Carl Stone

With all due respect, that's not how the "age old question was asked". Rather, it went "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?". The actual answer is no, and is explained by the definition of what sound is in the first place. It takes 3 things to make sound, a source (a tree falling to the ground in this case) a medium (something to carry the resulting vibrations, the atmosphere in this case), and lastly, a detector (human, or other ears, a recording device, anything to decipher the resulting vibrations). If ANY of those 3 things are absent, then there is no sound produced. Picture that. ;o)

This subject is not over 12" tall, and it's displayed behind some very reflective glass.

This scene just "spoke" to me! iPhone Xs Max

iPhone Xs Max, no post processing except for crop.

Perfect pull-off-the-bone St. Louis Ribs. iPhone 6S+

I wasn't looking for you into justify what I pay for. If you don't like me using a tilt head on my monopod you'll just have to get over it.

It doesn't mater what you can think of, Ed. In this case it's about what I can thin of. Further this is not a "starter", which you'd know if you read this thread. It was never my intention to do everything the way you do it.

Fine, Ed, but, I insist on Arca compatible, or forget about it. If you guys want to use ball head on a monopod, go for it, but I don't. I've already decided which monopod head I will get, when the time arrives. RRS screw clamp monopod head is my choice. OTOH, I did ask for recommendations, so thank you for your response.

October knocks down temperatures, brings along hurricane remnants with rain and clouds in my landscape. iPhone Xs Max

Thanks, Dieter, I'm aware of those. The monopod head is on hold for the time being.

Lost Dutchman State Park Flatiron, on a mid-September morning

More "desert landscape in historical perspective".

Maybe you should ask him, but I doubt that he, like many others, would apologize for preferring a tilt head on his monopod.

New (to me) info shows that the Kirk head employs double start screws to close their clamp, while RRS uses a single start screw in their clamp. Advantage to RRS for the single start screw which is less likely to loosen inadvertently. Kirk claims that they use a "marshmallow" type of grease to help prevent the screw from coming lose, while RRS does not need to do that. RRS has overtaken Kirk with this revelation, but I'll wait for a couple of days before I order in case additional new info changes my mind once more.

Great, Joe! That last line says it all. For your consideration, tilt heads have this advantage <

The whole idea behind a tilt head is that it is only locked down to the support vertically, and that allows movement similar to hand holding. What is being missed here is that there is more than one way to use a monopod.

I must caution about the value of any education coming from the likes of me! ;o)

D200/50mm ISO1600 @ f/1.8

Yeah, Ed, I know, but apparently some others were not up to speed about tilt heads.