Manfrotto 196B-2 2-Section Single Articulated Arm with Bracket

I use the Manfrotto 196B-2 143BKT Articulated Arm to mount a video LED light in places light stands won’t fit. The baby pins on both ends make attachment to 5/8" receivers and Super Clamps a snap. Plus, baby pins are threaded with 1/4” and 3/8” sockets for accessories such as brackets, Arca clamps, adapters, etc.The reason to buy an articulated arm over an extension pole is flexibility of positioning: three adjustment elbows allow nearly any angle or position. The plastic (Manfrotto calls it Technopolymer) butterfly joints are not as fast to adjust, smooth or solid feeling as a Magic Arm fiction wheel but lock tight with a modest load.Although Manfrotto calls the bundled 143BKT bracket a Camera Bracket, it’s a jack of all trades and can hold a video light, flash unit, audio recorder, mic, ball head, quick release, umbrellas, monitor and more. Fit and finish are excellent: smooth cast aluminum, black enamel, beefy T-screws, metal thumbwheel with 1/4" bolt, neoprene pad on camera mount and a 1/4 to 3/8” thread adapter. There are also two 5/8" light stand sockets, i.e., baby pin receivers: one to mount the bracket on a stand or arm and the other to attach a baby pin or extension arm. The second socket pulls double duty with a smaller hole on the side to mount an umbrella.This arm is light duty and not a substitute for a Magic Arm. It definitely will not support a DSLR or six-bulb light head. Buy it if you need to support a small flash, LED, flag or point and shoot camera. I found it a great problem solver for light loads: works with dozens of accessories, fits in a camera bag and can take the place of a light stand in many situations.

A bit price but no ball head required so that saves you a few dollars. Rock solid bombproof Manfrotto quality! I bought a cheap Chinese gooseneck with clamp to do table top video work. It wouldn't even hold my relatively light Canon M50 without sagging, and the screw attachment point seemed sketchy. Maybe a GoPro type camera would have worked on that piece of junk but that's about it.This arm is not long but big enough to get an overhead shot of working on a tabletop, when mounted to the table edge. It can do this without blocking your view. That's what I was after.This item from Manfrotto is quality, quality, quality. The arms are heavy duty tubing, the joints are very adjustable and tighten down very well with top-quality clamps. The camera attachment point is very well made, with a large pad to mate to the bottom of your camera, a nicely machined screw to attach to your tripod mount, and a very ergonomic, knurled knob to tighten it down. Excellent quality which I trust instinctively. I wouldn't hesitate to put an expensive Mirrorless rig on this.NOTE: You need a Manfrotto Super Clamp to attach this to a table top - or in my case a shelf above eye-level. The Super Clamp is amazing and will not disappoint. The clamp will attach this to tubing, table tops, whatever can fit between the jaws and is very confidence inspiring.Together, these make a wonderfully adjustable, rock solid platform for my video rig. You will NOT be disappointed when you get this. Don't cheap out like me and waste money on a Chinese piece of junk! Get this!

It's Manfrotto quality - everything works smoothly and as described. All the joints are strong and the parts have great fit and finish. The downside is it's definitely not as easy to use as a magic arm. Having used both, let me tell you what you're getting when you pay for a magic arm over one of these articulated arms...With a magic arm, you attach the base to a light stand, super clamp, or other holder. Next you attach your camera, light, or whatever to the other end. Finally, you aim your camera or light and tighten it down. With the lever type, you just swing the lever, it has some kind of cam mechanism or something, and it tightens the joint at the device, the joint in the middle and the joint at the base with the flick of the wrist. the "variable friction" type has a knob that does the same thing - but it's not just "on" or "off" You can "vary - the - friction" (go figure).NOW - what you're getting with this Articulated arm: hook the device on one end and the holder/base on the other... After that do some thinking and moving and aligning... it helps to have a good idea in your head of how you want it to be before you start setting up. Then you can slide and adjust and move everything to your heart's content. (and probably because you didn't get it right the first time).That said - this is WAY cheaper. (I think it's rated to hold much less weight too).

I run the video cameras during our church service every Sunday using three cameras. The two church-owned cameras are mounted and remote controlled. The third camera, my own, is mounted onto a tripod in the back of the sanctuary. My problem was getting enough camera height to shoot over peoples' heads when the congregation is standing. To gain additional height, I first bought a tripod dolly that added eight inches. This was not enough, so I tried the Manfrotto Single Articulated Arm mounted onto the tripod for an additional twelve inches. The twenty inches of additional height made a big difference. My camera weighs about 3.4 pounds, making it right at the maximum load. I am only using the one arm for the added twelve inches. I was afraid that by extending it to the maximum 23.8 inches, it would not be stable enough. It works well, and is as stable as the camera without the extension. The quality is very good. It is all metal except for the plastic knobs. The fitting for mounting onto a tripod screw is also metal. It is not the cheapest piece of hardware, but anything that is all metal will cost more.