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blackcavier

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charlie
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hi another newbie question, his it worth while getting a monopod, I sometimes feel I could do with something to steady ,I have got a tripod but I see you can get a walking stick type one,thank you,
 
I have both a monopod and a tripod and they are both very useful but for totally different reasons. A monopod is great if you have a heavy long lens on the camera to give stability as often those heavy lenses are hard to hold still after a while as your arm gets tired... You may be a lot younger and stronger than me though!
 
I tend to use my tripod like a monopod quite often as it's fairly light anyway. I just leave the legs folded in unless I'll be there a while.
 
I have both but the monopod gets far more work than the tripod. I mostly take wildlife or aircraft these days and the monopod just gives portability, flexibility and much needed support for my bigger lenses. I also use it for shooting garden birds to take the weight and reduce the shakes that I suffer from with heavier lenses. It's my favourite accessory by a country mile!
 
most of my lenses have VR so i rarely need to use the monopod for a stable picture, i do have a manfrotto one which i thought i would use a lot, but i actually don't. Still handy to have in the boot of the car though.
 
Tizer said:
Still handy to have in the boot of the car though.
Click to expand...
Oh that rings true for both my monopod and tripod, they have travelled the country in my boot and usually stay there and suddenly I am several miles from the car and then realise I needed them!!:lol:
 
thanks for all replies, think i'll get one it certainly wont go amiss going by replies, thank you
 
I use both a tripod and a monopod, both have their uses. I quite like a monopod when I don't have much room. I used a monopod photographing gannets at bempton cliffs last year. It was really busy and there was just not the room to set up a tripod and move around it. A monopod was perfect as it took up very little room and it held the weight of the camera/lens so I could shoot all day long. The 300 f4 isn't too big but its so much easier than trying to hand hold it for 6-8 hrs.
 
I picked up the Manfrotto MN 679B for £30, perfect for an occasionally used item.
 
thanks everyone, i'll check them all out, and pjs that third attatchment it wont let me use that for some reason, says I don't have permission,,
 
Ah yes, that's in the Sales/Wanted section, which is off limits until you've made 25 posts and been registered for a month.
It was a brief overview on hollow tube diameter vs core layer quantity with reference to stiffness.
Just something to help you appreciate why one might push for a more expensive option than they think their gear warrants.
 
This is something I have been toying with too
 
thanks pjs, i'll have to do a bit more posting then, lol. yes more solid will be better,
 
My philosophy is push to buy the best quality for the money.
In certain instances, buying the more expensive option is justified when you look at the benefits of the item, plus the amount of time you'll get usage from it.
Also, because of the price, it'll have a residual some time down the line if you need or decide to sell it.

In this case, you're buying possibly the best monopod type you can — large diameter carbon fibre. Even if after a year or two you realise it's not being used all that much, you will get a greater percentage back of the price you paid, than if you bought a £30-40 one, which you may be lucky to find a buyer at all, not to mention the better quality and sturdiness, inherent in the design.

If you don't sell it, then in 3-5 years of usage (regular or otherwise) you'll have long since forgotten the cost, and still benefiting from the design specs, whereas after a year or so of using a cheaper, thinner type, you'll maybe realise its shortcomings, and want to consider the beefier option.

That's not to say you won't get away with spending less on a thinner carbon fibre one, but at least with the big one, you are practically guaranteed it being a one off purchase, with a 5-year warranty.
 
mine being only £30, I've forgotten the cost already (so to speak :) ), if i had spent £200 on one, i'd be kicking myself knowing i could have saved £170 towards something that really matters even more....a lens :)

Its really down to how much they are going to get used really, no point a weekend warrior like me paying out stupid amounts of money, buying the best is great if you got money to throw away and comes very easy to say for those that do.
 
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I've never seen the point in spending a lot of money on a monopod - as long as the leg clamps don't slip (and I don't mean when you put your whole weight on the monopod), there is enough rigidity not to cause problems pointing the camera whilst the monopod takes the strain and the thing don't weigh a ton (unlikely given the size and hollow tubing), then it will do its job. Put your own head on it to suit your requirements/taste.

After all it doesn't need to do what a tripod does - it's basically a stick.

Remember that you might be using it angled - I sometimes stand one foot forward with a side-turned rear foot and brace the foot of the monopod against my rear-foot - or I might brace it against a step/kerb etc. in front of me. I will also slacken the tension on my ball-head so that I can pan/aim the camera.

I use a £12 one from 7dayshop - does the job nicely.
 
we have a cheapo one we tried today, didnt take well to nearly 3kg on it :D
bit short, bendy, and i think the weight was gentley pushing the sections into each other xD

gone with beanbag for now till we get a fancy monopod :)
 
Have a look at the TrekPod GoPro Link

I bought this for my Pentax kit but as I now have a CSC set-up it does not get used a lot.
 
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