Looking to get a monopod for birding

...to work with my 500/4 II and maybe a 600/4 down the road.

I had my eye on this Sirui P424SR, as recommended by @butterfly2937. This one:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …carbon_fiber_mo​nopod.html

Why is the same tripod available for 2/3 the cost from China? Is this fake?

https://www.ebay.com …&rt=nc&LH_Title​Desc=0%7C0

Scrumhalf wrote in post #18669812
...to work with my 500/4 II and maybe a 600/4 down the road.

I had my eye on this Sirui P424SR, as recommended by @butterfly2937. This one:

https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …carbon_fiber_mo​nopod.html

Why is the same tripod available for 2/3 the cost from China? Is this fake?

https://www.ebay.com …&rt=nc&LH_Title​Desc=0%7C0

One possibility may be the warranty. Sirui is usually generous with their warranties, 6 years in the States when purchased from an authorized dealer. I note that the eBAy offering has a two year warranty by the 3rd party company Square Trade.

Sirui states "SIRUI products purchased from unauthorized dealers will not receive the 6-year USA warranty, technical support, service or parts and will be ineligible for rebates and special promotions."

Just get a Sirui P424. Same mono pod without the junk on the bottom. Mine is absolutely ideal for my 300 F2.8 and 800 F5.6 and still looks like new after 5+ years. Nothing is perfect - but this one is getting close.

My local camera shop would probably be happy to send you one if you can't find one locally:

https://carmarthencame​ras.com …/sirui-p-424-monopod.html

There are always the Gitzo's, nice but pricey in your part of the world.

Thanks for the inputs, guys!

I have that monopod for video work, and it's a ridiculous tank. It's pretty darn big but definitely made for heavy glass.

I picked it up for 150 or so, Craigslist

For birding, I'm not a fan of three support feet. It's a good feature for shooting videos, but it's more a hindrance than help for birding, adding unnecessary weight. I'd second just getting a P424. For the head, although Sirui L-10 Tilt Head is an excellent choice, I do use and prefer Sirui L-20S 2-Way Levelling Tilt Head for my Gitzo Monopod. Most would say you only need the tilting head, but in my experience having the additional panning feature allows a Gimbal like action -- for $35.99 more. In fact, I did purchase a Gimbal head for my monopod, but it's now exclusively on my tripod since the L-20S on my monopod works just like a Gimbal minus the weight. It's a real pleasure to use for birding or air shows. An additional benefit of using the panning feature is that the monopod rubber foot doesn't wear out by constant side-to-side action or, if you're using a steel spike foot, a far less chance of losing it. With the panning feature, the monopod itself doesn't move side-to-side, preventing any wear or twisting off.

Have you guys ever taken more than one body when birding? Do you lay down the body/lens on the monopod on the ground before using your other camera? I typically bird with two bodies, one with the 500/4 II and the other with the 100-400II. I just want to make sure I don't end up dropping the one on the monopod.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #18670620
Have you guys ever taken more than one body when birding? Do you lay down the body/lens on the monopod on the ground before using your other camera?

You might want to visit http://www.digitalbird​photography.com/4.1.ht​ml and once there, scroll down to where the writer discusses the "halfpod" technique.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #18670620
Have you guys ever taken more than one body when birding? Do you lay down the body/lens on the monopod on the ground before using your other camera? I typically bird with two bodies, one with the 500/4 II and the other with the 100-400II. I just want to make sure I don't end up dropping the one on the monopod.

I don't use two bodies, but if I were to, I'd employ a Blackrapid strap on both lens foot with QR plates, and as you interchange the body, I'd secure the resting body on my SpiderPro holster on the side of my body. I use Blackrapid strap more as a safety tether. The strap doesn't interfere with the QR clamp on either my monopod or the tripod.

SYS wrote in post #18670594
For birding, I'm not a fan of three support feet. It's a good feature for shooting videos, but it's more a hindrance than help for birding, adding unnecessary weight. I'd second just getting a P424. For the head, although Sirui L-10 Tilt Head is an excellent choice, I do use and prefer Sirui L-20S 2-Way Levelling Tilt Head for my Gitzo Monopod. Most would say you only need the tilting head, but in my experience having the additional panning feature allows a Gimbal like action -- for $35.99 more. In fact, I did purchase a Gimbal head for my monopod, but it's now exclusively on my tripod since the L-20S on my monopod works just like a Gimbal minus the weight. It's a real pleasure to use for birding or air shows. An additional benefit of using the panning feature is that the monopod rubber foot doesn't wear out by constant side-to-side action or, if you're using a steel spike foot, a far less chance of losing it. With the panning feature, the monopod itself doesn't move side-to-side, preventing any wear or twisting off.

The sirui monopod, video version, has built in panning, and the feet can easily be removed, but I find that standing on them gives me a ton of stability.

Charlie wrote in post #18670790
The sirui monopod, video version, has built in panning, and the feet can easily be removed, but I find that standing on them gives me a ton of stability.

Does it pan without the three feet support? I don't think it can pan once the three feet support is removed? In any case, it looks like Sirui P-424 is no longer manufactured. You can find used and new on Amazon still.

I don't use a monopod, but sometimes carry a Tiltall tripod. It's handy to hold the cam & stuff out of the mud when I'm not shooting for one thing. For another, if you loosen up the head & fold the legs together, it makes a useful monopod that's about 65 inches tall. Leitz makes them now.
You can find them on eBay for about $50-70, or new for triple that at Adorama.

Cheap tripod or cheap head ?

It should last you a lifetime. Besides being a work of art, theTiltallis not a big, heavy tripod, but one that I've had for 50 years & it has held up well. I have others, & while it's not as fast to set up as others, it's the one I keep in my trunk & use the most. I used to do a lot of travel for PJ work & it's the only one that went with me then, too.

Somewhere in the text it says "all current "Pros" have a removable leg which becomes a Monopod when TEP-6 is taken from the base of the center column and added to the top of the leg." I didn't use that option.

Rick likes it too: https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=2420266&po​stcount=47

SYS wrote in post #18670920
Does it pan without the three feet support? I don't think it can pan once the three feet support is removed? In any case, it looks like Sirui P-424 is no longer manufactured. You can find used and new on Amazon still.

Yes, the panning is up top with its own adjustment system. Quite nice design. Effectiveness without foot, I have not tried. I love the feet so much, even if it’s just one I’m using.