For Monopod Owners

Jarrell Conley · Aug 24, 2003

Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?
Thank you for your opinion.
Jarrell

P.S. My tag line below? Men actually see in a lot more than 16 colors, don't we guys....
light blue
medium blue
dark blue
light red
medium red
dark red
light green................

Why do you think I have to sometimes ask you if the "color in this picture looks right"!
--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

Reimar · Aug 24, 2003

I always use a monopod when I'm not using a tripod with my CP4500. Rare exceptions are when I need a wierd angle and I can brace the camera on something solid like a fence or wall. I haven't done comparison experiments, but it is insurance for me that the picture is as crisp as possible, and I can go down to 1/15 and 1/30 and still get sharp pictures when I can lean the monpod on something solid. The 'pod is also indispensible for framing the picture, even when looking through the viewfinder, I can compare the LCD view and recompose the shot. This will not be an issue for your 5700. I even admit that I sometimes take a picture away from my body while looking at the LCD screen when I feel stable. Without a monopod, this type of shot is never stable.

Todd Art · Aug 24, 2003

and I'm finding it gets in my way. I bought one of the Wal Mart ones and put a manfrotto tilt head on it, but it usually just sits in the back of my van. I think I'll keep trying it just to justify the expense.

Jarrell Conley said:
Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you
use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?
Thank you for your opinion.
Jarrell
P.S. My tag line below? Men actually see in a lot more than 16
colors, don't we guys....
light blue
medium blue
dark blue
light red
medium red
dark red
light green................
Why do you think I have to sometimes ask you if the "color in this
picture looks right"!
--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

--
Todd Muskopf
professional fine art painter, aspiring photographer
http://www.muskopf.org

To all of those who I offend, please forgive me.

Phil Youngblood · Aug 24, 2003

Jarrell Conley said:
Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you
use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?

Yes - decidedly so depending on amount of zoom and in particular with the extender attached.. Of course, the results would depend on how steady you are normally. My hands are not as steady as they once were and the more I try to control the movement in the EVF, the worse it gets. At one time I did free hand target shooting at 500 yds and those days are long gone also. I would hazard a guess if you see a big difference when using a tripod, you would see at least half that difference with a mono. Got a ballhead? A broomstick, ballhead, and a short piece of all-thread would give you an idea without the expense. BTW, a ballhead is the only way to fly with a mono in my opinion should you decide to get one.

Phil

Thomas Bauer · Aug 24, 2003

...In the rainbow,

The one that starts with an “I " is kinda purple.
I think Gods wife named that one.

_ ~~Equipment in my studio where it belongs~~ ( http://www.YCSPhoto.com )

Oh... about the monopod,

I have done tests with them and found that there is a noticeable improvement when using a monopod with a long lens as apposed to nothing.
But honestly I don't use one as much as I could.
With the D100 and the full dress:

W/D100 Body, MB-E100 and a 200 - 500mm lens, it weighs more than a tripod any ways.

... ~~(Never mind a monopod}~~ ...

Mark Schretlen · Aug 24, 2003

... a photographer, he would have said "Speak softly and carry a big monopod."

At slow shutter speeds or with long lenses I prefer the following:

1) a tripod
2) a monopod
3) image stabilization
4) BSS
5) nothing

I always carry #5 with me.

(I never answer your questions, do I?)

Mark
Mark Schretlen
CP5700 & D60 Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/kodachrome/

Ed Nazarko · Aug 25, 2003

Monopods are best used like a third leg to you, instead of as a single legged support. What? Well, somebody's posted a picture here some time back that I couldn't find, but generally, you want to steady the monopod against something so it doesn't bob and weave. The two techniques I've seen are: 1) stand with your legs well apart, monopod in front of you, and create a tripod with the monopod as one leg and your (hopefully) two legs as the rest of the tripod, or 2) get yourself in as steady a position as possible, with the monopod hooked around one of your legs.

The other thing I've noticed is that with a monopod, I'm actually more likely to get a slanted horizon line than without. Again, it demands more attention than it seems like it should.

Final tip: I didn't much use my monopod until I put a quick release on it. It was such a pain in the rear to use - equal to a tripod - that I decided I'd rather use a tripod. With a quick release, it's a bit easier and faster than a tripod. Also, a cheap monopod is worse compared to a good one than a cheap tripod compared to a good one. Since you're "of an age" as I am, you might want to get a monopod that doubles as a good solid walking stick.

But, Jarrell, having seen your images and shooting style - I'll bet you'll find a monopod a lot less useful and satisfying to you than a tripod. You've got more than adequate patience, and an eye for setting up images very carefully, strong pre-visualization skills, and in that case, a tripod always wins. In my case, I'm pretty much a sloppy shoot and run with very little pre-visualization and a lot of trial and error shooting, and a monopod at least assures that I use some means of support since I'm unlikely to work with a tripod. I'll be interested to hear your experience.

And, I only see a very few colors - outside of about six or seven, everything else I refer to as puce, because I like the way it sounds.

Jarrell Conley said:
Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you
use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?
Thank you for your opinion.
Jarrell
P.S. My tag line below? Men actually see in a lot more than 16
colors, don't we guys....
light blue
medium blue
dark blue
light red
medium red
dark red
light green................
Why do you think I have to sometimes ask you if the "color in this
picture looks right"!
--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

--
Ed

Make pictures, don't take them - it leaves more for others.

http://www.onemountainphoto.com

Jarrell Conley · Aug 25, 2003

Jarrell Conley said:
Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you
use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?
Thank you for your opinion.
Jarrell
P.S. My tag line below? Men actually see in a lot more than 16
colors, don't we guys....
light blue
medium blue
dark blue
light red
medium red
dark red
light green................
Why do you think I have to sometimes ask you if the "color in this
picture looks right"!
--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

1JB · Aug 25, 2003

I most certainly do and I use it every chance I get but 90% of the time I do NOT extend it and put it on the ground. I have a Slik Slim Pod. It is amazingly strong, light and small. In general I do not extend it rather I hold the bottom in my left hand and anchor it into my waist then hold the camera with my right. I find it to be more stable this way than when extending it and putting the foot on the ground. It's quite easy to hand your camera over your shoulder and leave the pod on. Fully zoomed in my photos are much clearer. It has improved their clarity tremendously as I seem to have a difficult time holding a camera still. My wife is much better at it than I am. I also own a Manfrotti 682B but frankly it's just too large to carry around and I only use it with my DV video camera on occasion.

Jarrell Conley said:
Jarrell Conley said:

Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you
use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?
Thank you for your opinion.
Jarrell
P.S. My tag line below? Men actually see in a lot more than 16
colors, don't we guys....
light blue
medium blue
dark blue
light red
medium red
dark red
light green................
Why do you think I have to sometimes ask you if the "color in this
picture looks right"!
--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

Click to expand...

--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

1JB · Aug 25, 2003

1JB said:
Jarrell Conley said:

Jarrell Conley said:

Do you notice any appreciable difference in your pictures when you
use a monopod and the same shot (same conditions) when you don't?
Thank you for your opinion.
Jarrell
P.S. My tag line below? Men actually see in a lot more than 16
colors, don't we guys....
light blue
medium blue
dark blue
light red
medium red
dark red
light green................
Why do you think I have to sometimes ask you if the "color in this
picture looks right"!
--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

Click to expand...

--
' ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.'

Click to expand...

baw · Aug 25, 2003

I travel a lot and my monopod is allways in my suitcase. A tripod is just too cumbersome. When taking foto's with low shutterspeeds or with long focal lengths the use of a monopod is a neccesity. As stated above a ballhead is a must (i use Velbon PH-243). Same for a quickconnect, i use the Novoflex Miniconnect. See picture. The small ring is the only thing you attach to the camera (size of a quarter). I have it on my camera all the time.

Try to lock the pod against something solid and you have tripod stability.

When using it free lock it against the inner part of your foot and against the inner part of your other thigh. The ballhead gives you the chance to level the horizon very easily.

--
Success

Ben

N i k o n 5 7 0 0 - S u n p a k P Z 5 0 0 0 A F

marek k · Aug 25, 2003

the head is the same one (i think) as on the 343e, except that ahs a champagne sorta color.

baw said:
I travel a lot and my monopod is allways in my suitcase. A tripod
is just too cumbersome. When taking foto's with low shutterspeeds
or with long focal lengths the use of a monopod is a neccesity. As
stated above a ballhead is a must (i use Velbon PH-243). Same for a
quickconnect, i use the Novoflex Miniconnect. See picture. The
small ring is the only thing you attach to the camera (size of a
quarter). I have it on my camera all the time.

Try to lock the pod against something solid and you have tripod
stability.
When using it free lock it against the inner part of your foot and
against the inner part of your other thigh. The ballhead gives you
the chance to level the horizon very easily.

--
Success

Ben

N i k o n 5 7 0 0 - S u n p a k P Z 5 0 0 0 A F

--
-marek

Some of my photographs can be found under the following links:
http://www.pbase.com/mkrol/
http://www.usefilm.com/browse.php?mode=port&data=14298
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~okocim/photos/

baw · Aug 25, 2003

marek k said:
the head is the same one (i think) as on the 343e, except that ahs
a champagne sorta color.

Just found my post with the relevant links:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1007&message=5305983

This quick release is super!
--
Success

Ben

N i k o n 5 7 0 0 - S u n p a k P Z 5 0 0 0 A F

Brenda in TX · Aug 25, 2003

Thanks for posting how you use your monopod. I bought one after toting my tripod around the Ft. Worth Zoo but was disappointed in my pics compared to the ones where I used a tripod. I'm going to give your method a try.

Brenda

1JB said:
I most certainly do and I use it every chance I get but 90% of the
time I do NOT extend it and put it on the ground. I have a Slik
Slim Pod. It is amazingly strong, light and small. In general I
do not extend it rather I hold the bottom in my left hand and
anchor it into my waist then hold the camera with my right. I find
it to be more stable this way than when extending it and putting
the foot on the ground. It's quite easy to hand your camera over
your shoulder and leave the pod on. Fully zoomed in my photos are
much clearer. It has improved their clarity tremendously as I seem
to have a difficult time holding a camera still. My wife is much
better at it than I am. I also own a Manfrotti 682B but frankly
it's just too large to carry around and I only use it with my DV
video camera on occasion.

1JB · Aug 25, 2003

This is where I got mine.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bh1.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___48696___SLSP___REG___CatID=0___SID=F7700510DE0

Brenda in TX said:
Brenda

1JB said:

I most certainly do and I use it every chance I get but 90% of the
time I do NOT extend it and put it on the ground. I have a Slik
Slim Pod. It is amazingly strong, light and small. In general I
do not extend it rather I hold the bottom in my left hand and
anchor it into my waist then hold the camera with my right. I find
it to be more stable this way than when extending it and putting
the foot on the ground. It's quite easy to hand your camera over
your shoulder and leave the pod on. Fully zoomed in my photos are
much clearer. It has improved their clarity tremendously as I seem
to have a difficult time holding a camera still. My wife is much
better at it than I am. I also own a Manfrotti 682B but frankly
it's just too large to carry around and I only use it with my DV
video camera on occasion.

Click to expand...

Codeman · Aug 25, 2003

Have you tried Bogen's FlexHead (3423C/235C)? It won't replace a ball head for everything, but I've found that 90% of the time it will. And you don't have to adjust anything. Just tilt the camera as needed and go. Great accessory.

Phil Youngblood said:
you an idea without the expense. BTW, a ballhead is the only way
to fly with a mono in my opinion should you decide to get one.

Phil

--
Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
-5-7-0-0-

Shirley Schweizer · Aug 26, 2003

Ed:

I noticed that you referred to a quick release on your monopod. I have a quick release for my Slik tripod, which came attached with it. But I would like to have a quick release for my monopod. Could you please give me the name of the one you have. Thanks.
Shirley

Ed Nazarko said:
Final tip: I didn't much use my monopod until I put a quick
release on it. It was such a pain in the rear to use - equal to a
tripod - that I decided I'd rather use a tripod. With a quick
release, it's a bit easier and faster than a tripod. Also, a cheap
monopod is worse compared to a good one than a cheap tripod
compared to a good one. Since you're "of an age" as I am, you
might want to get a monopod that doubles as a good solid walking
stick.

Ed Nazarko · Aug 26, 2003

I bought a Bogen from Unique Photo - which is local, so I can't really remember much else about it, other than it was hanging on a shelf in the shop. Your Slik quick release may be available for sale - initially, I unscrewed the quick release platform from an old Slik tripod I had, but I've put these bogen units on both the monopod and my travelling tripod. Not that expensive, metal, very, very tight and secure.

Just looked it up at UniquePhoto.com; it's the Bogen 3229 that I use. I didn't see much use for a pan head. The Bogen quick release plates work on all their heads. Many folks I know RAVE about the Bogen 3265 squeeze release ball head. Again, not too expensive, metal.

Shirley Schweizer said:
I noticed that you referred to a quick release on your monopod. I
have a quick release for my Slik tripod, which came attached with
it. But I would like to have a quick release for my monopod. Could
you please give me the name of the one you have. Thanks.
Shirley

Ed Nazarko said:

Final tip: I didn't much use my monopod until I put a quick
release on it. It was such a pain in the rear to use - equal to a
tripod - that I decided I'd rather use a tripod. With a quick
release, it's a bit easier and faster than a tripod. Also, a cheap
monopod is worse compared to a good one than a cheap tripod
compared to a good one. Since you're "of an age" as I am, you
might want to get a monopod that doubles as a good solid walking
stick.

Click to expand...

--
Ed

Make pictures, don't take them - it leaves more for others.

http://www.onemountainphoto.com

patrickb · Aug 27, 2003

I picked up a Bogen 681 monopod (~$40) as it's much less cumbersome to carry than a tripod.I brace it against something most of the time like my vehicle, wall, bench, etc.

I mounted the Bogen 3265 Grip Ball Head and I find it to be extremely user friendly. Additionally, I recently bought the universal folding base which fits on most of Bogen's new monopods. This gives me almost the usefulness of a tripod with a much smaller footprint.

I've never done any comparison tests using the pod and without, but now it's just become second nature and I feel naked without it. in retrospect, I wish I had purchased their 4 piece model rather than my 3 piece as mine is a bit large to fit in a bag. Therefore I simply carry it like a walking stick most often. The good thing is that the 4 pc is also under $50 so I may upgrade in the near future. The smaller model can be stored in a carry-on bag or courier style bag easily.

http://fototime.com/ {2549FA2A-7682-4D7D-A8A4-29555429E625} picture.JPG

These legs unscrew and store within the pod's lower section when not in use. They offer a surprisingly stable base. Just a little downward pressure and I'm fairly confident taking night shots.

http://fototime.com/ {6A085FC1-05C7-4F35-B5B8-BB94AA635299} picture.JPG

--
-patrick byrne
-newburyport, ma
-cp 4 5 0 0 / t c e - 2 / w c e - 63

http://www.pbase.com/patrickbyrne

Steve Clark90671 · Aug 27, 2003

does the grip and pod feel weighty? good feel to it?

The grip is a little expensive, ~$80, would you buy it again, or go with a normal ballhead for $20-$30?

I'm getting real close to purchasing, these threads have been great. Keep the info flowing

Regards,
Steve

patrickb said:
I picked up a Bogen 681 monopod (~$40) as it's much less cumbersome
to carry than a tripod.I brace it against something most of the
time like my vehicle, wall, bench, etc.
I mounted the Bogen 3265 Grip Ball Head and I find it to be
extremely user friendly. Additionally, I recently bought the
universal folding base which fits on most of Bogen's new monopods.
This gives me almost the usefulness of a tripod with a much smaller
footprint.
I've never done any comparison tests using the pod and without, but
now it's just become second nature and I feel naked without it. in
retrospect, I wish I had purchased their 4 piece model rather than
my 3 piece as mine is a bit large to fit in a bag. Therefore I
simply carry it like a walking stick most often. The good thing is
that the 4 pc is also under $50 so I may upgrade in the near
future. The smaller model can be stored in a carry-on bag or
courier style bag easily.

http://fototime.com/ {2549FA2A-7682-4D7D-A8A4-29555429E625} picture.JPG
These legs unscrew and store within the pod's lower section when
not in use. They offer a surprisingly stable base. Just a little
downward pressure and I'm fairly confident taking night shots.

http://fototime.com/ {6A085FC1-05C7-4F35-B5B8-BB94AA635299} picture.JPG

--
-patrick byrne
-newburyport, ma
-cp 4 5 0 0 / t c e - 2 / w c e - 63

http://www.pbase.com/patrickbyrne

--
http://spiders.zacharoo.com

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