Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When I go out in the field, I tend to over pack and take a lot of exquipment. Despite having a fixed lens camera (Sony F828), I still have a camera back packed full of gear. I rarely take a tripod because I have too much else to carry and I usually take ground level shots (thanks to the rotating screen).

So I started looking at monopods and still can't justify the cost of something I may or may not carry. I always have with me, however, my Midwest Field Hook (http://tinyurl.com/ydd2kf). So I started thinking about figuring out a way to mount a ball head to the end of my field hook.

Problems: ball heads by themselves are just as expensive as a lightweight tripod, plus, how do I securely mount the ball head to end of the shaft? I'm thinking that I'd have to epoxy a threaded rod in the end.

I think I may have found a solution at the link below, although I'm not too thrilled about the price. It wouldn't require any modifications, and I could use it for other things like mounting a flash to it for macro use.

Any other suggestions are welcome, especially a recommendation for a brand of ball head in the $20-$30 range.
Link

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Virginia Herping
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VaHS
Virginia Herpetological Society online store
http://www.cafepress.com/vaherpsociety

"The irrational fear of snakes is the only excuse a grown man has... to act like a complete sissy" - Colchicine

You really don't need a ballhead on there, your really just need a tripod screw mounted to the stick. Could you cut the end of the handle and fit a tripod sized screw in a wooden dowel plug into the end of the handle?

Of course, I don't know that this is going to give you any increase in stability.

Have you considered a lightweight, collapsible tripod?
I have a Slik Sprint Mini, which is a sturdy but collapsible tripod that is as easy to carry as my camera. If fits in my camera bag. It costs about $60, but it is worth every penny I spent.

Sprint Mini Tripod

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Thanks for the info Chris. You are right, a simple screw in the end of the shaft is all I need really, and that might be what I do. And in the spring when I start to do more photography, I'll probably pony up the bread for the tripod you recommended. $60 is a bit more than I want to spend, but if it's something that will keep me from wasting 1000's of pictures, it'll be worth it.
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Virginia Herping
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VaHS
Virginia Herpetological Society online store
http://www.cafepress.com/vaherpsociety

"The irrational fear of snakes is the only excuse a grown man has... to act like a complete sissy" - Colchicine