Monopod/tripod advice please

Christoph

Christoph

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I have been looking at the Sirui P326 , the Benro Mach 3 MMA38C and the Benro Mach 3 MMA28C carbon fibre monopods. Any advice about the quality of any of these would be appreciated,it would be used to hold my Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500 lens. I originally looked at this tripod that converts to a monopod when required " Manfrotto Element Carbon Fibre Big Traveller Tripod Kit ." I was advised by a camera store that it could prove unstable for my setup, it states 8kg's load capacity but only lenses up to 200 mm as the extra length of my lens could tip the rig over. If anybody has experience or opinions of any of the above it would be great to hear from you. Many Thanks
 
Just my 2p!

For a mono pod I would suggest the Sirui P324 = a proper mono pod!

https://shop.sirui.co.uk/products/770669

I use it's bigger brother (the P424) due to the idiotic lenses that I use. The Sirui mono pods are very well made and nice and rigid but with the 6 leg sections of the P326 things start getting a wee bit fiddly and slow to set up - though they do pack up smaller. Those Benro pods look like Siruis - if so then they will be good - but I have no personal experience of them so I cannot comment.

As to tripods? Well the camera store were quite right to suggest it would be unstable but not that it would tip over. Either way you are using a 500mm lens and that needs serious support regardless of it's weight. That Manfrotto is a bit of a toy compared to what you need. Ideally I would suggest a 3 series Gitzo - but they are hideously expensive new. Having said that keep an eye on FleaBay - I have paid somewhat less than the cost of that Manfrotto for some nice (used) Gitzo tripods there. I did have a look earlier today and there don't seem to be many bargains at the moment - but patience will reward.............
 
tijuana taxi said:
I have a Gitzo GM2541, strong, light and portable https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=556818 for extra stability it has one of these attached https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/gitzo-big-foot-50mm-1-piece

Bit redundant now I only use Fuji mirrorless gear, if you don't find anything suitable, let me know and I will post it up for sale in the classifieds.
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Thanks for the reply Rich and the option of gitzo monopod, I have decided on a sirui P424 monopod.
 
johnf3f said:
a mono pod I would suggest the Sirui P324 = a proper mono pod!
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Thanks for your advice John,you are right about the Benro and Sirui being very similar. I decided on the Sirui P 424 in the end.:ty:
 
Christoph said:
I have been looking at the Sirui P326 , the Benro Mach 3 MMA38C and the Benro Mach 3 MMA28C carbon fibre monopods. Any advice about the quality of any of these would be appreciated,it would be used to hold my Nikon D500 and Nikon 200-500 lens. I originally looked at this tripod that converts to a monopod when required " Manfrotto Element Carbon Fibre Big Traveller Tripod Kit ." I was advised by a camera store that it could prove unstable for my setup, it states 8kg's load capacity but only lenses up to 200 mm as the extra length of my lens could tip the rig over. If anybody has experience or opinions of any of the above it would be great to hear from you. Many Thanks
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The longest lens in the world won't tip a tripod over if you mount the camera-lens combination to the tripod head using a lens foot, long quick release plate, or gimbal mount, which allows you to support the weight under its centre of gravity. That is in any case much the best thing to do, as supporting by means of an off-centre mount makes it much more difficult to manoeuvre and lock down without annoying droop problems.
 
I have both monopods and tripods both of which I use a lot, the monopods most. The monopods that one leg of a tripod can be converted to by unscrewing it and screwing on the centre column are inconvenient to set up and never as handy as a real dedicated monopod, but very handy for travelling, when one day I'll want to go out with a tripod, and another with a monopod. And saved me one day in a church, with the tripod, when I wanted a longish exposure of a mural and discovered that tripods were forbidden but monopods not.
 
I have both monopods and tripods both of which I use a lot, the monopods most. The monopods that one leg of a tripod can be converted to by unscrewing it and screwing on the centre column are inconvenient to set up and never as handy as a real dedicated monopod, but very handy for travelling, when one day I'll want to go out with a tripod, and another with a monopod. And saved me one day in a church, with the tripod, when I wanted a longish exposure of a mural and discovered that tripods were forbidden but monopods not

Thanks for replying Chris there seem to be pros and cons for tripod/monopod preference hopefully time will tell without too much wasted cash! With your monopod do you attach your lens foot directly to the monopod or do you use a quick release clamp? Thanks again Chris
 
I use a Feisol Monopod, they are superb quality pieces of kit, I carry my 1DX and EF500mm L on it, so it handles weight, can take 11Kg/24.2 lbs


http://davidnew.net/site/2013/07/05/feisol-cm-1471-monopod/

https://www.feisol.eu/product/feisol-einbeinstativ-cm-1471-rapid/?lang=en

Buying online from feisol EU is fast and they even offer servicing on their kit.

On top of that I use a RRS head, not cheap but awesome and unlike a ball it gives me tilt without falling over, you can get cheaper versions from other makes.

https://luminous-landscape.com/mh-01-really-right-stuff-high-capacity-monopod-head/

Between the two I have a Feisol panning base, though i tend not to use it as i just rotate the monopod as I pan

https://www.feisol.eu/product/feisol-panning-base-pb-70/?lang=en
 
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Thanks for all the info Tony,the RRS head looks a very nice piece of kit. Not sure I can get that past senior management just yet!:(
 
are there any monopods that come with a head for a arca plate?

I have a plate fixed on the bottom of my camera and my peak design anchor is attached to that.
It is done up pretty tight and I would probably lose it if I had to remove it each time I mounted the camera on the monopod....so I was wondering if any monopods come with a head attached
 
I have the Gitzo GM5561T and it's a suppurb bit of kit. Using a Nikon D500 and Nikon 600mm and it's fantastic. I also have a Feisol tripod and the quality is at the top so I'm sure either a Gitzo or Feisol would fit the bill ... throw in a Wimberley mkii and your set :-)
 
Christoph said:
Thanks for replying Chris there seem to be pros and cons for tripod/monopod preference hopefully time will tell without too much wasted cash! With your monopod do you attach your lens foot directly to the monopod or do you use a quick release clamp? Thanks again Chris
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In practise, tripods with a detachable monopod leg are not quite the free lunch they appear to be.

The easiest versions (and IMHO best) are when you simply slide the centre-column up and out, unscrew a leg and bolt them together. This gives you a tall monopod (good height is essential for BIF's and aircraft etc) but the closed length for carrying is also pretty long, too.

Then there are other designs where some engineering is required, such detaching the head (may need an Allen key), removing a leg, then putting it all together via an adapter and locking the head in place. And after all that, the resulting monopod is likely to be too short for a lot of things.

One thing they all have in common though, is in reality the decision to use a tripod or a monopod is usually made before you leave the house/car, probably based on what you can carry, so you just pick up the one you want.

Apologies to anyone who's spent a few hundred quid on a nice Gitzo monopod (and yes, I'd like one too) but the difference between a cheap monopod and an expensive one is next to nothing in terms of results. They are not stressed in the same way as tripods (which are very critical of build quality) plus you're always holding the camera anyway. A walking stick with a camera mount would probably be just as good. Well maybe not, but it makes the point. Also, the weight saving between carbon-fibre and aluminium is negligible on just the one leg ;)
 
The convertibles come into their own as a travel option. Yes, it takes a minute or 2 to switch between mono and tri but the weight (and space) saving in a suitcase is worth the premium that a convertible costs over a dedicated tripod.

All Richard's points make perfect sense, as usual.
 
Twigman said:
are there any monopods that come with a head for a arca plate?

I have a plate fixed on the bottom of my camera and my peak design anchor is attached to that.
It is done up pretty tight and I would probably lose it if I had to remove it each time I mounted the camera on the monopod....so I was wondering if any monopods come with a head attached
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Monopods usually come without heads. Some people just buy an Arca-Swiss quick-release clamp (under a tenner from Amazon/ebay) and screw it directly to the monopod. That works really well so long as you don't need to tilt the camera up or down too far. Or there are lots of more versatile options.
 
Christoph said:
I have both monopods and tripods both of which I use a lot, the monopods most. The monopods that one leg of a tripod can be converted to by unscrewing it and screwing on the centre column are inconvenient to set up and never as handy as a real dedicated monopod, but very handy for travelling, when one day I'll want to go out with a tripod, and another with a monopod. And saved me one day in a church, with the tripod, when I wanted a longish exposure of a mural and discovered that tripods were forbidden but monopods not

Thanks for replying Chris there seem to be pros and cons for tripod/monopod preference hopefully time will tell without too much wasted cash! With your monopod do you attach your lens foot directly to the monopod or do you use a quick release clamp? Thanks again Chris
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Usually I just attach the camera or lens foot directly to the monopod, without any head, but sometimes I'll use a quick release clamp and a head. It depends on what I thought I'd be doing with it when I set out. I take a monopod with me almost every time I set out. I take a tripod when I'm being particularly serious about something.
 
HoppyUK said:
Monopods usually come without heads. Some people just buy an Arca-Swiss quick-release clamp (under a tenner from Amazon/ebay) and screw it directly to the monopod. That works really well so long as you don't need to tilt the camera up or down too far. Or there are lots of more versatile options.
Click to expand...


I use a Manfrotto RC234 head BUT I use their QR system rather than Arca's. Any ball head with an Arca clamp would do the job; as pointed out, ultimate stability isn't really needed on a monopod.
 
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