I Hate To Be That Guy But.....

What is the best monopod for shooting with a 300mm? I have gone through 2 in the past year and am starting to get aggravated with them all together. Last night right before the game started my mono completely fell apart leaving me to shoot with a 300 handheld all night...Help me out, please!

I have a Calumet Photo (out of Chicago) carbon fiber monopod that I really like. I'm unsure of the model number at the moment and don't have the monopod in my possession because I've loaned it to a family member and haven't gotten it back yet. But it is pretty sturdy. I haven't had any long lenses on it but I had my Canon 40D Gripped with a 24-105 lens on it and it was pretty easy to hold and move around.

300 2.8 with 1D or 7D body? The best? Do you have a budget in mind?

Gitzo series 4 or RRS series 3. These things are absolute beasts. Not cheap, but either would be the last monopod you will ever buy.

I have a Gitzo GM5541 and an RRS MC-34 with RRS B2-LLR-II clamps and RRS replacement feet on my superteles. Both are outstanding pieces. I prefer the Gitzo, but that is just personal preference.

You could probably get away with a Gitzo series 2 with a 300 2.8, but I wouldn't use anything bigger on a series 2.

WellsRacingPhotos wrote in post #18437477
What is the best monopod for shooting with a 300mm? I have gone through 2 in the past year and am starting to get aggravated with them all together. Last night right before the game started my mono completely fell apart leaving me to shoot with a 300 handheld all night...Help me out, please!

It would be extremely helpful to me to know what monopods gave you problems. With this info I would know what price range/durability level we need to recommend.

Without that info, all we can say really is get the $500.00 series 5 Gitzo. That one likely will hold up for a few years.


That said for a 300mm, I would say Series 3 or Series 4,. the three being probably close to just right, and the 4 adding an ounce of prevention.

It was an Oben carbon fiber monopod, not sure which one but it just collapsed to the ground and then the sections fell apart when I tried to extend it again. I do need something solid now that I am getting back into sports rather than just motorsports photography. I saw an individual at the game Friday that had what looked like an extender bracket on his mono. I don't really know much about monopods at all, so any help is greatly appreciated.

For durability I have experience with two ways to go,

Gitzo or Induro carbon fiber. I feel like the 4 Series would be ideal, sadly Induro which I own goes from 3 series, which for me I found a little small, to 5 series, with no 4 option.
So I use the Induro 5. I'm pretty sure Gitzo makes a 4 Series.

The other route is Aluminum. The Manfrotto 680 series is one of the most ubiquitous monopods out there, for good reason. They take a beating and just work. Some don't like the flip locks, but they can take the weight and abuse.

I have the RRS MC-34 also... using the very fine MH-02 LR tilt head. I don't even think about it, just use it. When you can forget about the gear, when there's no fuss, it's more enjoyable for me.

I have quite a bit of RRS gear. I sort of ignore their political views and just enjoy their gear. To me, it's like watching a Mission Impossible movie..... I can separate Tom's religion from his acting. That said, I do understand why people feel differently than I do. I have a sort of double standard, I suppose. I put up with some things but not others. I won't watch a Woody Allen movie, for instance... I can't quite stretch that far. Same with Roman Polanski.... both very talented directors.

Did I venture too far off topic? If so, I apologize and if the mods feel this post should be deleted or edited, I'm fine with that.

WellsRacingPhotos wrote in post #18437477
What is the best monopod for shooting with a 300mm? I have gone through 2 in the past year and am starting to get aggravated with them all together. Last night right before the game started my mono completely fell apart leaving me to shoot with a 300 handheld all night...Help me out, please!

Mt personal choice is the Gitzo GM2541 for my 300 F2.8 due to it's combination of very light weight and rigidity. However I see that you live in the US where Gitzos cost silly money! For my 800mm I have been very impressed with my Sirui P424 over the last 5+ years - it makes a good brush buster too. For your 300mm the lighter P324 should be just the job and will cope with bigger lenses if you decide to go with one:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …section_carbon_​fiber.html

The only non Gitzo support that I have is my Sirui Mono Pod - so yes I think they rank with some of the best, but at sensible money.

Just ordered a Sirui P424 to use with a 400 2.8. My buddy uses a Gitzo GM2541 that he uses with his 400 2.8. I picked the Sirui due to cost but also due to the fact I have two tripods from them and haven't had any issues and felt the quality/price point matched my desires.

Something to consider.

I still haven't seen what tripods you had that fell apart.

As I mentioned I have the GM2541 and it is a great mono pod - however with a BIG lens like the 400 F2.8 it does look a little silly, though it does the job well. Talley - you will be very happy with the P424! Mine is great and has been for quite a while. For the OP with the 300mm I think the P424 would be overkill, nice, but more than needed. The P324 looks, to me, to be the best solution at a sensible price without compromising stability or quality and I love those chunky leg locks

I'll be using mine w/ the 200L w/ 1.4xIII at first but I have plans to pick up a 400 2.8 of my own so I planned accordingly. Thanks for the input.

johnf3f wrote in post #18439482
Mt personal choice is the Gitzo GM2541 for my 300 F2.8 due to it's combination of very light weight and rigidity. However I see that you live in the US where Gitzos cost silly money! For my 800mm I have been very impressed with my Sirui P424 over the last 5+ years - it makes a good brush buster too. For your 300mm the lighter P324 should be just the job and will cope with bigger lenses if you decide to go with one:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …section_carbon_​fiber.html

The only non Gitzo support that I have is my Sirui Mono Pod - so yes I think they rank with some of the best, but at sensible money.

Man I wish I had known this when I got the 5 series Induro,. never even thought to look at SIRUI, I always think of them for heads, but not legs. It's a better size and less than half the price.

Thank you all for the help, I greatly appreciate it...

For what it's worth; I also use the Sirui P-424 with a 1DX and 300 2.8L combination and the set-up works a treat.

WellsRacingPhotos wrote in post #18439888
Thank you all for the help, I greatly appreciate it...

Which way did you go?