To monopod or not to monopod

J

Joakesy

Suspended / Banned
Messages
4
Name
John
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi

I am due to fly to Iceland with my wife this Friday.

We have a trip booked to see (if we are lucky) to see the Aurora Borealis.

I would love nothing more than to take all of my camera gear and my Slik 700DX tripod for the northern lights / general landscape photography, BUT the few days have a romantic twist (wedding anniversary) so I need to calm down on the kit front and pack light.

Just going to take my Canon 400D, couple of lenses and was thinking about a monopod? Would that suffice? Or would I be best buying a real lightweight tripod? Any suggestions?

Thanks

John
 
Joakesy said:
Hi

I am due to fly to Iceland with my wife this Friday.

We have a trip booked to see (if we are lucky) to see the Aurora Borealis.

I would love nothing more than to take all of my camera gear and my Slik 700DX tripod for the northern lights / general landscape photography, BUT the few days have a romantic twist (wedding anniversary) so I need to calm down on the kit front and pack light.

Just going to take my Canon 400D, couple of lenses and was thinking about a monopod? Would that suffice? Or would I be best buying a real lightweight tripod? Any suggestions?

Thanks

John
Click to expand...

Best to go for a sturdy lightweight tripod if you are trying to get Aurora Borealis shots as you are going to have to think of 10 to 30 sec exposures. That is going to be very difficult to achieve with a monopod.

The tripod also needs to be sturdy as, if you go on an excursion, you will most likely be taken out to one of the lava fields to get away from light pollution. These areas are flat, very exposed and can be quite windy which will cause issues with a flimsy t/pod. It will also be cold - I have experienced around -10 deg C so you also need to think about keeping warm particularly your fingers.

A link on shooting Aurora Borealis is here:

http://www.my-photo-blog.com/how-to-photograph-the-aurora-borealis-northern-lights
 
Heres an option, a bean bag, all you need then is a sturdy object, to place it on.
 
good luck. I went a couple of years ago, and saw a tiny amount for about 3 seconds!

but agree with everyone else, monopod no good!
 
Thanks guys - I was thinking the monopod was a no go.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap, very light tripod to buy?
 
simonkit said:
The Velbon offerings are pretty good for lightweight options, I use a Luxi F for travelling which is relatively small

Simon
Click to expand...

I used that for a few years before I got myself a Redsnapper - whilst it is very portable, I wouldn't call it sturdy. True, it is very portable but that's about it. It also does not have a hook for adding extra weight which is a shame really.

I'd say to Joakesy, it will all depend on what lens you are using, whether it is windy and so on. I also would not advise to extend it fully if you will decide to use it - the last section of each leg are tiny and very vibration prone. Just my experience.
 
Thanks all.

I have decided to buy a really cheap tripod (Konig Photo Traveller Tripod) @ £7.99 just so that I have some sort of support when in Iceland. It packs down small so will be able to get it into my luggage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top