Manfrotto 562B-1 Fluid Video Aluminum Monopod with Plate

Well here is my reasoning:I wanted to be able to take the head off my monopod and be able to use it on other gear (such as slider, whatever..). The first wedding I shot I used a basic tripod and I thought it was great but I still new it was a slight hassle being new to the industry. This monopod blows the tripod away. It is so fast and portable to move around and establish different shots. It is so quick to move to a different height, where as the tripod you have to unhinge 3 legs here its only one, big difference. The 3 claw feet at the bottom provide ample stabilization for the monopod and you are even able to leave it standing on its own if you find the center position of the ball head at the bottom (don't recommend you stepping away with your camera on it like that though).The "Popping Issue" :When I first got this I knew of this issue. So when I got it out of the box I played around with it and pulled hard and moved it around and I had no issue with any "popping." But....When I got to the wedding after some time it started to do the popping at some points when I would slightly pan with the monopod. Heres the fix: Grab one of those WD-40 pens and dab the ball joint at the bottom with that. It will work miracles. Don't get to liberal with the pen though. After that keep the pen your gear bag.Another suggestion. Out of the box the monopod wasn't exactly "tightened" to my liking. I suggest tightening up those hex bolts on the ball joint a little tighter so your pans and movements when shooting aren't so erratic. <---My opinion.Finally:The 561BHDV-1 is around $300.00. This monopod (562B-1) and the MVH500AH fluid head were $327.00. The fluid head is great! I had the 502 head but I felt it was slightly too big for the monopod for me and I returned it and got the 500 which is sweet butter. So for the extra $27.00 I am able to have a fluid head I can use on other gear and I am able to choose my own head. Although the 562B-1 might actually come with the MVH500AH or the 701 I can't remember.

I've had this monopod for 6 months now, and I never leave home without it! The fluid foot allows for butter smooth panning. It collapses small enough to clip onto my backpack when I fly. (TSA always jokes about my "professional selfie stick.") It's light enough to carry for hours at an event without my arms falling off, but heavy enough to feel solid and act as a stabilizer when I want to go handheld. The included slide plate is 5.5" long which is pretty nice if you're still using slide plates. The only reason it's getting 4 stars instead of 5 is because it's very inconvenient to tilt when extended, since it can only tilt at the foot. I replaced the included slide clamp with an inexpensive ball head and Arca Swiss compatible quick release clamp. Now it's perfect for me.You don't have to spend a lot on the head since you pan with the fluid foot. (I'm using  XCSOURCE® Pro All Metal Camera Tripod Ballhead with Quick Release Plate for Canon 5D mark II III 550d 50d 600d 1000d 1100d 650d 700d Nikon D7100 D7000 D5200 D5100 D3200 D3100 D3000 LF023 .) If you'd rather pan with the head, put your money there and get a cheaper monopod. The entire reason this monopod is expensive is because of the fluid foot.

For the price, you can't argue with this monopod. Generally well made, it quickly and easily extends to the desired length. I've always liked the mounting plate, having had one on a Glidecam for years.I do have a couple of niggles with it. When tilting, there's a slight snap as it unsticks the ball in the socket so tilts aren't as smooth as they might be. Also when panning, sometimes the ball rotates in the socket rather than turning at the fluid base. I'm not sure that anything can be done to fix the current design, but it's not a huge deal for me. If I need really clean pans and tilts I'll use my (much more expensive) Cartoni Focus tripod.I've used it with a 7D and an EOS M, which are relatively small but it should work fine with my XH A1 which is much larger than the others.For the money, it's a good value and I would recommend this.

I have 3 tripods, 2 are for photography and the other tripod is for video. This tripod is great and if you are willing to change a few things on it then it becomes even more versatile. There are couple of modifications that I did to the tripod to suit my needs.First thing that I did was to take replace the Manfrotto quick release clamp with an Arca Swiss compatible fluid head. I do not like the Manfrotto quick release clamp or plate that came with it. The plate is to big for anything but a huge video camera, buy the way it comes with a Manfrotto 357 Pro quick release clamp and plate. Do a search on you-tube for sunwayfoto ddc-50lr you will see what I am talking about in regards to the Manfrotto clamp and plate.Other then the clamp and plate this monopod is great and offers tremendous flexibility.Highly Recommended - Excellent Quality - Excellent Versatility

I bought this because I was tired of carrying my tripod and figured this will be good enough. After using it for an event I can say that this is a good product like all other manfrotto products I have bought. I attached a 701 fluid head to the QR plate and was about to get steady pan and tilt shots no problem.The one thing I didn't like about this product was the QR adapter and plate. It is a different size from the 701 head. I am not sure why they did that. I know that a long of people will by the other version of this with the tilt head but I wanted the QR plate because I knew I will be taking the camera on and off the monopod.I think as long as you are aware that the plate is different, this is a great product that I would recommend.

Completely worth every penny, especially if you're using a DSLR as a video camera.Smooth motion with pans and limited tilts.However, if you need more than just a slight tilt, you'll have to attach a bona fide video head for more extreme work. I attached a gimbal head and it works perfectly with this setup.The tilt can be a bit sticky (jerky, even), but a 1/2 teaspoon of 3-in-1 oil solves that immediately -- I haven't had any issues since appying the oil to the ball joint.The monopod WILL stand on it's own, but I don't suggest leaving it without a hand resting on it if you value your equipment.I really enjoy the stability of the shots I've taken.You get the best of two worlds, the mobility of hand held shots, and the stability of a tripod when you want to more smoothly capture a scene or some details.

One of the best monopods out there. Has a rotating head, and legs that help in added stability. You can use it in various different ways. On video shoots, this is the one equipment that is a must have.

Love it!