[Dewman]

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It's a inexpensive Targas monopod from Walmart ($14.99) with a Beike tripod ball-head (eBay $20.10) mounted on top. The monopod came with a 1/4" x 20 stud and the Beike head has a 3/8" insert... so, I took a 3/8" mild steel bolt, drilled and tapped it and made my own adapter. Works like a charm! Much more convenient that the stock monopod.


Although the monopod is an inexpensive one, it is pretty well made, light-weight and I like the way the leg extends, with locking levers vs. the ring that must be turned to lock in place. I keep it attached to my camera and the whole affair is light enough to wear around my neck. To extend it, I just flip the little lever and let gravity do the work! When I'm finished shooting at that particular site, I collapse the leg and I'm off to something else interesting.


This is the second Beike tripod ball head I've purchased. They are extremely well made and quite heavy-duty. They come with a quick-release block, too. My other one has a permanent home on my tripod. I love them.

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Last edited by Dewman; 03-25-2015 at 04:36 PM.

[old4570]

Interesting mod :
I have a monopod somewhere , putting a ball head bracket on it could be the way to go ..

[Dewman]

Interesting mod :
I have a monopod somewhere , putting a ball head bracket on it could be the way to go ..

I highly recommend the Beike head. It's amazingly well made. The ball is 1 1/4" in diameter, so it gets very good purchase and holds the camera quite firmly.

[bigted]

I actually have this monopod, but without a decent head it is pretty well useless. This is a great solution, thanks for posting.

[Dewman]

I actually have this monopod, but without a decent head it is pretty well useless. This is a great solution, thanks for posting.

My pleasure, Ted. Let me know how you like it if you chose to modify yours.

[vangaans]

Thanks for the tip!

[bdery]

Which Beike head is that?

[Dewman]

Which Beike head is that?

It's model # BK-03


Beike BK 03 Camera Tripod Ball Head Ballhead with Quick Release Plate 1 4" Screw | eBay

[Ratmagiclady]

Just for reference, there's commercially-available reducer bushings to do that job, so you don't need to do your own machining. ..I found some at the local home center among the general nuts and bolts and fittings, actually.

[Dewman]

Just for reference, there's commercially-available reducer bushings to do that job, so you don't need to do your own machining. ..I found some at the local home center among the general nuts and bolts and fittings, actually.

I thought as much, and I actually went to four different hardware stores looking for one.... and wouldn't you know it.... NONE had one. So, with a little Yankee ingenuity, I manufactured one. A simple operation.... about 5 minutes with a drill motor and tap and I was in business. Actually, I made 3 and sent 2 of them to friends who conjured up their own altered monopods. Both swear by them.

[Ratmagiclady]

I thought as much, and I actually went to four different hardware stores looking for one.... and wouldn't you know it.... NONE had one. So, with a little Yankee ingenuity, I manufactured one. A simple operation.... about 5 minutes with a drill motor and tap and I was in business. Actually, I made 3 and sent 2 of them to friends who conjured up their own altered monopods. Both swear by them.

It is of course awesome if you can just make em, too. Actually I might have bought some extras when I found them: can't quite recall why I needed one in the first place, come to mention it, but it did take some digging and they're a lot cheaper in a hardware store than any photographic venue. (peering.) Might have been my Mamiya was missing one, but I was pretty sure I had that all sorted out before I came down here. Hrm. I may have misremembered when I said 'home center.' I thought it had been Lowe's but it might have been a local main street type place up on Lake Superior. I know I bought screws and other fittings down here for a different project, which involved mounting an old film bellows to a board for duping negatives onto digital, but that might have not been quite that bushing. (A lot of this was the right thread size to connect things to *wood,* as there were bigger brass things.) Anyway. They're buyable if you can't make them. And if you can't find them in a hardware store you can seek them out on Ebay or in photo accessory outlets for a bit of a markup.

[Kerrowdown]

I'm still using my trusty old Manfrotto 680 but without any ball head... just a Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt, keeps things good and stable and the tilt allows for a quick portrait mode.

[crewl1]

I'm still using my trusty old Manfrotto 680 but without any ball head... just a Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt, keeps things good and stable and the tilt allows for a quick portrait mode.

I use the 234 tilt also, and added an arca swiss clamp I scavenged from a similar Beike ballhead above so I can easily change my lenses that have arca swiss plates.
The ball head itself is in a box somewhere.

[csa]

Just for reference, there's commercially-available reducer bushings to do that job, so you don't need to do your own machining. ..I found some at the local home center among the general nuts and bolts and fittings, actually.

If you can't find them locally, here's a source: Oben 3/8"-16 to 1/4"-20 Reducer Bushing OB-1039 B&H

[Oldbayrunner]

Or 1/4" to 3/8" convert screw adapter | eBay

I use these on mine as well as other Items I own where I need to convert or switch back and forth.