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Monopod Head for 300/2.8 (1 Viewer)

Roy C

Occasional bird snapper
Can anyone recommend a good head for this combo or do you just screw directly on the pod?
I already have a Manfrotto 680B Monopod which I assume would be OK with the lens and 40D camera.
 
Roy have a look at the Manfrotto 234RC a simple design it tilts up and down, to pan just turn the monopod.........
I have one and it works well, not being a ball head it tends to be a more solid set up
 
Roy have a look at the Manfrotto 234RC a simple design it tilts up and down, to pan just turn the monopod.........
I have one and it works well, not being a ball head it tends to be a more solid set up
Thanks for that Steve, I already have the 234 RC head that I use with my 400/5.6 but was not sure that it would be up to the job with the 300/2.8 as the max load is only 2.5kg and the lens is more than this without the Camera and converter.
 
I certainly wouldn't risk putting it on a 234, I know others will tell you it will be fine, but given that Manfrotto only rate it to hold 2.5kg I see no point in risking thousands of pounds worth of gear on it. One option would be a decent ball head, they will easily hold the load though personally I don't like using one on a monopod. I guess an obvious choice would be the 393, it's designed to hold a long lens on a monopod and would work very well, though it is a bit big and ugly! You could just stick with your Jobu gimbal which would be fine on a monopod.
 
I have taken the plunge Peter. I will use my CF tripod and Jobu gimbal at times but it is nice to have the monopod option.

good stuff, I'm sure you'll love using it - I look forward to seeing some photos taken with your new toy...
 
Gimbal sidekick on a monopod for the 300 2.8 works for me. Tried a ball head before and will not look back.

Ulli
Glad the sidekick and monopod works OK Ulli.The Jobu gimbal I have is a sidekick (or full gimbal) and it mounts straight on to the tri/monopod so I will not need a ball head.
 
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I have taken the plunge Peter. I will use my CF tripod and Jobu gimbal at times but it is nice to have the monopod option.

You made your mind up at last Roy, you have left the underlins and joined the big boys, well I always thought of you as a big boy :-O

Hope you enjoy your new lens
 
Just tried the Jobu sidekick on the monopod (with 400/5.6) . I locked the panning knob and tensioned the up and down knob. must say that it worked great - holding the sidekick bracket with my left hand made the whole thing very stable. Just need to try it with the heavier lens now. Thanks for you help guys :t:
 
Just a couple more things on the 300/2.8 while I am at it - I believe the 300 IS is tripod sensing so I guess you would use it with a monopod!

Also, not having an IS lens before, does the IS work al-right in AI servo mode as I usually shoot in this mode just about all the time. Thanks
 
Roy, congrats on the new lens, hope we won't see too many macros of "Devon purse moths".
I have the dark side version of this lens, and yes you can fit it straight onto a monopod, but not much good for inflights as you are restricted in the angle you can tilt through.
You can also use (if you have one) a ball head, just tip the foot over at 90 degrees and fit lens with the tripod ring set also at 90 degrees.This is a light set up, and also gives a good degree of tilt up and down for inflights.
Fitting a gimbal is posible and very usable, but is very awkward to carry as it's all over the place.
Look forward to see some images soon from the new lens.
 
Roy i use the 500 and leave it in mode 2 all the time also use A1 servo all the time.The 300 is an amazing lens and iam sure youll get some cracking pictures
 
Roy i use the 500 and leave it in mode 2 all the time also use A1 servo all the time.The 300 is an amazing lens and iam sure youll get some cracking pictures

Are you sure you mean mode 2? Mode 2 is for rapid panning in a horizontal axis and mode 1 is for combatting camera shake. On a thread elsewhere everyone said they used mode 1 most of the time.

Also, I was having a go with the 300mm f2.8 at the Birdfair and the IS seemed a bit jumpy while it was fixed to the display heads (which were the Manfrotto ones, they did the job pretty well and at just over £100 on WHE seems great value for money). Getting back on topic, I asked a Canon guy if the IS on these had tripod detect and he didn't seem to think so but then again I don't think he even knew what it was and seemed to be just winging it! Doesn't say much for Canon that does it. Anyway the IS didn't seem as crisp as the one in my 100-400mm and they were both manufactured in 2008. Although it did seem a little worse for wear being a demo model so I don't know if that played a part.

Tried it handheld too. My god there's a difference. You'd be hard pressed to track BIF's for more than 5 mins at a time and the even with the IS trying to keep it rock steady on a subject was tricky. Thankfully though even stopped down to f4 it offered plenty of shutter speed to work with. It's also very nose heavy and I found the best place to hold it was on the lens hood. From the experience I had I wouldn't recommend hand-holding it with a 2x on, unless it's a nice and sunny day.

Have fun with it Roy and I'm sure you'll love it.
 
Are you sure you mean mode 2? Mode 2 is for rapid panning in a horizontal axis and mode 1 is for combatting camera shake. On a thread elsewhere everyone said they used mode 1 most of the time..
According to what I have just been reading, mode 2 is exactly the same as mode 1 except that if intentional panning is detected then the IS is turned off in the panning direction. If this is correct then mode 2 makes sense (I think!). Still not sure if it is tripod sensing though.

"IS lenses that have a Mode 2 setting operate as follows when Mode 2 is selected: Both gyro sensors sample the direction and amplitude of lens shake simultaneously and continuously whenever the IS system is activated. The resulting data is analyzed by a dedicated microcomputer in the lens, and that microcomputer in turn controls the behaviour of the electromagnets surrounding the movable optical components of the IS lens. These electromagnets are also oriented at right angles to each other. If the lens is set to Mode 2 *and* the microcomputer determines that intentional panning is taking place, it shuts off stabilization in the panning direction regardless of camera orientation. If, on the other hand, the microcomputer does not detect intentional panning, then horizontal and vertical stabilization is executed simultaneously, just as it is in Mode 1"

p.s. Adam, I fully intend to use either a mono or tripod with a sidekick when using the lens with a 2 times tc.
 
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Well as always Roy the simplest advice is experiment and see what works best for you. ;)

Cheers. B :)
Absolutely right Adam. To be quite honest I am not to worried about IS at all, the main thing will be IQ at 600mm.
 
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