Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Bought thinking it might help stabilization with monopod use of XL2. If the arm collapsed by another 50% or so it would allow use of XL 2's shoulder brace. Otherwise might be good for much smaller camcorder.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Works good but I don't like how the shoulder brace swivels up and down. When I apply pressure to the brace to hold camera and mono pod steady it wants to move to much. Maybe I am just not doing something right?

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

The hardware on the shoulder brace to attach it to the camera is pretty sturdy and the arm seems durable as well. It is light, compact and relatively easy to set up. I screw a friction arm into the bottom of it then attach a pistol grip on the other end with a microphone attached to that. Sounds a bit fussy but it is a very minimal and super low cost rig. The video shot with it is a lot more steady than just hand held. Definitely worth the price and you keep a low profile.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

This shoulder brace is small enough to fold out of the way when not needed and large enough to be useful. I found it intergrated with my existing Manfrotto monopod to make a first rate all around useful tool.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Easy to attach to your monopod. Light weight and the unit tucks away when not in use. Parts are plastic, however that is an advantage to keep the weight down. In use it offers greater support especially using DSLR cameras.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Excellent control of camera movements. Either hand held or on a monopod intricate camera movements are executed with the preciseness of an elaborate dolly system. I use the 361 with the Canon 5D Mk II when shooting video in difficult locations. The 361 Shoulder Brace by Manfrotto allows the confident capture of these images.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

I was surprised at how much more stability this product adds to the use of a monopod. It certainly doesn't replace a tripod but is quick & handy. I use it with vibe reduction lenses & it yields good sharp focus...better than just the monopod by itself.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

A professional video shooter recommended this for stabilizing hand help video shots. There are so many pricey rigs out there for DSLR video shooting...this is a simple and inexpensive solution, which with a little practice yeilds great, smooth results - with or without a monopod. can;t beat it for the $.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

The design of the shoulder brace is great. I was fearing that it would be a cumbersome add-on with very little utility, but it fits the monopod like a glove and after a week, I constantly rely on it. The stability it adds for shooting HDSLR video makes it a must have accessory.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Yes it is plastic, but it's also very light. Nice brace for shooting video on a monopod (the only one in existance that I could find).

Best used to brace against a pole/tree/wall/etc, but also helps a little against your body.

The button is for tightening to the monopod. Once released it allows 360d swivel.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

I bought this as a gift for a friend who has recently purchased a Gitzo monopod. The Manfrotto sales material said the brace fits all monopods. It does not, however, fit the Gitzo GM5541. The quality and the design of the brace are very good, so it's very disappointing that the item doesn't fit "all monopods" as advertised.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Have not used it except for practice in the house, but it seems like it will work fine as well as easy to work. Cant always take a big tripod with you, but this makes a Monopod work very well, with long lenses.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

This shoulder brace makes your monopod MUCH more stable. I have used it to take several High Dynamic Range (HDR) images (3 and 5-shot groups). Much quicker to get into action than a tripod (not to mention much lighter to carry into the wilds). If you only need it for that "once-in-a-lifetime" image, it's WELL worth the cost.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

When travelling with a group of nonphotographers, a tripod is usually not the answer (even though I wish it was). My Manfrotto monopod has been my constant companion but I always was looking for a way to make it even more stable. This brace does the job in controlling roll. Lightweight, well made, and folds out of the way when not being used.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Bought this shoulder brace for my manfrotto monopod. Like it so much, I hardly use my tripod. Provides a lot of stability, that I did not have. Screws right into my lenses from the monopod. Wish I bought it sooner.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

Tried to use this brace on the monopod that I own but it did not work. Tried to screw onto my Nikon D5000 but that also did not work. Measurements on my monopod and camera threads were 1/4" male and female. The shoulder brace measurements was 3/8" female threads which would have attach to the monopod head. Attaching to the camera the threads were 3/8" male also. Overview said "for monopods" thought that it might have worked on my monopod. The 3/8" threads should have clued me in so I should have measured the threads on my monopod and camera first. Must be brand "Manfrotto" specific?

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

small easy good for video

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

It looks and might feel flimsy, but this ad-on by manfrotto does it's job to the max. With this my shot are steadier and easier to capture.

Overall, I would recommend this.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

If Manfrotto's name had not been on it, I would have passed on this brace because it's made primarily of plastic and the relatively low price looked too good to be true. I'm glad I took the plunge.

Primarily I bought it to steady my monopod on a trip to China, where weight restrictions on internal flights mean I can't carry my tripod and at 71, I worry about staying steady for "once in a lifetime" shots.

That test is still to come, but my first week of using the device leaves me quite pleased. It really does lock the camera and stick into the body and it follows nicely with moves and turns. Perhaps the coolest discovery so far is that it helps support belly shots, e.g. laying in the sand, allowing me to get into really akward positions, shooting through seagrass while holding steady a heavy camera.

I haven't tried it for video yet, but just going through the motions it appears it will also be helpful for for that, both with and without the monopod.

Just one caution. The brace connects to the camera/monopod with a large thumbscrew. Don't over-tighten. I couldn't undo the combo in the field and had to resort (gently) to oversize pliers when I got home.

It is more than worth the price and I'm betting it will save some "priceless" shots.

Comments about Manfrotto 361 Shoulder Brace for Monopods:

this small shoulder brace is nice and compact, very light weight (which I appreciate) and helps to steady a short (10-15 second) hand held video clip on my DSLR for a run and gun news situation. You can also attach it to your monopod for a steady longer clip. Some of these DSLR rigs are insanely expensive so this is a great priced option with good functionality.