Tripod vs Monopod?

[mussEd]

I went out at dawn last week and it became quite apparent quite quickly that I need some sort of support to steady things up. As usual there is a truly bewildering range of stuff out there, both in terms of price and their intended usage. In terms of type of photography I guess it's a bit of everything. Landscape, architecture, long exposures, but also my kids at play, wildlife and sport..

Now I know I may be wishing for the moon on a stick but I can't really convince myself to buy different systems to cover different scenarios - I'm very far from being any sort of Pro Snapper. Not interested in studio photography at the minute, I enjoy taking my camera out on my bike with me so low weight is a bit of a priority. So with all the above in mind, would something like the Redsnapper model with a built in detachable monopod be any good? What is the general consensus on these? Are there any other options that have this feature that I may have missed?

 

[Nod]

As long as speed isn't of the essence, a tripod that allows you to unscrew a leg then attach it to the centre column covers both bases quite well, if a little slowly! If you want/need to go from 1 to 3 lens quickly, try extending one leg of a tripod an inch or 2 further than the other 2 - when you need a tri rather than mono, swing the legs out and use the head's adjustment to get the rig level. I have a feeling that there are now several options with this feature in both alloy and carbon fibre, so I would suggest visiting a shop that stocks a couple of different brands and have a play before handing over the card.

 

[jockwav]

Long exposures has got to be a tripod.

 

[Nawty]

Yeah, tripod is what you want. A monopod is useful for when you'll be holding a heavy lens for a long time or conditions are marginal but if you need longer exposures then it needs to be a tripod.

Stable, light, cheap.

Pick any two.

 

[mussEd]

Yeah, tripod is what you want. A monopod is useful for when you'll be holding a heavy lens for a long time or conditions are marginal but if you need longer exposures then it needs to be a tripod.

Stable, light, cheap.

Pick any two.

Yeah with regards to mountain bike stuff there's the old chestnut "Strong, light, cheap - pick any two"

Thanks for the responses chaps...