I'm trying to adjust a monopod to allow the head to rotate/pan around the axis of the monopod (i.e. to be able to plant the monopod on the ground, then follow a subject by panning and tilting the head, without having to rotate the entire monopod), but can't seem to find the right part for it.
Monopod heads allow one axis of movement - tilting up and down. Unlike a ballhead, they don't allow for side-to-side tilting - a good thing, since side-to-side tilting would be difficult to control with a big, heavy lens on top of a monopod. But, also unlike ballheads, they lack a panning base and are unable to rotate around the head - to track a subject, you need to rotate the entire monopod, which is not ideal for a number of reasons (not least of all the longevity of the monopod foot).
Basically, I'm trying to get a head with two axes of rotation - pitch and yaw, without roll. A ballhead has all three at once, a pan-tilt head can adjust all three individually, while a monopod head has pitch only. So I need a base that can add the yaw movement to the combination.
Does anyone know of a rotation or panning base that would allow this movement, can be attached to the top of a monopod and itself has a 3/8" stud on top to allow the monopod head to be attached to it? Even better if it can be locked or has adjustable friction.
Obviously a gimbal mount (e.g. Wimberley) or a D4 Manual non-geared head would be able to do it (by locking the side-to-side tilt and keeping the other two axes free to rotate), but both options seem like overkill for a monopod, while the axis of rotation on a RRS MH-01 or MH-02 head makes tilting up and down easier on those heads than on a D4. A monopod with a rotating foot can also kind of do it (the rotation occurring at the foot rather than at the top of the monopod) but I've found such feet less than satisfactory outdoors, due to mud and grit getting into the joint between the rubber foot and steel ball that make up the foot.
Pretty sure I've seen something like that before, but all I can seem to find at the moment are big, heavy panning bases with inbuilt clamps.