Manfrotto’s 561B uses fluid cartridges in the head and the base of its new 561 monopod to steady all movements, panning and tracking of either a camera or a camcorder that is mounted on this monopod. With its small legs (they are retractable and pivoting) and the fluid support, it should allow for some smooth action. Only potential downside: The monopod only supports 8.8 pounds, thus not being suitable for use with heavy telephoto equipment. Still, we are intrigued by the concept and hope to get our hands on one soon to test it.
Price: $221.95
Certainly a mouthful for such a small accessory, but this one deserves the praise.
Question: If you mount a leveling base on a tripod and level it, then your tripod head on the leveling base and the camera on your tripod head, is the camera level? Perhaps, but more likely than not, it isn’t. That’s why I slip the Bubble Level into the flash hot shoe and level my camera with the help of this gadget, just to make certain. Of course, I could straighten my images in Photoshop, but why go through the hassle, if you can keep your camera level in the first place?
The Manfrotto 2-Axis Hot Shoe Double Bubble Level might not look like a lot, but it certainly is worth the money!
Recommended!
List Price: $36.00, Amazon: $29.25
