Possible to get a Gitzo monopod to self stand?

[Omar N]

Hello all,

I am wondering if anyone knows of a way to get a Gitzo monopod to have a rudimentary form of self-stand functionality as seen by Mark Toia in this old thread: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?66919-Monopod-for-Scarlet-and-Epic.

I am not looking for a tripod replacement, but the idea behind the manfrotto 561BHDV for example seems pretty invaluable in extremely quick shooting situations for imitating dolly and slider moves:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737980-REG/Manfrotto_561BHDV_1_Fluid_Video_Monopod_W_Head.html

If anyone knows of a certain foot or leg that can provide this functionality, I would really appreciate the help.

Thank you,
~Omar

 

[Robert Hart]

Bottom of an old office swivel chair complete with castors might do it for you for tracking on smooth floors or old wheelbarrow wheel with tube removed and tyre pumped full of cement for fixed positions?

 

[Ketch Rossi]

The idea behind the Manfrotto Monopod feet, is to give added stability vs. the traditional one point of contact Monopods, but I find the Manfrotto not as sturdy as a Monopod as the Gitzo, of course the Gitzo is also much more expensive,, however again, the 3 point of contact idea does not work for stand alone, just to give added points of contact for stability, but it does not really work well.

As Robert suggested, even so pretty rudimentary as a idea, it can work, however you do need to actually tight screw the bottom of your Monopod on to it, also at any time there is actual movement going up a single stick as in this case with the monopod, being that will be very top heavy, will not give a smooth ride, as you would need a much stronger Pole in order to pull this off, but you can definitely try and built something for it and try it out, if the floor is very smooth, and there is a good operator, were the force of pushing and or pulling is actually made form the bottom and not the stop, then it could work, could...

 

[John Marchant]

Worth pointing out that the Manfrotto you linked to has a fluid dampled balljoint/swivel at the base, between the mini spreader and leg. This would negate the concept you're outlining, but is in itself a very useful idea compared to a straight monopod, as it allows for some degree of panning control and smoothness - the axis in which many monopods are unstable.

 

[Omar N]

Thank for the help guys! It seems like it is possible but may take some tinkering. I will keep this information in mind.

Slightly off topic, does anyone know of a heavy duty monopod that can be extended with the push of a button rather than unscrewing each individual leg? I figure this might be even easier for an upcoming shoot I have.

Thank you!
~Omar

 

[Samir Patel]

I have one of the Manfrotto monopods you mentioned. However I would never trust it to self stand. I barely use it. Good for in a pinch but would not trust it to support a $10000+ camera.

 

[Bill Sepaniak]

I have the Manfrotto monopod-w-the head as well. There is no way it will self-stand with any RED camera mounted to it. (Maybe with something like a Canon 5D MkII ... but even then I wouldn't trust it.) However, with that said, I used it recently for 3 weeks on a gig in Italy, and for the type of quick run-n-gun shooting that we were doing, it worked just fine. We mounted our RED Dovetail and Quick Release Platform to the head for a simple and quick set-up. It was fairly easy to pan the camera by holding the camera side-handle and the head pan arm. However, it is no substitute for a "proper" tripod and fluid head.

Manfrotto makes (or at least they used to make) a monopod with a squeeze, pistol-grip style handle. I have one ... but it is probably 10 years old.

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