Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Pro Monopod Black

Comments about Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Pro Monopod Black:

I found this monopod nice and easy to use. If you are on flat ground it's fairly stable. As long it is not too windy. If you think this will replace your tripod think again is a lot lighter than the tripod and gives you a steadying base to work off. I've used this while walking around National trust properties and botanical Gardens and is ideal as most of the time you are on footpaths.

Bottom line is would recommend buying this you can get cheaper but they do not carry the weight of a decent size lens with camera.

Malcolm.

Comments about Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Pro Monopod Black:

Even though it was titled "Self-Standing Monopod", with a description that does not mention the word "Tripod", everyone knows that this is a monopod that tries to be a tripod. Who would pay almost double the price of a 680B just for the sake of "changing film/flashcard or swapping lenses"? It is a silly description, but it might also suggests that Manfrotto do not recommend taking pictures on tripod mode.

So indeed how useful is this, and what makes Manfrotto reluctant to promote it as a tripod? Having owned and used a 682B for a while now, I think it is worthy to share a bit of my experience, and I hope this would help in your purchase decision.

1 USEFULNESS
1.1 As a monopod
If you have ever used a tripod for event photography, you'll know the pain of them. They are slow, heavy, obstructing, and a potential threat to kids running around. While it takes 5 minutes to set up a tripod, your client won't allow you more than 5 seconds to get ready. For a monopod, all you need to do is to unlock the leg, drop it down and lock it.
The 682B - as the description suggests - is a modified 681B, hence a monopod in nature, doing the job exceptionally well. In addition to all the advantages of the professional 681B, the added weight of 682B also effectively lower the centre of mass, giving you enhanced easy of stability.

1.2 As a tripod
Here comes the real question: does it works as a tripod?
Personally I would say, "In some cases, yes".

1.2.1 Versatility and Speed
The whole transformation process is as simple as: unscrew bottom, get the legs out, screw it back. It takes no more than 15 seconds after you get used to it, and thus it is still a bit faster than a tripod. This enables the 682B to achieve true versatility with function AND speed. In fact it is so easy to use, that I would use it as a remote slave flash stand when I work alone. If you use a quick release head, you could just dismount your camera and mount a flash with another RC plate, before your subject even notices. It saves a lot of embarrassment for your subject to wait until you set up your entire studio in public, and also it reduces the number of items you need to carry.

1.2.2 Stability
If you are using this in an indoor environment, it works perfectly. There is no mechanism to lock the legs to a specific position, but the screw secure them well enough to make the whole tripod into one rigid piece. There are things to keep in mind when you use it as a tripod, which I will describe later in Part 2.

However in external environment it becomes a different story.

When you mount the camera onto the 682B casually, it will keep swinging for a around half a minute. The vibration is due to the lack of lateral counter forces and damping features. It won't be much of a problem when you use it indoor with a flash to eliminate the tiny movement, but if you want to do a long exposure at night with a cool sea breeze - you WILL get a blurry picture.

Afterall it is an additional feature - certain compromises need to be made here.

1.2.3 Limitations of use
Often overlooked, this "tripod" actually has a very big limitation in its use. In contrast to common tripods, of which every leg are individually adjustable, this "tripod" only has two modes - legs hidden, and legs out. You either use them in that equaliteral triangular position, or you simply don't use them. What this means is that:
* It has no use on non-flat surfaces.
If your ground is tilted at 2 degrees, your centre column will do the same. If your ground is 10 degrees tilted, you'll have to pray that your whole setup do not fall over.
If you are a landscape photographer looking for a walking stick capable of doing exposures in coastal sunset, bear in mind that this will NOT work in most cases. A 681B with 331 Monopod Support Bracket might be more of a use.

2 ISSUES
2.1 Overturning Problem
We all know that heavy lenses without a tripod mount is difficult to use on a tripod. Unless you use a professional head, you can hardly lock the camera into the desired position without it dropping a bit before it settles. It is indeed a problem with the tripod head rather than the mono/tripod itself, but the 682B has a added problem to it: the whole setup could overturn.

Firstly I need to say that I had never seen this happen. However I once mounted a 24-70mm f/2.8 and 350D body on 682B to test, and it looks as if it would fall over any minute.

The legs of the 682B is thin, cylindrical and not wide spread. If you draw a line bisecting the angle between two legs, to meet perpendicularly with the line joining the tip of the legs, you get a distance of 12cm. If the centre of mass of the setup exceeds that point, it will overturn. That means, if you pan the camera to this weakest position of the setup, and your lens is long and heavy, you are very likely to reach a dangerous area.

Together with the above "nodding lens" problem, you will never know where exactly is your centre of mass before the whole setup comes to an equilibrium rest. It could seem alright at first, but when it rest and a light wind blows, the tragedy could happen.

The only effective solution is to shift the centre of mass. For 70-200mm you'll have a dedicated tripod mount, so use them. However for wide to medium standard zooms, you might want a Manfrotto 293 Telephoto Lens Support. It might be a bit expensive for that purpose, but in my experiences it is well worth it. By shifting the centre of mass directly on of the column, your setup will neither tilt its head nor overturn, while also enhancing the overall stability. You will be amazed at how stable your hands can be with the 293 attached to a monopod. The only problem is, you are adding weight to it again!

2.2 Lack of portrait position support
It is indeed a common problem to Monopods, not limited to 682B. The point of a monopod is all about speed. You won't want to put a 3-way tripod head on a monopod because you simply do not have that many hands to do the adjustments.

Thus Manfrotto give us the Monopod Head 234RC - a simple one plane tilting head. If you mount the 200PL-14 perpendicular to the camera lens, it enables you to point the camera at most vertical angles. Otherwise, with the 200PL in parallel position, you can switch between portraits and landscape shots.

Yet you can't do both without dismounting your 200PL.

OK its a compromise, but it is quite a sacrifice. So I decided to try on a ball head, and it worked well - until you drop your camera into portrait position. Ball heads are generally taller than the 234RC. When in the portrait position, it shifts the whole camera away from the column by some 5-10cm. If you remember that 12cm we measured from the last section - that means mounting anything on that position makes the system quite unstable.

So the tripod mode is only useful in landscape pictures in general.

2.3 Strange noises
This is indeed a funny side-issue. The legs are stored inside the metal column, but they are not fixed to their positions. So when you walk around with the 682B clinging to your backpack, the legs will start rocking around and making funny noises that resembles a christmas tree bell. It could be nicer if they do some kind of padding on the inside of the column tube, but it is not hard to live with the noises either.

3 OTHER BITS AND PIECES
Things that you might want to know, yet not as critical.

3.1 Build Quality
If you are still reading this after seeing the prices of Manfrottos, I assume that you know what they are. They are one of the very few manufacturers who still make their products in Europe for quality. There is no question that 682B is one of the best built mono/tripods I had ever touched on. The levers lock the position smooth and securely, without any sliding/moving problems. All that you would expect from Manfrotto.

3.2 Weight
This IS heavy. With a simple ball head the weight of the set up cannot be less than 1.5kg. In other words, well, the weight of a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS/VR. So, indeed pretty much the weight we are already used to! For the benefits it can bring, I would certainly says that it justifies itself.

4 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, its a monopod that stands.

I do struggle a bit sometimes when I try to use it as a proper tripod, but the fact is, it is made to be a monopod. It is not fair to measure it with the standard of a tripod. It is necessary though, for me to point out the weaknesses of it before you have too much expectations. If these weaknesses can be tolerated, I am sure this is one truly useful tool to assist in your photography.

Comments about Manfrotto 682B Self-Standing Pro Monopod Black:

I prefer a monopod to lugging a tripod around and with this one you have the best of both worlds, ie an excellent monopod in its own right and then by just unscrewing the base you fold out the legs to make it in to a tripod (sort of) it is not of course anything like as stable as a true tripod but it can get you out of a tricky situation!