Hi, Carl here for ProAV TV and this is a new line of monopods from iFootage which have
some interesting unique features.
They have a couple of different models, so lets just explain what we have here.
There is the Cobra strike and the cobra 2.
And the cobra 2 has a few different options, you can choose between two different lengths,
120cm or 180cm, and two different materials, aluminium and carbon fibre.
The Cobra 2 is the more traditional option.
It has 4 sections and nice red locking clamps which feel very sturdy and reliable.
The Cobra strike on the other hand has an interesting telescopic design which is very
quick and easy to adjust with this locking grip here.
You simply turn it to release it and then pull to make it longer.
This is by far the quickest monopod to adjust the height on I have found so far.
It really is fast and easy and is going to be great for people in fast paced environments.
You do have to sacrifice a bit of the range.
It is slightly longer than the normal cobra 2 versions when its all folded away, and it
cant quite reach the same height as the 180cm cobra 2 when fully extended.
Its max height is 150cm.
Personally though I think thats a compromise I can live with.
150cm is still pretty high and being able to go from 80 cm to 150 cm in a matter of
seconds is just fantastic.
I really do like this strike version, but its great that iFootage have given you the
choice.
All of these monopods have a flat based screw head on them.
With a clever way of having both screws available.
The larger screw simply pushes down out of the way when you want to use a smaller screw.
This means you can mount pretty much any flat based tripod head on these.
iFootage have their own Komodo K5 head which is a really nice choice.
But of course your free to use whichever head you prefer.
So the big feature that makes these monopods different from the competition is a modular
design.
They have this clever quick release system which means you can quickly detach each section
of the monopod.
This means that if you want to get a really low shot from the floor or a table.
You can quickly just attach the head to the feet like this.
Or if you really wanted to you can use this to attach several monopods together to get
some extra height.
This can of course get ridiculous pretty quickly.
But if you want to get arial shots inside, or above a crowd, or anywhere were your not
allowed or dont have time, to fly a drone.
This could actually be very useful.
You can even unscrew this rubber foot from the bottom and use it instead of the feet
if you want a more lightweight and streamlines
The other use I can see for this is to pair it with a one handed gimbal like this Zhyiun
Crane here.
Gimbals like this are great.
But they get tiring to use for long periods and its difficult to put them down.
If you attach the screw mount of the monopod to the bottom of the gimbal.
You can use the feet from the monopod for when you want to put it down.
Or you can attach it to the top of the monopod for when you want to do a stationary shot,
or if you want to get the gimbal up high above your subject.
I think this is a really versatile system from iFootage.
The only improvement I can think of is that it would be nice to have a quicker way of
locking and unlocking the feet.
If you want to go from locked feet which you can let go of the camera with, to being able
to do smooth leans with the monopod like this.
You need to bend right down and unscrew this knob here on the feet.
But hey, no product is perfect.
These are great monopods, very sturdily built without being too heavy.
And the modular system mean they are not just a monopod, they can form part of a whole eco
system with your gimbal, slider, things like that.
I think for weddings and events shooters, these are going to be very popular.
If you have any more questions, leave a comment below and i’ll get back to you.
Or call our sales team and they will talk you through them.
Links to the products are in the description as always.
Thanks for watching, and i’ll see you in the next one.