Lens-to-monopod mount--how to go vertical?

[mikeseb]

Thanks for chiming in on this everyone. I'm sure the answer is simple but it's not clicking.

I have been shooting with a square-format MF back on a Contax 645. With the giant 350 lens mounted, I've used either a tripod or more commonly, a monopod, supporting the lens by its foot. (the foot has a RRS QR plate on it; the monopod, a basic RRS clamp.) Obviously, switching from landscape to portrait mode is not an issue with square format.

With rectangular-format cameras, how is this best accomplished? How do you easily move between portrait and landscape orientation with the lens foot mounted to the monopod? I have a swivel for the monopod, but flipping it up (to allow portrait orientation) is cumbersome, and then the weight of the lens does not fall along the axis of the monopod. It seems very unstable. I'm unfamiliar with Nikon/Canon lens collars--does one merely loosen the collar nut and rotate the lens within its collar?

Question arises as I have some new Nikon gear en route. Thanks everyone.

Mike

[bjanes]

I have been shooting with a square-format MF back on a Contax 645. With the giant 350 lens mounted, I've used either a tripod or more commonly, a monopod, supporting the lens by its foot. (the foot has a RRS QR plate on it; the monopod, a basic RRS clamp.) Obviously, switching from landscape to portrait mode is not an issue with square format.

With rectangular-format cameras, how is this best accomplished? How do you easily move between portrait and landscape orientation with the lens foot mounted to the monopod? I have a swivel for the monopod, but flipping it up (to allow portrait orientation) is cumbersome, and then the weight of the lens does not fall along the axis of the monopod. It seems very unstable. I'm unfamiliar with Nikon/Canon lens collars--does one merely loosen the collar nut and rotate the lens within its collar?

Question arises as I have some new Nikon gear en route. Thanks everyone.

Mike
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If the lens has a tripod mount (e.g. the Nikon 70-200 mm f/2., the solution is simple: you merely turn the lens within the lens mount and then lock it in place with the screw. If the lens has no tripod mount, then using the monopod swivel to rotate the camera unbalances the setup as you mentioned. In this case it is best to use an L bracket on the camera. This does require removing the camera from the monopod to make the switch.

Bill

Bill

[JessicaLuchesi]

Some Manfrotto (Bogen) monopods will allow you to select the head you're gonna use. In that case, you can use a ballhead, such as the 468MG model ( http://www.manfrotto.com/Jahia/site/manfro...id/2315/lang/en ). I've used that before, and it's great, even if I do prefer the standard types for shooting.

[Hank]

We've always simply added a ballhead.  Weight reduction isn't usually the reason we're using a mono, and in fact the extra weight of the ballhead seems to help steady them.  

I'm still waiting for some smart tripod company to produce a model with a removable leg that can be used as a mono when required.  But that kind of flies in the face of forcing us to buy two products rather than one, doesn't it.

[Morgan_Moore]

does one merely loosen the collar nut and rotate the lens within its collar?


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yes

S

[KeithR]

Thanks for chiming in on this everyone. I'm sure the answer is simple but it's not clicking.

I have been shooting with a square-format MF back on a Contax 645. With the giant 350 lens mounted, I've used either a tripod or more commonly, a monopod, supporting the lens by its foot. (the foot has a RRS QR plate on it; the monopod, a basic RRS clamp.) Obviously, switching from landscape to portrait mode is not an issue with square format.

With rectangular-format cameras, how is this best accomplished? How do you easily move between portrait and landscape orientation with the lens foot mounted to the monopod? I have a swivel for the monopod, but flipping it up (to allow portrait orientation) is cumbersome, and then the weight of the lens does not fall along the axis of the monopod. It seems very unstable. I'm unfamiliar with Nikon/Canon lens collars--does one merely loosen the collar nut and rotate the lens within its collar?

Question arises as I have some new Nikon gear en route. Thanks everyone.

Mike
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I use Nikon equipment and a monopod. The monopod(and my tripod for that matter) has a lever clamp mounted to it. All my lenses that have a rotating collar have RRS QR plates attached and an L Bracket on the camera. With lenses that have a rotating tripod collar, it's just a matter of utilizing it. With lenses that do not have the rotating collar, the L Bracket is utilized. RRS brackets and clamps are pricey, but worth it. Strong but very light weight. For example, I shoot in the NFL and I use my 400 f/2.8 w/an RRS plate clamped to my monopod. I shoot both horizontals and verticals by just rotating the lens and lock it down with the lens locking screw. It never comes of the pod the entire game.

[mikeseb]

Thanks all. I was a bit embarrassed to ask such a brain-dead question. I've never actually held any of the newer Nikon telephotos in my hands, so I wasn't sure how smoothly the lens would rotate within its tripod collar--if it binds or grabs, it seems like it would hamper smooth rotation between portrait and landscape, while gouging up the lens barrel.

My only recent big-lens experience is with the absurdly large 350mm tele-apo-Tessar for the Contax 645. It is so damn large that it does not rotate as smoothly as I'd like in its collar when loosened up.

I'm a big fan of RRS gear. I have brackets for just about everything that will take a bracket and one on order for the D300 with the MB-D10.

Mike

[Ken Bennett]

Any NikCan lens big enough to require a monopod has a lens collar made for this purpose. Just loosen the knob, rotate the lens, and tighten the knob. The lens turns very smoothly within the collar, almost as if it were made for this purpose. <grin>

[Jonathan Wienke]

Any NikCan lens big enough to require a monopod has a lens collar made for this purpose. Just loosen the knob, rotate the lens, and tighten the knob. The lens turns very smoothly within the collar, almost as if it were made for this purpose. <grin>

I concur. The only thing the monopod head needs is some way to tilt the lens up and down so that the 'pod can be close enough to vertical for good balance when shooting over the edge of a canyon or up the side of a building or that sort of thing. Side-to-side tilt or rotation adjustments of the 'pod head are completely unnecessary; the lens collar already does that just fine.

[jjj]

I'm still waiting for some smart tripod company to produce a model with a removable leg that can be used as a mono when required.  But that kind of flies in the face of forcing us to buy two products rather than one, doesn't it.
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I bought a Velbon tripod 20+ years ago, where the centre column came out and was a nice lightweight monopod. Only last year, I sadly had to replace it with a new one as the twist locks were starting to go.
Having the centre column double as a monopod is a lot more elegent than pulling a leg off too.  

[stever]

The Manfrotto 3232 tilt head recommended by RRS is probably the best, although not perfect solution (it's excessively bulky and does not have a nice smooth drag adjustment for the tilt).  A nice small ballhead is neater, but the camera flops from side-to-side.

for panoramas, i've just put a RRS clamp directly on the monopod (you could just screw the camera on, but i want the camera vertical with an L-plate) - but this won't generally work for birds or wildlife.

A compact vertical mount with adjustable drag and integrated arca-swiss plate would be very welcome - and not unreasonable to expect given the proliferation of expensive ball heads.