Monopods

To those that carry large lenses (like the Bigma, 80-200 2.8 APO, etc.):

what kind (brand/model) monopod do you use? What monopod would you suggest for a 7D with a long-barrel lens?

N

i thought about getting a monopod but decided against it.. from my research most people get monopods for their 300mm or greater.. not so necessary for 200mm.. also antishake does act like a sort of monopod as well... my 2 cents.
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Byron
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48163375@N00/

I have a Giottos 9180 and a 300 f/4 but usually end up using a tripod. I just can't hold the monopod still enough a lot of times in lower light. It's hard to beat the weight and compactness though, and if the light is good it's great!

I bought Feisol because I am fairly tall and needed the height- especially on rocky ground (I photograph a lot of Kayaking) when the monopod may well stand quite a lot lower than my feet. I looked for the tallest Benro but couldn't find anyone selling them.

I am very pleased with the quality and solidity of the Feisol I am not light (by any measure!) and it wil support my leaning very heavily on it without collapsing. That will be many times the heaviest lens/camera that I even dream of!

Although the dimensions are exactly as stated I was still surprised at the large diameter of the tubes - which is why it can be so strong and still light.

It's fine for my 7D but I am actually too embarrased to put my tiny point and shoot on it!

Al Dugan wrote:
For your tiny point and shoot there is a handy alternative to a monopod.

-First you get a short 1/4-20 hex head machine screw (Ithink that is the size for the tripod socket) and drill a hole in the head. Put a small keychain ring through the hole you drilled

-Take a piece of cord and tie a loop in one end big enough for your foot to go through

-Tie the other end of the cord to the ring in the 1/4-20 screw

-Screw the 1/4-20 screw into the bottom of the camera

-Make the cord long enough so that if you were to stand with your foot through the loop and the camera at you eye, you can pull the cord tight

It is surprising, but the tension adds a fair bit of stability I carry one of these coiled up in my bag and occasionally it comes in handy.

Does that description make sense?

Al

I use a Manfrotto tripod for my Sigma 100-300 f4. Works well, nice and light but strong. Manfrotto make a number of different models.

I take a lot of sports photos and end up standing on the sidelines for long periods of time holding my camera, so definitely worth it. You could probably hand hold a 80-200 f2.8 lens for a while but any camera gear will get heavy if you hold it long enough.

Things I considered when getting miy tripod were:

• Cost (obviously)
• Weight (there is a trade off, lighter usually equals weaker - unless it's made of carbon which then equals big $)
• Expanded length (refer back to early post on the kayaks - gives more flexibility on how you use it)
• Compacted length (smaller = easier to carry)
• Number of sections (the less sections the quicker the thing is to set up but can also make the compacted length larger)
• The locking mechanism (quick to lock / unlock but strong)

The initial impression I got with the Manfrotto stuff is that it is overengineered but it lasts a long time.

CF for me also. I have the CM-1471 and it's diameter is HUGE. I could probably get by fine with the smaller one but I've grown to like this one. My hands cramp when gripping something small for a period of time so I don't have that problem. I use it as a walking staff as well as monopod. It could probably be used to fend off bear or play stick ball with as well

DS
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Read about Tristate Cameras return policy at

http://www.davidsprague.com/ if your even remotely considering a purchase from them! More in this post http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1035&thread=20222742

I have a Manfrotto 680 monopod with a 3229 head for use under a Tamron 200-500mm on my 7D.

This is how I ended up with my monopod, maybe it will work for you too.

First, I looked at the stuff I already had. I have an old school Bogen/Manfrotto 3001 tripod with the grip action 3265 head (it's sort of big, like a joystick head). I love the 3265 head and plan to stick with it from now on.

The 3265 head has a QR, like most tripod heads. So, to keep my life simple I decided to get something that would share the same QR. With the same QR I don't have to swap QRs around depending on what I take with me, no QRs or tools floating around in my bag so it cuts down on stuff I might have to buy too. I leave one QR on my camera body and one on my Tamron lens and I don't have to mess with it. Ever. Nice and simple.

Now that I had the QR picked out, I only had a handfull of choices for compatible heads that use the same QR. I made the choice to use a monopod specific head, the 3229. The 3229 head only turns on one axis, so you can turn the camera on it's side for a potrait. I don't see the need for a full ball head on a monopod. In a pinch, I can turn the QR 90 degrees and bend the head backwards/forwards and use the colar on my lense to rotate for potrait mode.

Now it's time to choose the monopod. I wanted something that I could use as a walking/hiking stick. Something I could lean my weight on a little if I had too. The 680 has a pretty good rating as far as what it can support and it had a really nice, solid and thick feel to it. It's affordable so if I do something really stupid and break it I won't be too upset.

I hope this helps!

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Minolta 7d user

I find the brand totally unimportant for things other than bragging rights. Much more relevant are dimensions--the right extended height for you, and the right size collapsed for transport. Equally important is the head, to keep your camera flexible. I use my tripod head also on the monopod.

If you already have a tripod, you can test if you like monopods: extend it to the necessary height, but leave all legs together (maybe just extend one a bit more than the other two). There's your makeshift monopod for balance and handling of the camera.

I find monopods very good for carrying the weight of the camera, particularly with long (=heavy) lenses, but, depending on where you use it, they can also be a deterrent against quick aiming. I had big problems following birds with the monopod attached, it got stuck when I needed to lower the camera while aiming at the bird.

I did discover a very convenient way to carry a heavy lens-on-camera package in a balanced position, and I took a picture of the setup for visualisation:



(not exactly the sharpest and best-lit picture I ever took, but what does P&S mean? Point and sh*t)