heads and quick release plates

[adams]

This will probably sound stupid, but how does a ball (or pan/tilt) head attach to either a tripod or monopod?

I picked up a cheap velbon monopod at Walmart but plan on purchasing a bogen monopod (with ball head) and either a sunpak fieldmaster or a bogen tripod. I would like to be able to interchange the ball head on either the pod or the tripod.

Now, how likely is that the quick release plates would be able to fit say then bogen monopod and like the sunpak fieldmaster tripod? Well what I'm trying to ask are the quick release plates able to be used on any head that accepts quick release plates or are they brand/head pacific?

Thanks
Bill

[brucep]

Sadly, there's no "standard" at all. Even Bogen / Manfrotto has umpteen heads with quick releases and few of them can mate with the other.

A set of tripod legs usually has a 3/8-16 threaded stud which sticks up from it. Most heads (ball or pan) have a matching 3/8-16 threaded hole, and you can mix an match. The ideal (for me anyway) is to have one style foot (quick release) on each camera, any lens which has a tripod mount, and any flash bracket, and to have the same style head (at least a head which accepts the same foot) on each of your tripods and monopods.

Granted, I have to remove the QR foot from my camera to attach a flash bracket under the camera, but there is another foot on the bracket, saving me a few moments in both setup and take-down. Better too many feet than to be missing one when you need to mount something to a rarely used monopod.

My 12' camera boom has no "resident" head. I just steal the one from my monopod on the rare occasion I use the boom.