AKOAK 1/4" Swivel Mini Ball Head Screw Tripod Mount for DSLR Camera Camcorder Light Bracket, Pack of 1

Video camera mount

I bought a monopod to help with my unsteadiness while taking photos. The monopod didn't have a swivel head which made it a bit awkward to use. I should have known, but to the rescue was this little gadget. It fits onto the monopod and fits into my camera. Standard screw size it would appear. I prefer a monopod to a tripod as three legs are not better than one, in my humble opinion.

I've only used this ball head a few times so I can't comment on the durability, but so far so good. The thing to know is how much you paid for this. This was one of the cheapest option available so my expectations weren't high. I mounted it to a hiking pole with a 3/8" screw at the top. I basically have a monopod in hiking pole form. Yes, the pole will screw directly into my camera, but I found quickly I couldn't really get a high angle on some shots since I wasn't able to pivot the camera since the screw on the pole is fixed. Enter this ball head. I don't anticipate having to pivot the camera much, so I keep the mount upright pretty much all the time. The biggest issue so far is the ball doesn't move around smoothly; some patience is required. Also, often I think I've gotten it tightened, but with the minimum pressure, the camera can move. I've found I've need to give it another half turn after I think it's tightened enough. Last thing which may be an issue is the weight of your camera. I use this ball head with a Sony RX100VI which is a small point and shoot. I don't know if it's assumed, but I don't think this ball head will handle even a small-size DSLR with a 35mm lens without some shifting. Again, keep in mind what you paid and manage your expectations. If I find I need the pivot functions more, I'd probably upgrade to something of higher quality.

This adapter is cleverly designed with a base that features a "hidden" 3/8 to1/4 inch adapter, so you can either mount it on a standard 1/4 inch tripod or light stand, or remove the little thread-changer and mount it instead (as I do) on a 3/8 inch standard microphone boom arm. If you like, you can then put the little thread adapter onto the other end of the ball socket, so that you can attach a microphone that uses 3/8 inch mount.So, depending on where or if you use the thread changer, this adapter can go either from 1/4 to 1/4 inch, or 3/8 to 3/8 inch, or 3/8 to 1/4 inch (or 1/4 to 3/8, if you buy a second thread changer). And the ball socket screws down very tightly with a comfortable twisting handle. I have 2 of them, and am very pleased.

It is not strong enough to hold heavy camera at certain angles, but it is not a bad mount for lighter equipment.Note that the bottom thread is 3/8, not the usual 1/4 inch. It was supposed to come with an adapter, but mine did not come with it. You are better off getting a 1/4 inch both ways rather than using an adapter unless you really do have a 3/8 inch tripod.

This was purchased to allow angling of an overhead rod mounted to a camera slider. The pole by itself only allowed a 90 degree angle, so adding this little guy to the setup gave me the freedom to alter the angle of the rod, which my smart phone was mounted to.It's made of all metal, which was nice. I needed to tighten the darn thing hard to get it to hold in place though, my phone doesn't weight too much but when extending the rod of my setup out pretty far, physics take over and this product struggled to hold unless I aggressively tightened it. So far its working as I had hoped. Will it break over time? That's yet to be determined...

This one costs a little bit more than the other ones but it's worth every penny because it has the 3/8" mounting hole rather than the 1/4". Not only would you have a to pay some money to buy a 3/8" to 1/4" adapter, it also adds extra length. I personally use this with a Logitech C922X for a document camera with a cheap $10 mic scissor stand. I recommend you get one of the heavy duty InnoGear mic scissor stand for your heavy mics and cameras because it comes with a high quality 3/8" to 5/8" adapter and it's more sturdy, and you can get the a cheap mic scissor stand for the document camera with this swivel mount because it works better for raising and lowering the document camera.

Low cost ball mount.

The thing snapped on the first install.And I have a mirrorless camera - not even a DSLR.