Monopods are super usable camera accessories that can be used whenever you want. The main reason a photographer buys a monopod is its stability to a particular camera.
Therefore, the time to choose the best monopod head has just come! I have chosen the best monopod heads on the market in this article.
A Quick Look At My Favorite Monopod Heads
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best Budget  | 8.6 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best for Video  | 8.6 | Check Price On Amazon | |
The Strongest  | 8.5 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best Runner-Up  | 8.8 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best Overall  | 8.6 | Check Price On Amazon |
Key Takeaways
- Monopods are super sturdy camera accessories, but they don’t work without a head. That’s why you should find the best one that fits.
- If you are a videographer, there is the IFOOTAGE Komodo K5 monopod head which is perfectly made for that.
- Neewer is a great band and the Neewer Heavy Duty indeed deserves to be known as the best overall.
- The three types of monopod heads are titl heads, fluid heads, and ball heads. All of them work perfectly fine.
The Top Five Best Monopod Heads
5. Oben VH-R2 – Best Budget
What I Like
- Affordable
- Steady
- Usable for Every Camera
What I Don’t Like
- May Become a bit Loose
Oben is a brand that deals with any type of tripod monopod and the accessories that are needed for these two tools. Just as the monopod heads. The Oben VH-R2 is one of the most usable monopod heads, and it works with different types of monopods.
As a whole, the Oben VH-R2 measures 5 x 4.3 x 3.3 inches and has a weight of 12 ounces (340 grams). It is a quite strong head and once placed on a monopod it stays quite sturdily.
The Oben VH-R2 owns an RP-20 quick-releasable plate in which you can put the camera, and it owns a locking pin in order to secure it into its place. The whole head, since is a til head one, can be rotated into 180 degrees.
The load capacity of this monopod head is 11lbs (5 kg). On the side of the head, is added a bubble level, which can be used by you, in order to balance the camera. And it works in the simplest way possible.
Why should you buy it?
This is one of the most usable monopod heads, and it works with different types of monopods, so definitely worth a purchase.
4. IFOOTAGE Komodo K5 – Best for Video
What I Like
- Ergonomic
- Safety Lock Included
What I Don’t Like
- Pricey
Moving on, I chose the Komodo K5 monopod head. It is a fluid head and I listed this one as the best for video because it is considered and known as a professional video head.
This monopod head is a very strong one based on the aluminium alloy that is used in the making. The weight is 26.72 ounces (757 grams).
The Komodo K5 comes with a quick releasable plate and on this one, it is movable and removable so that it means that you can easily ake it out and then place it on your camera or vice-versa. Once you put a camera on it, the safety lock instantly locks the plate how it should be, and also when removing it you can do it quite easily.
The head can be moved however you want! You can pan it on 360 degrees (omnidirectional), and tilt it on a range of 90 degrees and -83 degrees.
On this monopod head, you can put anything that weighs up to 11 pounds (5 kg), as a load capacity. Therefore, at the side again, you have the bubble level which is used for stable shooting.
The Komodo K5 owns a thing that the one above doesn’t. It is the arm that can be used to move it. It is fully adjustable that can be put wherever you want.
Why should you buy it?
This monopod head is the best one you can get if you are a person that constantly makes videos or if you are a vlog owner.
3. Sirui L-10 – The Strongest
What I Like
- Very Durable
- Strong Load Capacity
- Super-Stable
- Affordable
What I Don’t Like
- Not the Prettiest
Sirui is a brand that is mostly known for its anamorphic lenses. However, they also own tripods, monopods, and in this case the Sirui L-10, monopod heads. It is a tilt head and I’ve listed it as the strongest, because of its load capacity which I will tell you above.
This monopod head measures 4.7 x 5.3 x 3 inches and it weighs 16 ounces (450 grams). The material that this one is made of is aluminium again, but on this one, it is added in the strongest way possible and it is a super stable head in general.
The plate that is added to this head is a TY-60 that comes from the Sirui band itself. It is a quick releasable plate that is very easy to be used, and it owns a safety lock system that prevents the slipping of the plate and the camera too. The levels of tilting are at a range of 90 degrees and 360 degrees.
The load capacity on this head is immersive and shocking! It can hold a weight of 33 pounds (15 kg). It has a bubble level as well for balance and stability while using any type of camera.
Why should you buy it?
This monopod head performs in the strongest way possible and it is a super stable head in general.
2. Benro DJ90 – Best Runner-Up
What I Like
- Stable Enough
- Arca Swiss Plate Included
- Tilting at 90 Degrees
What I Don’t Like
- Only 5.5lbs Load Capacity
- No Bubble-Level
I have already mentioned in one of my articles a Benro monopod. That’s why I chose to tell you about the Benro DJ90 monopod head, it is definitely one of the best ones. It is again a tilt head type.
Measuring 3.7 x 3.5 x 3.15 inches and weighing 8.48 ounces (240 grams), it is a quite stable head that stays in the place just as it should be.
This head comes with an Arca-Swiss plate, the PU60, that comes from Benro. The plate is quick-releasable and it allows adjustments in any way possible. It delivers and provides a very fast mounting or dismounting of the camera. Once you tighten the camera on this head, it is not possible to move, or even worse, to fall off. Don’t worry about it in any way. The tilting possibility allows 90 degrees of movement.
The load capacity on Benro DJ90 is approximately 5.5 pounds (2.2 kg) which is a lighter weight capacity than the ones mentioned above, but still, it can hold them quite well.
The only drawback of this monopod head is that it doesn’t own a bubble level.
Why should you buy it?
It provides a very fast mounting or dismounting of the camera, that’s why it is listed as the best runner-up.
1. Neewer Heavy Duty – Best Overall
What I Like
- Versatile
- Strong
- Quick-Releasable Plate
- 360 Degree Movements
- Cheap
What I Don’t Like
- Its Handle Moves
- A Bit Confusing to be Set Up
Neewer is another brand that brings amazing products to the table. This monopod head from Neewer is perfectly used for any type of monopod. Its speciality is that it is very flexible, based on its movements. What do we need more on a monopod head than flexibility and stability? Nothing!
This Neewer monopod head measures 3.54 x 3.15 x 6.3 inches and weighs 16.4 ounces (470 grams). On the making of this head, Neewer used a combination of two materials; metal and plastic. The metal is added for strength while the plastic has to do more with the lightweight of the head.
With the quick releasable plate that this head owns you can put on it any type of camera and camcorders as well because its load capacity is 17.6 pounds (almost 8 kg).
Differing from all the heads that I mentioned above, this Neewer one is a ball head that provides you with a 360-degree panoramic view, and it is super easy to be used. It moves freely and steadily.
The Neewer head owns a bubble level for balance and that’s not the only thing that it has. It also owns a non-skid handle which helps you with the movement.
Why should you buy it?
Based on its movements, this one is the best flexible monopod head, and that’s why it is listed as the best overall.
Extra
Wimberley MH-100
The Wimberley MH-100 is the first and the most famous gimbal monopod head. From some professionals, it is also considered as the only gimbal monopod head that works perfectly fine with any type of monopod and any type of camera.
This head measures 4.4 x 2.5 x 3.4 inches and it weighs 12.3 ounces ( 348 grams). It owns a very rugged and compact design, and it is a very long-lasting tool that can be used wherever you want. It owns aluminium and also stainless steel on its build.
It owns a similar plate as the Neewer head mentioned above. It is the Arca-Swiss style plate. When you put your camera on this head, you are more than free to use it however you want, just as in gimbals.
A speciality on this head is that you can attach any type of lens as well, and they stand on it quite steady!
Why should you buy it?
If you put your camera on this monopod head, you are more than free to use it however you want, just as in gimbals.
Types of Monopod Heads
The monopod heads somehow are divided, and some types make them different, and it is easier for you to distinguish one another. But what are those types of monopod heads? Let’s see!
Tilt Heads
The tilt-head type of monopod head is the most commonly used. As you can notice, most of the monopod heads that I mentioned above take place in this category. This type features only one axis movement, and it allows the positioning of your camera for a vertical format. Even though it allows a one-axis movement, the tilt heads of monopods are the most commonly used ones and not only on monopods but tripods as well.
Fluid Heads
The fluid head differing from the first one allows you to create and make super smooth motions, and they are better when you use them for video recordings. As you can notice, the IFOOTAGE Komodo K5 monopod head is the best for video, based on the fluid head and the smooth movements that it allows.
Ball Heads
The ball heads of monopods are the most flexible heads you can ever find. They allow a lot of rotation, that of omnidirectional on 360 degrees and they are the most flexible ones when compared to the others. You can move the camera however you want, and the base stands in place securely and steadily without any unnecessary movement.
Gimbal Heads
There’s some extra information about the types of heads that I would like to add. There is an interesting type of head which is called a gimbal head just like the extra product that I mentioned above. It is not the most common one, but still, when in use you will notice that it does a great job.
Gimbal Heads are a new category of monopod heads and basically, just as the name supplies, it is a monopod head that works as a gimbal. Using the other types of heads you should tighten the camera while in use, and on this one, you can leave the camera in there without tightening it and it will stay in place properly.
FAQ about the Best Monopod Heads
What are monopod heads?
Since monopods are one of the greatest tools that are used for stability, the monopod heads are tools that work more in the improvement of stability in general.
Why do I need a monopod head?
Monopods are quite cool but they in a way limit the directions of the camera. Monopod heads are more practical and they allow adjustments in many ways, plus the types of heads that they come with would definitely help you more.
How do I know what type of monopod head I need?
Now, there is not a specific rule about what exact type of monopod head you should use. However, I would recommend you to choose based on what you need it for. If you are a videographer then as mentioned above the fluid heads of monopods can be better. As a photographer, it is based on what type of photography you need it for. Therefore, the fluid and tilt heads are kind of similar.
Final Thoughts
Here we came at the end of this article. As you can notice, monopod heads can be used however you want and whenever you want. The important this is that they should be stable.
I tried to find some of the best ones and all the monopod heads that I chose come with different price ranges so that it can be easier for you in order to choose the one that fits you or the one that fits the budget you set apart for the best monopod heads.
Also, I would suggest that you can have a deeper look at the Wimberley MH-100 since it is one of the greatest gimbal heads, and not only on this list. It is the best overall when it comes to gimbal heads in general.
I really hope this article will help you find the best heads for your monopod.
Further Reading
At the beginning of this article, I mentioned and added some information about monopods in general and here is already told that they are great purchases that could really help you bring better pictures on any type of photography. Therefore, if you need to find a great monopod I would advise you to take a look at come monopod articles that I wrote. For example:
- Best Monopods For Video Recording
- Best Monopods for Wildlife Photography
- Best Monopod for Sports Photography
- Best Monopods For 360 Cameras
Camera Tester & Reviewer
I spend most of my time taking photos & videos of everything in sight. Yes, I am a stock photographer and I’ve probably taken more than 700,000 photos so far.
