GEAR
MINI TESTS
MANFROTTO ELEMENT MII VIDEO MONOPOD £155/$170 manfrotto.com
When you are working as light and fast as possible, yet still require a little help, you just can’t get the support you need from shooting handheld. A compact monopod is what you want. But anyone who has tried a standard monopod with no feet or fluid head knows these basic types won’t cut it for filmmaking. That’s where the newManfrotto Element MII Video Monopod with Live Fluid Head comes in. It uses a four- section aluminiummonopod: adding the small and light fluid head from the Live series tripods on the top, and a fluid base with quick-assemble feet at the bottom. It’s easy to set up, or pack away, and weighs just 1.05kg/2.31lb. And also offers a load capacity of 4kg/8.8lb. That’s more than double the weight of the Panasonic Lumix
SPECIFICATIONS Material: Aluminium Leg sections: Four Maximumheight: 137.7cm/54.2in
Closed length: 605mm/23.8in Maximumpayload: 4kg/8.8lb Leg locks: Twist lock Tilt drag: Fluid cartridge Weight: 1.05kg/2.31lb
S1H and 24-105mm lens we tried it with – one of the heaviest mirrorless cameras on the market. The four aluminium-leg sections have Manfrotto’s new twist locks, which are fast to use, yet lock solidly. Of course, you are not going to have a full range of adjustments in such a small and light package. But the Element MII still works well. The panning action is surprisingly smooth, thanks to the fluid cartridge in the folding base. You can’t adjust the drag, though – but that’s the price you pay for compactness. The base folds in for transport. But in use, the angle of the monopod can’t
be locked into position, or the drag on the ball head adjusted. You just have to hold it in place, as the feet aren’t long enough to let the monopod stand on its own. The compact, fluid video head gives smooth tilt control – thanks to the fluid drag system. This isn’t adjustable, but if you tighten down the locking knob, then you can constrict or loosen the action. The head comes with a pretty long Manfrotto plate to help balance the camera. And there is an adjustable pan bar that screws into the head, which also has a small, unilluminated spirit level. It might seem like the monopod lacks some high-tech features, but you have to focus on how light, compact and quick it is. It goes to a decent 137.7cm/54.2in and has fluid- damped pan and tilt. It’s fuss-free and should give years of good service. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 Compact and light, with fluid damping movement Pros: Fast and easy to set up Cons: Not very adjustable
TRIPLE DEAL The Element’s kit includes an aluminium monopod, fluid head and fold-out legs
LIGHT WORK The Manfrotto pod uses a small fluid head, but is tough enough
for a burly Lumix S1H
“The four aluminium-leg sections haveManfrotto’s new twist locks, which are fast to use, yet lock solidly”
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PROMOVIEMAKER.NET
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