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The Manfrotto Versatile Pump

The Manfrotto 241V Suction Video Support is your camera or equipment support for multiple uses. Just remember to follow the instructions!

Pump cups are great gear for photographers and videographers. They allow you to mount small lights and accessories from walls, floors, doors, ceilings, windows, mirrors or any other smooth surfaces where no other mount can go. They will also be seen on multiple car shoots, supporting cameras, either mounted inside or outside (a fearful sight for some people, me included), for some unique imagery that would not, usually, be possible otherwise.

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The Manfrotto 241V is such a tool. It is a handy grip that adheres to any non-porous surface via its large 15cm suction cup. This piece of information is something very important to retain in mind: the suction cup only adheres properly to non-porous surfaces. So, if you’re using it on materials that are porous, be aware that you may get in trouble. The information provided in the instruction leaflet for the Manfrotto 241V explain exactly the safety procedures.

Placed on a flat (glass works perfectly) or slightly curved surface (a car bonnet, for example) the Manfrotto Suction Cup 241V will hold a camera or any other equipment up to 3kg in place. This product reference is usually associated with Video, as Manfrotto has other products in the family: the 241FB, with a flat base , and the 241, a pump cup with 16mm swivel socket, and 241S, a suction cup with a fixed 16mm socket incorporating a safety pin for added security, both for payloads up to 2kg and conceived for other uses.
The version I received to test comes with a 20cm shaft which has clamped to it a versatile ball-joint socket which rotates within a half hemisphere, and which comes topped with a 1/4″-20 screw. The head will also accept accessories that use a 5/8″ stud connection. The box also contains an extensible support arm (85cm maximum) that can be helpful to keep the equipment in place.
Operation of the suction cup is easy. Once you find a surface it can adhere to, remove the protection from the base, lean the cup against the surface and press the blue piston repeatedly until the red line disappears into the blue shaft. Only after confirming that everything is working perfectly you should mount your equipment in place. The vacuum created will keep the suction cup in place, but it is wise to keep an eye on the equipment, as it tends to lose grip over time. Watch for the red line and pump the blue piston again when it reappears.

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The 20cm shaft at the center of the suction cup covers what Manfrotto considers to be the safe distance to use with equipment up to 3kg, especially on vertical surfaces. The extensible support arm can be used for extra support, but the safety procedures should be followed so there is no damage to equipment… or accidents with people, if the suction cup falls from a high place in someone’s head.
The Manfrotto 241V, as some of the others suction cups, can be used with an articulated arm, such as the magic arm with bracket – reference 143A – , one from an extended family offering multiple solutions for studio or location work.
The magic arm 143A (which has 53cm extended), allows you to extend the working distance of the suction cup and place equipment (it is a great tool for small lights, like LED lights, for example) in awkward positions and angles. I should say that not being a studio photographer myself, and even less a motorsports photographer, I looked at this piece of gear from Manfrotto not knowing exactly what to do with it.
Well, it has revealed itself as a very useful piece of gear for photography and, in the immediate future, for video. As the suction cup works well over a variety of surfaces (wood, some walls, glass panels, marble, etc.) I can easily mount it in different places, a bonus for some of the photography I do.

Although I must confess it frightens me to trust a DSLR camera to the Manfrotto 241V, when attached to a car’s bonnet, I intend to explore that possibility – having seen some videos that suggest it works – to try some pictures with a car in movement. I intend to do some video using the equipment, and I might write about the experience sometime in the future. For now, having tested the suction cup practicality in some interior shots with LED lights and flash, I intend to keep using it for some of my work. It also works well as a car window support for a camera, in case you’ve wondered!

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