advise on monopod...

using a 5dmarkiii, right now biggest lens is the 70-200 2.8 with extender (will eventually go to a 100-400, maybe a little bigger). Have looked at the Gitzo gm 5541 and the Manfrotto 685b. Then I stumbled onto the Sirui 424 and the FEISOL CM-1471. Have done nothing but read reviews and look at pictures and vids. Kinda leaning towards the Feisol, Gitzo is so damn expensive but looks good....used Greentoe and had a price of $325 on the Gitzo but I still couldn't justify pulling the trigger......yet. Really looking for something that is tuff, durable and with my health and age a decent walking, leaning stick.

Then theres the head and quick release.....will just be glad when I can get the mono. Money....its not really an issue, but my line of thought is that I want something that I can depend on with my camera and lens sitting on top of it. But by the same token why spend over 300 when you can possibly get something similar without buying a "name". Looking for advise from people who have been through this and willing to share.

Any thoughts on the mono and head...jump right in.

thanks

john

Personally, I wouldn't (don't) use a monopod with just a 5DIII and 70-200 or 100-400. But if you want/need one for that combo, I wouldn't spend a whole lot. Any of the manfrotto pods will handle that easily. For quick release plates, I use mostly RRS stuff, but it is pricey. For a 5D/70-200 combo, I would probably just mount it directly to the monopod without any plates.

I went all gitzo and high quality ball head and Gimbal for my tripod, after many years leading up to it the hard way.

I have to admit that for a monopod all that high end stuff is completely unnecessary.
I use Manfroto 681B,. simple affordable, and sturdy as hell.

The big thing to consider is the head.
For many applications the best head for a monopod is NO head.

If you like birds, then being able to tilt up and down becomes important (panning is done with the whole pod)

In this case you want a good tilt only head. Decent ones can now be had for good prices from a number of manufactures. I have the Siriu L-10 and recommend it highly.

drifter106 wrote in post #17540170
using a 5dmarkiii, right now biggest lens is the 70-200 2.8 with extender (will eventually go to a 100-400, maybe a little bigger). Have looked at the Gitzo gm 5541 and the Manfrotto 685b. Then I stumbled onto the Sirui 424 and the FEISOL CM-1471. Have done nothing but read reviews and look at pictures and vids. Kinda leaning towards the Feisol, Gitzo is so damn expensive but looks good....used Greentoe and had a price of $325 on the Gitzo but I still couldn't justify pulling the trigger......yet. Really looking for something that is tuff, durable and with my health and age a decent walking, leaning stick.

Then theres the head and quick release.....will just be glad when I can get the mono. Money....its not really an issue, but my line of thought is that I want something that I can depend on with my camera and lens sitting on top of it. But by the same token why spend over 300 when you can possibly get something similar without buying a "name". Looking for advise from people who have been through this and willing to share.

Any thoughts on the mono and head...jump right in.

thanks

john

Firstly your gear is pretty light so, if money is not a problem, I would opt for the Gitzo GM 2541. It is VERY light and will support LARGE lenses. Add a Sirui L10 tilt head and you will have a very nice combination for anything up to a 1 Series body and a 300 F2.8 - that is what I use!
You also mention the 5 series Gitzo and the Sirui P424 (I own a P424), whilst these are excellent mono pods they are simply overkill for your proposed uses and will just leave you carting around heavier gear than you need - they are very nice but pointlessly heavy for you needs.

Look at a Sirui P-326. Nice affordable monopod.

Check out the Market Watch forum today.

Received the Enduro CM 24 today. Just registered it (make sure you register to double your warranty). Monopod does have a little flex in it but really don't think that will be an issue. You would pretty much have to have a log in order not to get any flex. Rated for 26.4 lbs so with what I have or will have it doesn't present a problem. Build quality is good and assembly works like a charm. Do not have anything to compare to but from what I have seen it appears that this monopod will serve me well without spending crazy amounts of money to get a workable solution.

Can't really see using this without some type of ball head. Fortunately, I had one laying around and made it work. Going to improve my picture taking dramatically. Can see now this is/was a definite MUST to have.

drifter106 wrote in post #17554889
...

Can't really see using this without some type of ball head. Fortunately, I had one laying around and made it work. Going to improve my picture taking dramatically. Can see now this is/was a definite MUST to have.

Ballhead for now, but the best heads for monopods are tilt only.
Sirui L-10

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #17554908
Ballhead for now, but the best heads for monopods are tilt only.
Sirui L-10

It's a great monopod head, useful when you need to change the shooting angle but want to keep the rig balanced.