"Sticking" it to myself.

Note: While this review was written after I made my purchase, I do mention the vendor I purchased from. I received no discount, no free items or equipment, nor any other inducement to persuade me to make my purchase there. I mention the vendor solely to describe their willingness to accommodate their customers.

I was shopping for a monopod with two purposes in mind: still photography, and event videography. Having checked out models and prices on the Web and being intrigued by this model, any vendor's price wasn't that far from the next by more than a buck or two, (and sometimes by as little as 95 cents). This pod is relatively new, and I suspect there's little reason for any vendor to be discounting the price so soon after its' introduction. So, not wanting to wait for delivery if there was no need to, I e-mailed my nearest vendor contact: Henry at 4videoequipment.

Typically, video cameras are used with tripods or shoulder-mounts, depending on the subject or event being shot. Some readers might be questioning "why would I want a monopod for a video camcorder?" (If you're not wondering why, then I'll presume you've learned the lesson). In the not-too-distant future, I'll be shooting 2nd camera at a renewal-of-vows ceremony, the length of which may be greater than a typical wedding. (It's followed by a lengthy reception and likely to be a twelve-or-more hour day). Years ago, when I was even younger than I am today, I shot a few weddings using only a shoulder-mounted camera. I recall how hard that was then, and, being pretty sure my stamina has waned just a bit since then, to the point where my shoulder - and my back - might not be up to the task, I thought I might need some help in stabilizing the camera.

Added to that is the reality that I'm not particularly tall. Given my short stature, compounded by the usually-confining space within a church, and the fact that this monopod can reach higher than even my tripod, (see the Product Details for specific maximum height). I took a more experienced person's advice and opted for the monopod. (Since he was hiring me to do the job, I also thought it wise to heed his advice).

Henry invited me in to test the units he had in stock, suggesting I bring both cameras to make sure my choice would be satisfactory for both purposes. With both camera bags over my shoulders, I drove over.

Henry was occupied with other business, but he had Sam, (one of his sales staff) ready to help me. Sam had both the 561B and the 562 models out and waiting for me to test-drive. I zeroed-in on the 561B, primarily because it came with the fluid video head, while the 562 did not.

My first impression upon seeing the box for the 561B was that it seemed a bit bigger than I expected it to be. However, as I opened it, it became clear that at least one reason the box was larger than expected was so it could house the video head. (The 562 doesn't come with the video head; consequently, that box was a bit smaller).

After removing a thick piece of firm, white-foam for padding, the pod became visible. It was black, and wrapped in a long, narrow, and thick plastic bag for protection. Picking it up, my initial impression was that it seemed a bit heavy, despite it being aluminum. But, having never owned a monopod before, I thought that might not be uncommon. (Upon reflection, I now realize the benefit of the sturdiness of the unit, despite its' weight: if I was going to put my expensive cameras and other video equipment on this thing, I wouldn't be lifting it that often anyway, and I'd want the protection of a well-built support unit).

Taking the pod out of the box and the bag, I got a distinct sense of strength to the unit, (though its' weight probably contributed to that). Before attaching either camera, I looked closely at the pod, starting at the top.

The fluid video head comes with the adjustment knobs you'd expect of any video support head: tilt adjustment (located on the left of the head), pan handle (located on the right of the head), bubble level (in the base of the head, unlit but backed up by the common yellow-with-a-hint-of-green background), and a knob to tighten the quick-release plate once it's been attached to the camera and slid into the slot on the video head.

Note that there is no typical pan movement to the head. (It took me a minute to figure this one out because it was counter-intuitve to my experience with fluid video heads). The video head itself doesn't move in either panning direction. Rather than just turning the head to pan, (as is common with any tripod-mounted video head), the 561B pans nearly the entire shaft of the monopod. Any friction from panning is exerted near the bottom of the shaft and, (as far as I've been able to determine), cannot be adjusted. My impulse is that this can be both good and bad: good, in that fast panning would be difficult; and bad, in that fast panning would be difficult. In other words, the pod seems built to protect us somewhat from pans that are too fast, but we cannot shirk that protection if we do want to pan fast. (Of course, we always have the option of lifting the pod and turning if we're in that much of a hurry).

Included with the monopod is one of Manfrotto's quick release plates that happens to be the same model that fits the Model 503 video head of my tripod. Not only was this convenient, preventing me from having to switch plates when moving the video camera from the tripod to the monopod, but it also gave me an extra plate that I could keep attached to my Nikon DSLR. Being able to attach the new, extra plate to the still camera and just pull that out of its' bag, slide it onto the monopod and start shooting was a welcome treat. (My 503 video head did not come with a quick-release plate, and cost extra, though i'm not naieve enough to think the plate was actually "free").

The quick release plate comes with 2 of the mounting screws that are standard size for tripods: 1/4" and 3/8". Only one of those is necessary to hold the plate to the camera, but the new plate had two - one of each size. To help from losing the unused one, the clever designers at Bogen/Manfrotto drilled two empty threaded holes on the side of the 561B's video head as a place to store the unused one. There is one hole for each size; just screw it in, and you always have it handy,(because on a shoot, you never know when you might need the other size).

The head is 3 3/4" high, with a pan handle that is 13 1/2" in length (though that includes a slight bend in the handle). The free end of the pan handle is covered by 4 7/8" of black foam for a firm grip while using it.

Moving further down the pod, just below where the video head connects to the shaft, is a plastic ring with a little slot and a lanyard-like strap. The strap itself is about 1/2" to 5/8" wide and was already in place, securely attached and unlikely to move. At first I thought it might be unnecessary, however, later, after attaching my HD video camera to the pod, I quickly changed my mind about that.

Just below that plastic ring is a black foam liner, (the same type as is used on the pan handle), that extends 9" down from the ring. That provides a non-slip surface to better hold the shaft of the pod while shooting.

Below the foam liner is the well-known Manfrotto label, with serial number and model number etched in white into the black metal shaft. Attached to that uppermost section of the shaft is a snap-on plastic tool that serves as a wrench which can be used to adjust the tension on the leg-locks if necessary. (Per the instruction manual, if the leg lock tension needs adjustment, 1/3 of a turn should be enough).

That plastic tool is easy to remove if it must be used. I thought it too easy, so I secured it a little more to my liking using a piece of elastic with pin-like metal ends, similar to the type you might find on a typical "Zorro"-like Halloween mask. Now, the tool is on more securely, but also more difficult to remove. However, it's not often I'll use this monopod to support my video camera, so I suspect it will be a long time before the weight has any effect on the leg lock tension. I'd rather have the tool well-secured than run the risk of losing it.

By my measurements, the uppermost - and widest - section of the shaft is 16 15/16" from the bottom of the head to the bottom of the upper-most leg lock hardware.

Next come the leg locks themselves. There are three of them in total, each just noticeably smaller than the one above it. Despite being some sort of plastic or resin, each felt strong to the touch, particularly when engaged. The lower clamp of each leg lock contains a spring to help keep the correct tension. (Knowing how hard it can be to compress springs correctly, if you ever adjust the leg locks, be careful not to loosen them to the point where a spring pops out of a clamp).

I particularly like the construction of the leg locks. The lever portion, i.e. the portion that moves to engage/disengage the lock, has slight indentations formed almost to the fit of my thumb. I found that, rather than a flat surface, a nice touch.

The hardware that doesn't move has a similar treatment, located opposite the lever when it's in the closed position, though that is more likely meant to accommodate disengaging the leg locks with your index or middle finger.

Each leg lock is attached with sturdy bolts, one to attach it to an upper portion of the shaft, and one to the portion that is being locked. (That lower portion is where the springs are housed).

Disengaging the uppermost leg lock allows the inner portion of the shaft to slide freely. I was very pleased to see that it only slides and does not rotate within the shaft. (Though that's not true of all the sections).

The middle section of the shaft is 20 1/2" long, measured from the bottom of the uppermost leg lock to the bottom of the middle leg lock. This section of the shaft had a very slight rotation, perhaps 1/4", but clearly is not meant to rotate freely.

The third, and lowest section of the shaft, is 23 1/2" long, again, measured from the bottom of the middle section leg lock hardware to the top of the ball mechanism that comprises the base unit of the monopod. Curiously, this section does rotate freely when the leg lock is disengaged.

Located at the bottom of the lowermost section is the fluid base. All one can see of this is a black plastic or resin cylinder. Whatever esoteric "fluid" is inside is a mystery. However, it does provide a nice, smooth action when panning the entire pod. It's also intended to dampen any vibration that might occur during panning.

Jutting out from the bottom of the fluid base is a shiny, steel piece that balloons into a ball that is approximately 5/8" round. That ball, (I believe it's stainless steel), is secured to the base unit that also houses the mechanism for the folding feet of the pod. It's secured to the foot-base with a plastic or resin cap that's larger than the ball itself, and the cap, in turn, is held in place with 3 bolts that secure it to the foot-base.

While the ball - and consequently the shaft - is held loosely enough that it will tilt in any direction from a straight vertical, the ball is held securely enough that any rotation of the shaft due to panning occurs at the fluid base; the ball itself does not rotate. (Though I suspect that with lots and lots of use, that may occur over time).

The lower-most part of the pod has three feet that fold out and away from the shaft. Each foot locks into position and is held in place by a short steel pin and a rubber-like substance that serves as a spring. In order to open a foot, you must clasp both ends of those short rods using your thumb and forefinger, pulling the pin lengthwise towards the "toe" of the foot and compressing the rubber-like substance as you fold the foot away from the shaft. Once a foot is fully opened, it locks into position. Each of the three feet open using the same method.

Closing each foot requires the same action, i.e. compress the rubber by moving the pin, then fold the foot upwards towards the shaft.

Each foot is comprised of a 3-sided stainless steel frame which is hinged near the foot housing. The stainless steel portion is 4" long, but each foot has rubber "toes" that extend another 1/4" beyond the stainless steel. Each of the frames also has what I can best describe as a "rubber-like metatarsal" that could be likened to bones of a human foot. (I'm not sure if metatarsals are in feet or hands...maybe the feet have "pedi-tarsals???..., but I hope you get the idea).

My biggest concern about using a double-duty monopod was that any pins and screws used to secure the still camera to the pod would fit without damaging or scratching my camera. (Since this was built to accommodate video cameras, I had faith that the video camera would be no problem.

(For those who aren't familiar with the difference, video cameras usually have what I'll call a 2-point mounting system. By that I mean there is usually a screw that is used to attach the camera to the tripod, and also a pin that is somewhat smaller than the screw but helpful when panning the camera. That pin helps align the camera to the head and helps keep that alignment, even while panning.

Still cameras usually have no such pin. They usually use only a single screw for attachment to a pod. My fear was that the pin of the video plate would interfere or damage the still camera. But, those clever Manfrotto engineers came to the rescue again: that "video pin" in the quick-release plate is spring-loaded, not fixed. So, when I attached the still camera, that pin was merely able to be forced down without any consequence to my camera. (As it turned out, the pin was place far enough away that it didn't touch the body of the still camera).

One more feature that I really appreciate about the 561B head is something I wish had been incorporated into the model 503 head I use for my video tripod. The knob for the quick-plate tensioner lever (used to secure the quick-release plate once it's been slid into the head) is spring loaded.

On my 503 head, that knob is secured with a screw that must be loosened with a hex-key or Allen wrench, re-positioned, then tightened.

On the 561B head, you merely need to pull the knob out or away from the head, turn it to whatever position you desire, and it clicks back into place. I found this particularly convenient, because as I center the weight of the camera, that little knob seems to always be just slightly out of position for a good, secure fit.

After testing both cameras in the monopod, I was very pleased. I was satisfied that the 561B would serve the double-duty purposes I had in mind. I bought the unit, thanked Henry and Sam for their wonderful assistance, and went on my way.

Now, after using the pod a few times to get used to it, I have one more thing to be happy about: I'll have plenty of time to practice with my new toy...and I'll need it. That vow-renewal ceremony I'll be shooting is a couple of months away, and I now realize just how easily a monopod can tilt out of position. I've gotta' start practicing now.