Monopod

[Legoz]

Hi people,
What should i look out for when i buy a monopod? and does anyone have any good recommendations?

Appreciate all recommendations.

Regards

[CS TAN]

What is your budget? It is hard to recommend without knowing your budget. The price can vary quite drastically. A good Gitzo 3 series carbon fiber monopod can costs more than $400 (without considering the cost of a tilt head).

[Reportage]

Originally Posted by Legoz Hi people, What should i look out for when i buy a monopod? and does anyone have any good recommendations? Appreciate all recommendations. Regards

if you have $34, can go for a supposedly titanium tripod...http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495664

[Legoz]

Originally Posted by Reportage if you have $34, can go for a supposedly titanium tripod...http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495664

Hi, Thanks for the recommendation.

Im looking for a monopod thats less than $100.
I read several articles which seems to imply that monopods (unlike tripods) dont need to be too expensive. A run of the mill one will do?

What are my considerations when i look at a monopod?
The segments? The material? The wgt?

Regards

[Zeropoint]

For monopod, the following need to be considered:
a) close-up length
b) weight
c) height
d) weight support
e) cost

[egnaro]

take a look at this...

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showt...=benro+monopod

if you want, act fast, not sure if he still have any left.

I got 1 pcs from him. great deal, item is brand new, imo it a very light monopod which make sense. IIRC it is oli 300+ gm.

[Headshotzx]

Do you use long heavy lenses like a 70-200? If you don't, I suggest you not bother about getting a monopod, because there is not much point in the added bulk because you don't get much stability compared to a tripod, and your setup would be light enough to hand hold.

Anyway, I just bought my Manfrotto 680B monopod + 234RC tilt head monopod setup for S$155 on Monday, and used it at the zoo to support the weight of my 70-200 for 9 hours on Tuesday. I'm thankful I bought that, instead of knockoffs like the titaniums and benro's.

Firstly, the built quality is really really good on the manfrotto - it instills confidence. It's thick, doesn't flex (not too much unless you really use your knee to push the middle section all the way in, and then you're asking for trouble), and doesn't cost all that much compared to Gitzo's.

Secondly, the monopod can extend up high, so that the camera setup would be above my head. This is very useful with my tilt head to shoot subjects that are way above you. You will be crouching down and tilting the entire monopod up if you don't have a tilt head in situations like that.

What you do not want is a ballhead on your monopod because if it keeps moving, the monopod won't be used for stability purposes already. And since your setup will keep moving, your hands will be supporting the setup, not the monopod. So why get a monopod in the first place?

A monopod alone wouldn't do that well for the way I use it too. You'll get left-right panning, but if you want to shoot up or down, you'll have to physically tilt the monopod which compromises the stability and the weight saving. The manfrotto 234RC is what you want for a tilt head.

You can check out Benro's stuff @ BenPhoto, Peninsular Hote Shopping Mall, but be wary - I tested their monopods on Monday. I had initially wanted to purchase the MP-98 which is S$115, has the hidden 3 mini-legs and can extend to 1.97m. However, the built quality really didn't measure up to my standards, because I tested the Manfrotto before that. The legs were difficult to pull out, and Jack had to tug and pull the last leg, then twist it before it became smooth. It just shows that the ease of use isn't that high. I did not test their carbon fiber monopods, but I suspect that they suffer from the same problem with their stubborn legs. They will definitely be lighter and slightly sturdier.

You'll find that with cheaper monopods, the legs start to flex very easily because they're really thin. What I wanted was a big fat monopod that I wouldn't have to upgrade. With my 680B, I don't think I'll ever need to replace it. Perhaps if I ever get long glass next time, I'll add on a wimberley head or RRS high-capacity head, but for now, I'm extremely happy with the S$155 spent.

Cheers,
Zexun

[Reportage]

Originally Posted by Legoz Hi, Thanks for the recommendation. Im looking for a monopod thats less than $100. I read several articles which seems to imply that monopods (unlike tripods) dont need to be too expensive. A run of the mill one will do? What are my considerations when i look at a monopod? The segments? The material? The wgt? Regards

it depends what you need to use for and total weight it needs to support. For me, i needed extra support in places or events where a tripod would be close to impossible to use and the $34 monopod did that job wonderfully. had my doubts at first since bloody cheap but the guys over at cathay photo marina square were really okay with me trying out before buying and for the price i dont see why not. Since i am also doing video...its become pretty handy.

what you can do is bring your gear and ask if can test on the spot..they have various monopods as well so feel free to try them all out including the $$$$ ones.

when you look at the monopod, have to ask if it can work for you.

[egnaro]

to me monopod got to be light. support is secondary to me... well, that me becuz monopod dun usually leave stand alone.

I dun face any issue abt moving ard using ballhead. you can adjust tension of some ball head even if the knot is loosen.

btw I am using it with Olympus E3 + Grip + 50-200mm. thank to the monopod, it save my day for 1 whole day shoot.

I was eyeing on Manfrotto 234RC, but decide not to get becuz of non-arcaswiss.

[Headshotzx]

Originally Posted by Reportage when you look at the monopod, have to ask if it can work for you.

Doesn't that apply to everything you purchase?

[shunzi]

Originally Posted by Reportage when you look at the monopod, have to ask if it can work for you.

Originally Posted by Headshotzx Doesn't that apply to everything you purchase?

apply to all. how true.