Does this make sense?

[mn shutterbug]

A friend of mine just ordered and received a monopod and ballhead. However, she says they are not compatible. She tells me that the monopod has a 3/8" bolt and the ballhead has 1/4" bolt and opening. That just doesn't make sense to me. Don't all cameras have the 3/8" opening?

[mjs1973]

Nope. Not all things are universal. Some tripods and monopods have a 1/4"-20 size thread, others have a 3/8"-16 thread. This is something to watch for when selecting a tripod/monopod and the head to go with it. There might be some adapters on the market that you could make them work with though.

I believe most cameras (at least in the US) take a 1/4"-20 thread, but I think there is a larger size as well.

[mn shutterbug]

I just measured the hole in my Panasonic and it's 1/4", and then measured the bolt in my ballhead, and it's 3/8". However, when I push down on the 3/8" part, it reveals 1/4" bolt under that. Maybe that's what she needs to do. I can't imagine Ritz selling her a ballhead that won't work on her monopod.

[mn shutterbug]

I just got off the phone with her and she bought a Sunpak monopod that says it will reverse from 3/8" to 1/4". She just needs to figure out how to reverse it.