Comments

craftech wrote on 3/11/2008, 9:02 PM
I have the Bogen/Manfrotto 560B. It's not bad, but it doesn't exactly stand on it's own very well with a VX2000 size camera on it.

Here is a review.

John
farss wrote on 3/11/2008, 10:05 PM
Warning. It is not designed to stand up by itself, period. Those three feet are to get you better ground contact, not hold the thing up.

Other problem is after a few abuses the fluid damping gizmo at the bottom has come apart revealing some white goo inside there. Apart from that it's pretty good as monopods go.

Bob.
Laurence wrote on 3/11/2008, 10:54 PM
In the review it sounds like the "fluid head" is actually just a ball joint packed with grease. Have you tried taking it apart and repacking it with a little white grease?
DJPadre wrote on 3/11/2008, 11:02 PM
"actually just a ball joint packed with grease"

thats precisely wot it is

as for the feet, as Bob said, DONT use it to stand a camera...
I use it to stabilise ground contact (as mentioned), But also, when using it as a stabiliser with boy contact, the feet come in handy. Also good to flip the feet out and hitch them on your waist when getting high angle shots

One thing i have noticed with this, is that if its fully extended, it has the tendency to "jar" or creak
Best thing aboit is, is i can change the head to suit DSLR and video
craftech wrote on 3/12/2008, 6:07 AM
One thing i have noticed with this, is that if its fully extended, it has the tendency to "jar" or creak
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I don't like it fully extended at all. The length offsets any stability the thing has from the three relatively small feet.

And Bob s right. It isn't meant to be left standing on it's own, only to add extra contact points in addition to the one single contact point other monopods have.

In terms of repacking it with white grease, I think that the use of white grease is probably the problem in that the viscosity of white grease is pretty thin. I am surprised that someone said that is what was in there. A higher viscosity paraffin based grease such as this one would probably be better and if that's not thick enough a High Temperature Wheel Bearing Grease such the commonly available LubriMatic brand would probably work well.

Was it worth the money?

Not sure.

John
MH_Stevens wrote on 3/12/2008, 7:27 AM
DJ: You should not be saying things like this in public

quote....."with boy contact, the feet come in handy"