Field Test of the Oben ACM-2400L And The Oben BA-2 Ball He |
Posted: December 22, 2011 |
December 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment
My Review“I recently met with Izzy Flamm from my member affiliate B&H Photo division. Since I’ve been a proud customer for over 25 years, I feel I know the company very well and can attest to their quality and their willingness for improvement and objectivity at all times for their products. Izzy and I had a lengthy meeting regarding new equipment that will be coming out and to provide online reviews to our forum. He first offered me the Oben Monopod to review. I was particularly interested in this product, since I wasn’t too familiar with this brand. I’m a Gitzo tripod user and cambo studio columns. I felt a good course of action would be to start out by taking the monopod to a local nature center and shooting with it. As my shoot progressed, the first thing I noticed was the product’s lightweight design and feel, but don’t let that fool you. I put my Canon 5D along with my Canon 70-200 on it, and this monopod was still rock solid. I used it both with and without the legs simply as a great monopod. I concluded that this surpasses the other brands in value and most importantly, what you get for your money. Here are some things that I’d also like to mention concerning the product:
• It’s both lightweight and sturdy, handling up to 26 lbs. of full camera gear. • The ball head is rock solid with a simple lever to lock it with no major pressure. Simply touch and tighten. • The ball head was very fluid and easy to move around. I especially liked the multi levels on the head to adjust and straighten out which allows you to shoot perfectly level at all times. • The ball head has a quick release feature with a mounting plate.
I’d like to thank Izzy for allowing us to review this item, but now I want to buy it! Funny how things work out. Finally, I give this monopod with ball head a rating of 5 stars for value, durability and construction.”
The Oben ACM-2400L 4-Section Aluminum Self-Standing Monopod with Mini-Legs is an extremely sturdy camera support of the one-legged variety, but with a twist: Unscrew the bottom, and from the lower section of the monopod emerge three 9″ aluminum legs that flip out to form a miniature tripod at the base. With this function, you can take your monopod to areas where tripods are prohibited, such as certain tourist attractions, and capture steady shots without the usual need to hold onto your monopod for dear life. The three leg stages of the ACM-2400L descend to achieve a maximum height of 66.8″, which facilitates comfortable operation for almost all users. Not only tall, this is quite a robust piece of gear: It bears up to 26.4 lb, so add just about any head, camera & lens combination that you want. The monopod’s rubber-footed mini-legs, foam grip, and wrist strap will conspire to keep your setup stable. The flip locks of the ACM-2400L are adjustable, which means you can use the included Allen key to tighten them if they expand and loosen slightly due to normal wear & tear. You can also adjust the action of the locks to suit your operating preference. Leg stages descend easily and lock into place securely, so setup is a breeze. The ACM-2400L is composed of anodized aluminum to ensure its solidity. For fine control over camera orientation, attach a head to the monopod’s reversible 3/8″-16 & 1/4″-20 mounting screw. Three set screws underneath the collar enable you to fasten the head securely to the plate. The Allen key is attached to the top leg section, so you’re always ready to make adjustments. This leggy monopod is extremely compact for its (small) product class, collapsing to 23.2″ to make it easily transportable. The self-standing ACM-2400L will handle with aplomb many one-of-a-kind shooting situations.
Specs: Maximum Height 66.8″ (167.6 cm) Folded Length 23.2″ (58.9 cm) Load Capacity 26.4 lb (12 kg) Leg Sections 4 Leg Lock Type Flip-lock Male Thread Size 1/4″-20 & 3/8″-16 Weight 2.5 lb Oben BA-2 Ball HeadThe Oben BA-2 Ball Head is a sturdy, lightweight aluminum ball head for photography. With a load capacity of 26.45 lb, the BA-2 head will support DSLR cameras even as they’re equipped with long, heavy telephoto lenses and multiple accessories. The BA-2 head’s single-action knob allows you to unlock all axes of movement in one fell swoop, so you can quickly orient your camera properly, retighten the knob, and return to shooting. The ball-locking mechanism is remarkably strong for reliably stable performance. The included quick-release plate attaches to your camera via its standard 1/4″-20 screw. A retractable, removable video pin provides additional stability for camcorders. The quick-release plate easily snaps and locks into place on the BA-2 head. The safety lock on the quick-release mechanism prevents the camera from disengaging inadvertently.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|