $75 or more.
I don't recall if I ever asked this or not, but do... (show quote)

I do have a ball head on my monopod and I really like the set-up, as it allows me to freely move my camera around in any direction, so yeah, I think it'll work find for air shows!

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Jun 26, 2017 18:33:42   #
Sinewsworn Loc: Port Orchard, WA
 
planepics wrote:
I don't recall if I ever asked this or not, but does it work well for airshows? I'm going to a week-long aviation convention in July and I'm wondering if it's worth using. I've tried using my monopod in other years, but I had never owned a ballhead and it was too awkward to try to use trying to sway and rotate to catch the action with the camera firmly attached. And I'm afraid I might end up tripping over my tripod legs. What I usually have been doing is just hand-shooting the acts and sitting down in-between. My rental lens (if the specs I read were correct) is going to be just shy of 2x heavier than my current long lens - Tamron SP 70-300 (765g) vs Sony 70-400 G2 (1500g). I'm tempted to rent an a77ii to go with it, but that'd end up costing me probably another $75 or more.
I don't recall if I ever asked this or not, but do... (show quote)


I have a ball head attached a monopod. No real help and it can be a hinderence as it adds to the weight of your rig and more knobs and releases and so on. I shoot moving animals from a moving tram. Ball head does not help.

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Jun 26, 2017 21:07:38   #
weedhook
 
An alternative to a monopod could be a camera gunstock or chest pod. I have used a mini tripod with a small ball head where I braced the spread legs on my chest to steady the camera. The ball head was used to position the camera up to my eye and I used my body to follow what ever I was shooting (not at an air show, however). Not sure it would work with a tripod collar lens. Amazon had a camera gunstock which was used by some people to follow birds. If I were going to an air show, I probably would try it handheld.

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Jun 27, 2017 03:45:17   #
splatbass Loc: Honolulu
 
I use this tilt head:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0169AYZ8W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A ball head is unstable and unnecessary since you can just turn the monopod horizontally. You really only need a vertical tilt, if you need a monopod at all.

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