Mike,
Funny you should ask...I have (and use) both the 3249B and the 3449. The
3449 was a recent purchase.
I like them both, but the 3449 has that extra "cool" factor.
-- The 3249 is rated for 22 pounds (10 Kilos?) and the 3449 is rated for
11 pounds.
-- The 3249 is about 9 inches (225 mm) taller. On flat ground that may
not matter, but if you are working on sloping surfaces it may.
-- I think they may have redesigned the leg locks on the 3249 (or other
recent metal monopods). My 3449 has wide flip-out levers while the 3249 (8
or 9 years old) has the 1/4 turn levers.
-- The 3449 has a newer head. The DIN thread is a spring-loaded collar
that surrounds the 1/4-20 thread. The collar slips back into the head when
you screw the monopod into a 1/4-20 camera or lens. Nothing to get lost. I
don't know if other Bogen/Manfrottp monopods have been upgraded to this.
-- A couple of weeks ago the cork disk on the 3249's head vanished. I'm
going to need to fabricate something myself out of plastic or rubber. The
newer 3449 head has three arc-shaped rubber inserts.
In the store I compared the 3449 to a similarly priced Gitzo metal monopod
(forget the model #). I felt that the Bogen/Manfrotto was steadier and less
whippy.
Also to consider if looking at other brands are the types of leg locks. I
don't like collars, although there is an argument that they are less likely
to snag. Gitzos use collars. Therefore I don't use Gitzos, although they
certainly have some neat stuff. If you prefer collar locks, I'd take a long
hard look at the Gitzo line, even though they are more expensive.
I'm using the 3449 with a Nikon F100 and 100-300 lens (comes in at just
under 6 pounds) -- hopefully soon a 300 f/2.8 -- and find it is just fine.
Everything I use it with (so far) has a tripod collar, so the tilt-head is
really not used that much. For other monopod use, where I attach directly
to the camera, I still like the CamCane.
Hope this fills in some information.
Larry
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Mike
> Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 12:08 AM
> To: olympus-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [OM] monopods
>
>
> Yeah, I know i shoulda paid more attention to this subject when it was
> discussed recently but at that time I didn't think I'd ever have a use
> for one but now I'm having second thoughts. Especially after lugging my
> big Studex around. I'm drooling over something like the carbon fibre
> Manfrotto 449/Bogen3449 but more realistically considering the Manfrotto
> 680/Bogen3249 maybe with a little monopod head like the Bogen 3229.
> Henry's auctions has some decent prices on them I think. Anyone use one
> of these monopods? Comments? Anyone have a monopod for sale?
>
> Mike
>
> --
> Latitude 48° 32' North, Longitude 123° 7' West
>
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