One-hand, clutch-operated monopods are having a moment.  SmallRig’s premium Potato Jet partnership monopods have helped bring this quick-adjust style back into the spotlight – and it is easy to see why: when a shot is unfolding, being able to change height without stopping to work several twist locks is genuinely appealing.  The idea itself is older than the current wave – the Manfrotto Neotec was doing rapid deployment years ago – but SmallRig has made it a much more visible part of today’s camera-support market.

The SmallRig 5564 is SmallRig’s more accessible take on that convenience.  It is a carbon-fiber photography monopod with a one-touch height lock and an included ball head. It does not have the entire feature set of SmallRig’s much more expensive TRIBEX PRO X-Clutch models, but that is the point: depending on your budget and the way you shoot, the 5564 may give you the features you actually need without pushing you into a $400-plus purchase.  In my case, I Saw the 5564 not as a replacement for my current run and gun monopod, but rather as a space saving replacement for my studio tripod.

The SmallRig 5564

For the past couple of years, I have been quite successfully using the SIRUI P-424FL for sports photography (previously reviewed here on ThruMyLens).  My SIRUI my monopod is quite light – it’s listed at just over 2 1/2 pounds, but I use it without the 3-feet  base, so it’s even lighter.  Like most of the products in this category, the SmallRig 5564 isn’t particularly light and weighs (despite the use of carbon fiber in its construction) about twice as much.  There’s also the fact that when I use my monopod in sports photography, I extend the 424FL to its maximum height which hits me right at eye level, and I never need to adjust the height further when I do sports photography.  So the capabilities of a one- hand, clutch-operated monopod like the 5564 simply aren’t worth the additional weight that comes along with that capability for my particular application.  But I did have another specific application in mind where the form factor and the capability would be ideal.

A quick-adjust monopod for still photography

When I do product or portrait photography work in my home studio, I don’t have a tremendous amount of space.  Historically, I have used a traditional tripod in my home studio, but The footprint of a traditional tripod can make maneuvering around my limited space difficult, particularly when you add light stands into the mix.  On paper, the SmallRig 5564 monopod offered specifications and capability that could make it a preferable option to a traditional tripod in my particular shooting space.  The one-hand quick height adjustment was particularly enticing.  I can’t count the number of times that I have not adjusted the legs of my studio tripod to a more optimal shooting height  because it was too much trouble and too time consuming, and I was under the gun.  The SmallRig 5564 extends to 166.5 cm (65.6 inches), folds to about 68 cm (26.8 inches), and weighs roughly 1.7 kg (3.8 pounds). Its four-section carbon-fiber leg has a stated 15 kg (33 lb) capacity, while the included 360-degree metal ball head is rated for 5 kg (11 lb). The difference between those ratings matters: when you use the supplied head, the 11 lb. head rating is the limit to keep in mind, even though the monopod leg itself is rated higher.  Like many tripods and monopods currently on the market, The5564 also has some 1/4” Screw holes milled into it for attaching accessories – though you would want to Be careful about attaching a heavier accessory that could destabilize the monopod.

The headline feature is its one-hand height adjustment. A single control at the top releases the leg sections so you can raise or lower the monopod quickly, then lock it at the height you want.  That, combined with the small but stable footprint made the 5564 an ideal candidate to replace my studio tripod.  Or so I thought.

What you give up compared with upmarket options

On paper, the 5564 provides exactly what I was looking for and nothing else for a very reasonable price.  It retails for just $199.00 – I actually picked it up closer to $150.00 during Amazon’s October Prime sales event.  But once I received the monopod, I realized it was missing a few things that the more premium models in the market include and are indeed nice to have.  Like many monopods, the 5564 has a release allowing you to pivot the head and pole within the base, and then easily return it to a true straight, vertical position.  But with the 5564 , you don’t get a foot pedal release – you have to bend down and release it by hand at the base.  I have a bad back and try to avoid bending over so I was a bit disappointed that the 5564 didn’t have the foot pedal release.

Similarly, while you can separate the monopod head and feet from the carbon fiber pole, more premium examples in this product segment have quick release systems for doing so.  What’s 5564 you have to unscrew the monopod head and base from the pole.  Once done, you can join the monopod head to the base to create a tabletop tripod:

The SmallRig 5564 in tabletop tripod configuration

The absence of the quick release system on the 5564 is inconvenient, but not a deal breaker on its own, particularly when you consider the cost savings of the 5564 versus more premium models.  Also, By separating the monopod pole and head from the base, you have the ability to create a lighter, traditional monopod pole.  You’ll note in the photo above that the base has a rubber stop on the bottom of the base.  In most monopod systems that I’ve used that have a similar base, you can transfer the rubber stop to the pole when you separate it from the base – but there appears to be no way to do that on the 5564.  That’s kind of an important feature if you wish to use the 5564 as a traditional monopod.  Without the ability to transfer the rubber stop from the bottom of the base to the pole, you risk damaging the bottom of the pole. on the surface that it rests on, And you lose added stability provided by the rubber stop.

Using the 5564 as a traditional monopod is not ideal because you can’t move the rubber stop from the base to the bottom of the pole.

The ballhead of the 5564 is a fairly standard photography first design that I found functioned perfectly well in that capacity.  SmallRig also offers the 5565 which is a more video-focused one-touch monopod with a fluid head.  That gives buyers another step in the lineup without requiring them to jump straight to the Potato Jet collaboration.  The choice is largely about how you shoot: the 5564 is the photo-oriented option; the 5565 adds video-oriented head functionality – but it’s also about twice the price of the 5564.

My experience and value

I bought my SmallRig 5564 during Amazon’s October Prime event for about $150 before tax. At that price, I found it to be a capable and appealing monopod.  It gives me the fast height adjustment and compact footprint that makes this category interesting, while keeping the package and price below SmallRig’s flagship models.  After getting a hands-on assessment of what features the 5564 both had and did not have, I decided that I wanted to pay a bit more for some of the features it was missing that are found on competitors of the 5564 .  None of the missing features on their own are deal breakers – but taken together, the missing features of the 5564 left me wanting for more.  If however, you’re looking for a basic, one-hand clutch adjusted monopod at what is probably is the most competitive price on the market, the SmallRig 5564 may well be for you.