Manfrotto 234RC Monopod Tilt Head with Quick Release, Black

Before ordering, I wasn't sure if I'd like this head on my monopod. I shoot a lot of sports action, always still pictures, and had always used ball heads. This head pivots, but does not rotate. Long story short, this head works great for the right applications, and its quality construction and reassuring heft makes it a pleasure to use. Moving the monopod instead of the head to compose pictures quickly becomes natural. Panning to catch the action is never a problem -- just rotate the whole monopod. I did find that there was some tendency for the head to slightly unscrew from the tripod at these times, but only a partial turn, and never so much as to affect stability. I find it quick and easy to swing the head 90 degrees to either side for portrait-oriented pictures. The head stops at 90 degrees, so I don't have to fiddle around locking it or trying to hold it in position if I need to take a quick shot. This would not be a good head for movies or if you aren't typically shooting with the the lens fairly level (like capturing birds in trees). Thus I wouldn't use it, for example, for basketball or volleyball shots. But for most field sports, cross country, baseball, tennis, etc. --- it provides better support and ease of use than a ball head. This is a serious piece of hardware, and requires a serious monopod -- a lightweight ball-head would be a better match for a lightweight monopod.

I ordered this after reading all the glowing reviews of Manfrotto products, and it lives up to its reputation. It is solidly built, and each of the segments locks up solidly. You really could use this thing as a walking stick, as some suggest -- it's that solid. The tilting head is also great, and easy to use. It has a quick release plate that attaches to the camera, making the camera easy to remove from the monopod. In addition to using this with my DSLR, I use this monopod with a pair of medium power binoculars to look at objects in the night sky. It's not as steady as a tripod (of course), but if you lean against a something solid, you can view celestial objects well enough (may not be sufficient for really serious sky watchers, though). This is a great monopod, easily stowable, and so more likely to get packed and used than most tripods. Very happy with it.

This head is solid. It will rotate the camera from landscape to portrait mode (to either side). Works well, but do realize it does NOT tilt forward and back -- you are supposed to tilt your monopod for that direction. A few negatives: Not all Manfrotto heads use this quick release plate, so it MIGHT NOT be interchangeable with other Manfrotto heads. The head has no vertical stop so you need to use your eyes to level the camera and then snug the knob down. There is no level on the head so you need to use your eyes to level the camera for all shots. The head is a bit large and heavy. The knob sticks out on one side and the quick release sticks out on the other making the head quite wide and preventing it from slipping into (or out of) a backpack or camera bag easily. I just carried this around Europe for three weeks. I tried using it for night shots, but the long exposures really required a tripod. I really needed a small tripod for selfies too. I tried to use the monopod for long telephoto images of the tops of cathedrals, but I couldn't tilt the monopod back far enough to be helpful. Overall, the monopod was entirely useless on this trip, but that is not a fault of the head. I will be backpacking a few weeks later this summer and might take the monopod then, we'll see.

Makes my monopod distinctly heavier, while the metal/plastic construction of this head seems reliable and solid. The "swivel" is 180 degrees vertical, which is no special aid in horizontal panning - for which a tripod is much better than a monopod. The advantages of this monopod head are primarily (1) to enable "portrait" orientation of the camera on the monopod, in addition to landscape orientation, and (2) To attach the camera to the monopod by means of a plate and quick release lever, so as to remove the camera and replace it onto the monopod can be done without having to unscrew the monopod from the camera. The safety switch seems to be a great feature to protect camera when removing or reattaching it to the monopod supplemented with this item

The Manfrotto 234RC Swivel Tilt Monopod Head is simple to attach and use. The head is perfect for larger lenses, making it easy to adjust. This is NOT a ball head, therefore you have to physically move the monopad but that becomes second nature. The build quality of the Monopod Head is solid, weighty. This is much better than I expected.

I'm extremely pleased with this quick release head. I got it to go on my new Sirui P326 monopod, and it is definitely preferable to using a ball head. I wanted it to use with my super zoom shooting at the moon, and for birds in the trees. The vertical tilt is all I need because the monopod can be moved around as needed in the other direction and it seems much more solid than trying to secure a ball head. Very nicely made, and I am partial to the quick release type plate system. Very easy to attach and remove, and secure once it's in place without twisting knobs. Pricey but worth it.

Bullet proof! I have some small ball head mounts that were designed for a monopod, but they are just not sturdy. I ordered a fantastic Manfrotto carbon fiber monpod and I put this mount on top. It is rock solid! Highly recommended. I was heasitant primarly because everything I own, I've been replacing with Arca Swiss clamps, etc. Manfrotto needs to follow RRS (Really Right Stuff) and make a plate that can work in a Manfrotto as well as an Arca compatable mount and plate.

I've been a happy user of the Manfrotto 234 monopod head for a few years but I wanted to be able to switch between my tripod and monopod without having to remove the quick release plate to do so. I run the Manfrotto XPRO ball head and it uses the RC quick release system so this was a natural fit. I mainly use the monopod with my Sony A99 with vertical grip and Sigma 50-500 lens. It's a heavy combination and hard to hand hold steady and with this head on my monopod I get clearer shots with easy maneuverability. The quick release plate locks in securely and I've never been worried about it coming loose and dropping my gear on the ground, once it's latched it won't move without flipping the release lever. I run the pivot point where it's just loose enough to allow easy vertical panning but not so loose everything just flops around, that allows me to recompose my shot if necessary without grabbing for knobs and cussing when I had it screwed down too tight and missed the moment I wanted to capture. A monopod head is required to do a proper stance and have everything locked in position. You want the monopod at a slight angle in front of you and without the head the lens would be pointing up... this allows a sturdy position and still be able to frame the shot how you want it. I did receive an open package and can only guess that it was a return. The head still looked brand new and all of the parts and pieces were there so no real complaints. I don't know why anyone would return this head, it's a quality product and necessary for proper use of the one legged wonder. Their loss!

stable, very good

I already had a Manfrotto head for my tripod. It made perfect sense that the one for my monopod should be the same. Now I can swap my cameras out between accessories as the shoe is identical and everything is compatable.

حجم صغير وثابت على الحامل الاحادي .

Excelente como todos los productos de manfrotto, gran construcción y terminados. Gran producto

皆さんのレビューにもありますが、2～3kgくらいの機材であれば保持力に問題なく、クイックリリースプレートの脱着も安全に行え必要十分と思います。今までは、一脚＋自由雲台で主に野鳥や航空機を撮影していましたが、一脚ではチルト方向しか使わないのでこちらの方が好ましいです。難点を言えば、メーカ指定の方向にレンズをセットするとハンドルが右側にくるのですが、そちらだとカメラを保持しながらのハンドル操作が難しく感じます（プレートの回転防止ピンを使いたいので、レンズの向きを反対にはできない）。カメラのグリップではなくレンズ側を保持すれば良いので、慣れの問題だとは思いますが。 補足ですが、チルトの動きはさすがにベアリングを使った高級機には劣りすこしギクシャクします。分解するとハンドドルの下にあるワッシャーに汚れが見られたので、パーツクリーナーで洗浄しシリコングリスを塗布したら動きが良くなりました。ご参考まで。