Manfrotto 234RC Monopod Head Quick Release - Replaces 3229

I need it in a hurry, so it cost me extra 11$ for the fast delivery, but worth to go with me to Hawaii, pics looks much better than the hand hold ones.

I am a big fan of bogen/manfrotto products and have over the years owned a number of their tripods, heads and other items and have always found them to be quality products with excellent value. That however was not my experience with this model of head. I could not get the head to tighten securely. No matter how hard I tightened the knob the head would still move. I have the older 3229 model and did not have this problem. The 3229 tightened securely with a minimum of effort. I must have gotten a bad copy as I haven't seen this problem in any of the other reviews. Anyway I returned it and will order either the RC494 or RC496 ballhead. I have found I prefer to use a ballhead on my monopods for their greater flexibility. They allow me to adjust the camera at angles I can't get with the monopod head.

Manfrotto has just way too many heads available for their monopods and tripods. It took me forever to figure out what to buy. I'm really happy with this simple, small, rock solid, flexible head.

For me, this head screws onto the Manfrotto 682B Self Standing Monopod (Black). Attachment couldn't have been easier, thread on the bottom of the head to the top screw of the monopod. Bam, job done.

What I really like about this head, the quick release mechanism. The lock is positive. In order to release the head, you have to swing brass pin, then rotate the large lever. If you've seated the brass pin correctly, it is almost impossible to accidently remove the quick release. There's a beefy butterfly style screw on the inside of the quick release mount to attach the mount to your camera. With a bit of work, it is possible to move the camera screw to three other offset positions (you have to remove a snap ring with needle nose pliers to release the screw). This is a nice option for smaller lighter cameras.

The tilt mechanism is just about genius. Loosen a good size wing nut and the mount will rotate 90 degrees left or right. Full stop at either end is 90 degrees. The only minor issue, there is no detent or marker for 0 degrees. On a monopod this is not a huge problem, you're probably going to be leaning forward or backward anyway. On a tripod this would be a big problem.

I really like the ability to switch very quickly from horizontal to vertical compositions with this head.

Like everything from Manfrotto and Bogen, this head is way over engineered, the casting is hefty and strong.

This head will fit all the Manfrotto monopods, including the carbon fiber series. If you don't need quick release and want to save a little money, this head is virtually the same thing: Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt Head (Replaces 3232).

Another football season starts in a few weeks. This year I am prepared with camera supports that will finally work.

I purchased this quick release head to go with my new monopod and it works great. The delivery was fast and the quality of the product was everything I had hoped for.

I'll start off by saying that I love the Bogen/Manfrotto products - my tripods a bogen, my monopods a bogen, my superclamps/adapters/ballheads are bogen - I love them all.

When it came time to get a head for my monopod, I went straight for the bogen/manfrotto's - maybe my hopes were just too high, but I expected it to be a little different.

Right off the bat - it's solid. It doesn't feel like it's going to fall apart or break on you, I have no concerns there. It also looks quite nice and uses the great "Quick Release" system (Manfrotto also makes a normal "234" head, without the quick release). Using multiple lenses, or when you're in a hurry, you'll want the quick release system (and the great thing is that you can use the same plates on multiple heads! I can pop my camera off the 234 and then right onto my 322RC2). Great!

My problem came with the actual control of this one - I must have just not read close enough (or assumed for the better) but it's only got a single-axis tilt. That means it'll tilt forward or backwards. It won't tilt side-to-side or spin - just forwards/backwards. While this probably won't be an issue for most, being able to tilt it to the sides (while also tilting forwards/backwards) is something I do a lot with my other ballhead. Not being able to do it and get the angles I needed with this one was a big disappointment.

Maybe I just expected too much out of it -- it works great on my monopod and superclamps, it just didn't give me all the control I need.