Is it worth getting a monopod?

[Tuolumne]

Originally Posted by alan davus

I do a lot of multi day hiking and these days just about the first thing I pack is my Leki Sierra trekking pole. A great support when crossing rivers, doubles as an ice axe when climbing in snow, a definite help when descending steep slippery slopes and as I found out on my last trip to New Zealand, its a very effective weapon when warding off an attack by a bunch of keas whilst camping on Cascade Saddle. But wait there's more. Unscrew the wooden knob on top and "voila" a monopod. Leki market it as a " Photo" trekking pole and its one of the best multi purpose tools I have ever owned.

I have one of these, but can't remember the brand. An aluminum hiking stick which has adjustable length. The tip unscrews to expose a really wicked steel pointed tip. Good protection against wild keas and terrorists, too. Scarily, you could probably get it onto an airplane with no trouble at all. Mine also has a wooden grip that unscrews to reveal a 1/4x20 screw that I attach a small Really Right Stuff ball head to. Works great. But I still prefer to work without it if I can. I think you should get a bean bag for the Paris trip. Totally unthreatening and works great on many many surfasces as a rock solid suypport for you camera.

/T

[harmsr]

For personal travel and vacation, I have never taken either my tripod or monopod. For planned shoots, of course they go. For hiking, a monopod works nice.

I do bring a small tabletop and mini ball head along. These can help tremendously.

They work braced against all kind of things, including on your own chest.

Best,

Ray

[eli griggs]

I have used a mono-pod for years and have found it well worth the effort to tote about; it can be the difference of getting the shot or not. Mine has three fold out 'feet' in the bottom cap and with a self-timer and cable release does pretty good duty standing in for a tripod. Standing on or placing my bag on the feet adds a bit of stability in light winds, etc.

With a long release or timer, a camera with a wide lens can be held aloft or out over a barrier or low over water, etc for otherwise impossible shots

An additional benefit of carrying a fairly heavy metal stick is it makes a decent aggressive dog beater. Some two-legged vermin also think twice about bothering someone with a legal means to defend themselves. To be sure, it beats the heck out of throwing cameras and lens at some dangerous annoyance.

Eli

[furcafe]

I have a nice Manfrotto 3249B that I rarely use, but I do find it worthwhile when I do need to use it. It definitely works for night shots. Usually I prefer to shoot handheld w/the occasional resort to "natural" supports (leaning against streetlamps, etc.) as it can be a PITA to carry a monopod--it's certainly smaller/lighter than a full tripod but can still be a significant burden to schlep around. However, I also usually have fast glass, am willing to shoot @ high ISOs, & have a lot of experience w/handholding cameras. In urban environments like Paris, a table tripod might work well for the occasional long exposure, but a monopod may be more useful if you do more nature/landscape shooting (or do so in the future) for the reasons mentioned by others.

Personally, as a city-dweller/shooter, I would like to see a combination umbrella-monopod, & by that I mean a regular-sized golf-like umbrella that can be used as a monopod when not being used as an umbrella (w/camera attaching to the handle end). Does anyone know of a product like that? I know there are combination walking staff-umbrellas & walking staff-monopods.

Originally Posted by ImpMan71

Hi,
I'm going to Paris for a weekend in September & am considering getting a monopod to take with me.
Are they worth having - I've never used one before.
Will I be able to take night shots with it?
I have several tripods, but find they are too heavy & bulky to easily travel around with.
I will be taking my Bessa R2 with me.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers,
Colin

[Xmas]

If you get a photo white umbrella if may have a suitable end piece and it will work as fill in reflector as well as for rain.

Noel

[kuvvy]

Bought a monopod last year as I thought I would need it for some particular shots i was planning. It's a Manfrotto and I got a nice Micro Ball head for it. Never used it for those shots and has never been used yet.

[Creagerj]

I've had a monopod for a couple of years and I think I have used it twice. Not a substitute for a tripod. You could always get a carbon fiber tripod. You'll have to be a human statue in order to take any lengthy shots.

[eli griggs]

I think that the way a mono-pod locks up has a lot to do with its' easy of carry. Mine uses simple twist locks and they are very strong in use. That makes for a smooth stick' that is easy to carry and doesn't snag on every little thing.

Looking at other designs, like the Manfrotto, with its' side-locking toggles, it's easy to see why it's often left behind; IMHO.

Eli

[Robert Price]

I use a terking pole as a monopod myself. With a small ballhead and quick release plate. the pole colapses to a nice height too. I used to have a monopod but it was just too..... showy i guess. There certainly is nothing wrong with useing a monopod though.

[back alley]

i have a great monopod. it locks/unlocks by twisting the sections of the pole. small, light and strong.

i have used it quite a bit with a slr and a long zoom lens.

never with a rf camera.

joe

[Ariya]

Originally Posted by Creagerj

I've had a monopod for a couple of years and I think I have used it twice. Not a substitute for a tripod. You could always get a carbon fiber tripod. You'll have to be a human statue in order to take any lengthy shots.

Agreed. I bought a Manfrotto monopod a couple of years ago, used it twice and sold it a month ago. It only supports the camera on a single axis, you control the rest which to me equates to hand holding. I definitely do not recommend one for long exposures. A small tripod is the way to go.

[Steve Bellayr]

Instead of a monopod I'd rather use a soft shutter release which will get me to at least 30 on the shutter. A rangefinder is really for fast hand held photography. (My opinion only.) Tripod should be in your line up. I have a heavy one for medium format.

[ruben]

Originally Posted by ImpMan71

Hi,
I'm going to Paris for a weekend in September & am considering getting a monopod to take with me.
Are they worth having - I've never used one before.
Will I be able to take night shots with it?
I have several tripods, but find they are too heavy & bulky to easily travel around with.
I will be taking my Bessa R2 with me.
Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers,
Colin

Besides a four or five tripods, table pod, cable releases, and mini soft releases, I have 2 monopods, one sturdy and the other lighter. Within the limited use they get, the lighter is always the weapon of choice for its convenience.

In contrast to a tripod, I do not find any reason why a monopod should be sturdy, unless you are using cameras/lenses above 5 kg. For mounting a Bessa the lightest and cheapest monopod will be too much sturdy.

No doubt monopods are less effective than a tripods, but less cumbersome too. Nevertheless they are quite cumbersome by themselves compared to no-monopod. You still have to open and brake the legs, adjust height, manipulate monopod head, and screw the monopod to your camera. The same with table tops, with the latter being less practical but much more compact.

Like a tripod, a monopod is a piece of gear attracting attention. Less attention if you arrange a strap and carry it with a strap around your back. A monopod pending from your pants belt will look somewhat aggressive, which is not bad to keep bad guys far away.

It seems to me, and you still have to think it by yourself, that a monopod will find its best use for SLRs' tele lenses - not for night rf photography.

For night rf photography I would prefer 2 cheaper devices. First a Mini Soft Release, giving you an extra f/stop when pushed by the joint of your index.

The other one is my own capacity in finding around, when needed and if needed, places to put my camera on, or my body to lean. In a super developed city like Paris, this shouldn't be a problem at all.

Lastly, for the price of a light monopod, or even cheaper, you can buy for Paris At Night a Yashica G (GT, GTN, GS, GSN) offering you fixed lens highest quality optics, lowest ever shutter vibration, and AE capability for night shooting.

Cheers,
Ruben

[ImpMan71]

I have a Konica S3 which has a fast lens - perhaps I should take that?